300 (* * * 1/2)

I was able to make it out to a late show last night and see 300. I was excited and planning on seeing this film for a long time, I was going to wait a while but after my friend Jeff's review I decided I needed to get out and see this soon. I am glad I did, I really liked 300. I am currently torn between giving the film 3 or 4 stars, so I went with 3 1/2. I liked the movie enough to give it 4, but I found enough flaws to give it 3.
Obviously the first thing you will notice, and love, about 300 is the visual style and cinematography. It's truly amazing and unique. The story is great and the acting is pretty good, but there are a few holes here and there that the visuals just weren't enough to fill.
Oh and if you go see this film, be aware that the audience will be made mostly of young males with tattoo's, large ear rings, too much gel in their hair and a monthly pass to Gold's Gym (steroids optional). At least that's what it was like for me. Watch yourself in the parking lot.
As always spoilers to follow.
Anyone who has seen the various trailers or promotional images for 300 will immediately recognize the fascinating visual style. Director Zack Snyder really did a great job with the creativity on this one. Anyone who has seen his remake of Dawn of the Dead will recognize his unique style with lighting and contrast. You can literally take most of this film, print it out and hang it on your wall, it's that beautiful and amazing. There is just some great lighting and backgrounds. Shot almost entirely with blue screen technology, he was able to make it look however he wanted. There were a few flaws though, there are a couple of scenes that you can really tell that the actors are in front of a blue screen. It's not a big deal, but just a little distracting. Although most people won't notice, I just pay more attention to detail than most people. Going to see this film for the visual style alone is worth the ticket price.
Another unique aspect of the movie is the fight scenes. I really think there is some creative choreography and interesting fight scenes. Let's face it, there isn't a lot out there that hasn't been done as far as fight scenes go. Especially when we are talking early history with swords and shields. I think that they really got creative on this one. It's interesting and fun to watch, although it's extremely graphic, it's different than anything you have seen before.
The story is really interesting and very loosely based on the real life Battle of Thermopylae. So there is some historical basis, although it's very blown out of proportion and dramatized. The movie is also based on Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. Most of the visual style was interpreted from the graphic novel. The story at it's core is really just about a huge battle, although I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of detail and depth of the story that I didn't expect. At the heart of the story you have King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan soldiers versus The God King Xerxes and his thousands of soldiers. But there is more to the story, there is the King's upbringing as a Spartan and his very loyal soldiers, his wife and his son. King Xerxes and his ability to corrupt and purchase a Spartan politician. As I said before, the story is actually pretty detailed and intricate, I expected a basic battle with blood and carnage but was happy to see more depth.
I am probably being pretty picky about this one, but I thought the acting was just mediocre. There are a few that stand out and do a great job, but for the most part it was just OK. The dialog was very repetitive and even laughable at times (there are only so many ways and so many times to say "This Is Sparta!!!). Most of my issues with the acting probably stem from the dialog, but it's up to the actors to deliver it properly. There are several main characters, most notably King Leonidas played by Gerard Butler. I am sure he went to great lengths to look the part, and he did. He did a good job in all of the action scenes and even some of the sentimental moments with his wounded soldiers, his son and his wife. But the guy in real life is Scottish and Irish, that accent must be hard to get rid of, and it was easy to tell in the film that he had an accent. In fact that is one of the things that bothered me the most, each character had a different accent. It was pretty obvious. I did think the standout performances were by those that were left behind, not those in the battles themselves. I felt like Dominic West played a great corrupt politician as Theron, you really hated this guy and you could tell that there was something about him that you didn't like, right off the bat. I also think that Lena Headey stole the scene each time as Queen Gorgo, she was bold and stood strong. I thought they did a great job. Most people will remember David Wenham from The Lord of the Rings films, he was good in his part and I enjoyed it having him as a narrator. I tend to enjoy films with narrators anyway, but it was cool to hear him tell the story from start to finish and see his role in the story. Rodrigo Santoro played the part of Xerxes, he was good but I think they played with his voice too much. It was weird to look at this giant feminine man and hear that deep voice, it worked for the film but felt a little off to me.
Something that I don't want to overlook in this film, is the music. The music plays a huge role in this film and I think they did a great job setting the mood using music. There are several scenes that are emotionally enhanced by the music and it really helps to keep the pacing right, because the pacing in the film does go in and out, fast and slow.
The Bottom Line....
I really liked 300, it's a great movie and I did want to give it 4 stars because I had a lot of fun watching it, but I gave it 3 1/2 stars because of a few nit picky things that bothered me. The visuals and cinematography are enough to go see this movie, that's it, just go and feast your eyes on the creativity. You will not be bored just watching this movie for that alone. The music sets the mood and the story will surprise you with it's depth, suspense and a few surprises. The acting is pretty good, but the dialog and delivery felt a little off to me, although there are some stand out performances. Most people will probably not be bothered at all by those things. The movie isn't too long, coming in just under 2 hours, but trust me the pacing isn't a problem and you won't be bored.
The movie is rated R and it completely deserves it's rating. There is a ton of extremely graphic images and there is quite a bit of sexual images as well. To be honest, I was caught off guard with the sex scenes, I didn't expect it at all. The good news is there is virtually no obscene language. I think it's quite obvious, although not to everyone in my theater, that you shouldn't bring your kids to this movie.
I don't really know who to recommend seeing this film, obviously kids and most women are not going to enjoy this movie. Even guys who like war movies aren't generally going to like this movie, it's not like Saving Private Ryan. I enjoyed this movie because it was really creative and visual, I am a visual person and anything that stunning can captivate me for two hours. The movie is stylish with the "cool factor" through the roof. But it's not for everyone, although it's raking in quite a bit at the box office.
So take your chances and let me know what you thought of 3oo, or if you are even interested (or if you even read this far). You can read my friend Jeff's, comments here, he loved it.