Volcano aside, '300' entertains

Volcano aside, '300' entertains


Yakima Herald.com


Published on Tuesday, October 16, 2007


by * Loren Antonio ( Davis High School)




Of all of the big movies to come out this year, the biggest surprise is
Zack Snyder's visually dazzling and highly stylized "300."

Based on Frank Miller's graphic novel retelling the events of the
Battle of Thermopylae, this movie came out of nowhere and took the world by
storm. Sure, there were all of the comic book fans who wanted to be the
first in line for the movie, but then there was everyone else who just
went to watch a good-looking and entertaining film.

"300" looks good and is fun to watch. It has some memorable characters
as well as a few lines that will one day be listed on the "100 Greatest
Movie Quotes," but it does not have much else.

"300" tells the story of how 300 Spartans took on an army of more than
1 million Persians. The Spartans, led by the manly King Leonidas
(Gerard Butler), have had their land threatened by the Persian leader King
Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). With this news, the Spartans become angry and
Leonidas assembles an army to resist the Persian oppression.

The Spartans are born fighters, but 300 men can only do so much. Most
of the film is nothing but beautifully shot battle sequences that make
many other sword-and-sandal flicks look boring.

"300" is violent, but also a joy to watch. A regret of many people who
will watch this movie for the first time on a small screen is sure to
be that they didn't get the chance to see this on the big screen. Seeing
it in the theater would have been much more appealing.

It's possible Miller himself contributed to the success of this movie.
Miller's equally violent and also highly stylized graphic novel "Sin
City" was brought to the big screen by Robert Rodriguez about 21/2 years
ago. "300" is definitely different from "Sin City," but Miller's
presence and blessing could have added to the movie's success.

"300" could be considered "Braveheart" for the MTV2 generation. Both
films are ultra-violent, tell stories of "commoners" rebelling against
oppression and have similar endings. The difference here is "300" is much
more stylized (and about Spartans as opposed to Scots).

The one-disc DVD contains a few special features, including a
feature-length commentary with Snyder, screenwriter Kurt Johnstad and director
of photography Larry Fong. There is also a brief documentary on how the
idea of "300" evolved from comic book panels on screen to a full-scale
production. The latter feature is an "Easter Egg," meaning it's hidden
and must be searched for in order to be watched.

The story in "300" is overshadowed by its violence as well as many
one-liners that will be commonly used and parodied in the years to come.
All of these elements make the movie one of the most entertaining films
of the year.

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