300 Review

So my team went out to see 300 the other night so I figured that I would drop a quick review. Overall, it was a solid movie to see, especially in the theater, but I ended up not quite as impressed as I thought I would be.

On the plus side, the cinematography, staging, costumes and action were all superb. I especially enjoyed the costumes and design on the Persian side. So maybe King Xerxes was not really a nine foot tall, pierced, androgenous Yul Brynner but he sure did look cool as one. The action was also well planned and fun to watch and the gore level didn't seem to bother me like Sin City did. Although have no doubts, it is very gory, it's just that gore in a historical battle context does not bug me as much as other types of violence.

On the down side, I was actually not too impressed by the script of the movie. It seemed to be trying to let the cinematography speak for itself, but the acting and lines still fell flat to my ears at several points. Most of the dialog just seemed like filler between one sassy Spartan one-liner and the next and none if it had the emotional impact of other histo-gory-dramas (Gladiator for example). Perhaps this has to do with the Spartan stoic nature, but it still was a minus to me.

Also the nudity in this movie was constantly bizzare and borderline exploitive. That may have been the point, but both Xerxes' tent and visiting the Oracle were sexually creepy enough for me to lose enjoyment in the movie and to break the narrative.

~Ian