300 Posted by: Joe Tracy, Publisher

Let there be no doubt – the movie 300 is a visual treat from start to finish. It pulls you into a world of visual wonder, but leaves that world full of blood and violence, something the Spartans of old would refer to as “the norm”.

300 opens with an introduction to the realisms of Spartan society where children with weaknesses or deformities are killed and those that survive are taught to be warriors. Kids fight each other to the death and spend nights in the dark forest using might and wit to fight the elements of danger. Those that survive become respected Spartans while those that don’t survive are quickly forgotten. Weakness doesn’t exist in Spartan society – only violence, death, and the guidance of oracles.

300 opens with a narration that seeks to pull you into the story with its descriptions. It talks about how a boy, training to become a Spartan, must face off with a deadly wolf as the boy keeps his eyes on the beast with “the giant wolf sniffing… savoring the scent of a meal to come…” Only in Sparta, it is the wolves that become the meal. When messengers of Xerxes arrive in Sparta, they tell King Leonidas that he must pay respect (by submitting) and a price to keep the massive army of Persians from invading his land. His response is to kill the messengers, unleashing a series of events that will culminate in a showdown between 300 Spartans, and hundreds of thousands of Persians. It’s a few of the world’s greatest warriors against a never-ending army of blood-thirsty villains. The battle of 300 seeks to define one of history’s greatest moments of war at the narrow strait of Thermopylae where the word “victory” is redefined.

300 is a visual feast that is quite unlike any movie you’ve seen. Its visual treats come in the form of the movie’s color palette, the mystical lighting, the enchanting visual effects, and the music that pulls you into the conflict. The movie is like a spell cast upon you that makes your eyes watch even when they may want to turn away. You are connected to an enchanted gateway to Sparta and you feel like part of the final battle… a battle with oversized villains that would intimidate even the greatest of today’s soldiers, but look like mice to the mighty Spartans.

One great aspect of 300 is that the fight scenes are slowed down. In many battle movies today, you see quick cuts and fast-paced movements to hide the film’s inability to produce a realistic battle. 300 overcomes this and slows many of the battles down so that you get a feeling of depth and realism to the experience.

300 is a grand adventure that may be too heavy on blood and violence for some and may feel a little too much like a video game to others. But for everyone else, the movie is a grand adventure of epic proportions that doesn’t disappoint.