I Will Remember 300!

I Will Remember 300!


CanMag.com


March 2,2007


by Ryan Parsons



Hype is a dangerous thing. Hype will get audiences into a theatre sure, but it can also raise expectations so ridiculously high that they can never be matched. As I sat down to watch Warner Bros' epic 300 based on Frank Miller's retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae I feared that maybe I was expecting too much.

Fortunately for all who have been counting the days, hours or even minutes for the release of 300, rest assured to know that the film delivers on every level.

Movie Review: 300

I don't know if I can call this a review or a rant, but know that Zack Snyder has the viewer in mind when it comes to 300. After the opening introduction that explains what it takes to become a Spartan, I could not help but crave more violence. This Spartan civilization is proud to have been founded on brutality and, after convincing you that violence can be civilized, you expect something crazy around every corner.

Scene with simple commoners? Please, old man extra, grab something sharp and stab the woman standing right next to you in the neck. Snyder wants you to feel this way, and violence he awards with glorious artistic style.

Since there was no way in hell the film could dodge an R rating, why not throw in a bit of T&A as well? Yes, 300 comes packaged with both male and female nudity, an attribute that adds more realism to the film and sadism to the Persian invaders. Butler, who plays a convincing badass as King Leonidas, even gets his own nude pose created solely to please the millions of Butlerettes across the globe.

Extra kudos for the sex scene between Butler and Headey that cuts to just about every position - each with a single thrust of Butler's er, weapon.

Just about everything in 300 shines. The only thing that did take a bit of getting used to were the quick cuts, which Snyder gets to flow a bit more seamlessly thanks to narration from David Wenham's Dilios - who also shines.

So how can I best describe 300? For one, my review quote could be this film is the "ultimate summer popcorn fest," which makes me feel awkward watching it in March - summer has come early!

In the words of South Park's Eric Cartman, I blew an action fuse last night (during 300). I don't know how long it will take for me to recover, because I may have just watched the best, most vivid hand to hand combat ever to appear on the bigscreen.

300 opens to theatres on March 9th, 2007.

For the video journals, stills, trailers, more stills, posters and movie info, head over to the 300 Movie Page.

Stay tuned for updates.




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