300, 2006 ★★★★☆

I have been awaiting the release of 300 for a long time now. Also, it has been the longest we have gone seeing a movie in a theater. The trailers have been impressive and I have been a huge fan of graphic novels turned into movies ever since I saw Sin City even though I haven't read one yet. The DLP-powered theater on Hwy 6 in Houston was perfect to see a movie that seems to be made for the big screen. I have always remained skeptical of the HD hype but all doubts were cleared when I checked out the DLP rendering at a previous movie viewing. If you haven't yet, you don't know what you are missing.

The first thing I noticed in the theater was the number of kids. I thought this movie was R-rated and full for blood and gore. The kids were treated to ample doses of both violence and sex although stylishly presented. 300 is based on the epic Battle of Thermopylae fought in 480 BC between the invading Persian army and an alliance of the Greek states. The armies were hopelessly mismatched with the Persians counted in the millions and the Greeks not more than a thousand.

This movie however focuses on the battle fought at the pass of Thermopylae where King Leonidas led 300 Spartans and 700 Thespian volunteers. The history of the battle is captivating reading for anyone interested in strategic warfare wherein numbers do not matter much in determining the final outcome.

As Leonidas mentions repeatedly, he leads an army of hardened soldiers and not slaves or a ragtag coterie of part-time fighters. The English language equates the phrase spartan with austere, simple, and disciplined living. The phrase fits perfectly with the way Spartans lived their life - hardened, merciless, and remorseless. The weak and puny had no place in the Spartan society and although this might not go down well with today's politically correct society, the Spartan choice of letting only the able-bodied individuals live in favor of the infirm was rooted in the need of those times.

Their tough masculine demeanor stood in stark contrast with the 'boy-loving' (as the movie suggests) philosophizing Athenians. The movie opens showing exactly that; even the horrible practice of discarding babies thought of being puny having any deformities. The visual treatment of the movie instantly captivates you although the fields remind you of Russell Crowe's Gladiator which I'm sure served as an inspiration.

The movie, as I mentioned before is replete with sexuality including a sensual writing nipple-baring Oracle which Leonidas dismisses as a drugged adolescent (progressive man, he was) and a short love-making scene between the royal couple before he leaves for battle. The sex however does little justice to the love between the two which remains unmentioned verbally at least and only after Leonidas faces certain death, he lets his guard down by bidding farewell to his love and not his queen.

300 is undoubtedly a battle movie that glorifies war in its depiction of blood and gore and beautifully created slow-motion action sequences baring the innards of decapitated soldiers but at the same time, it is also a movie of love, passion, and honor. The battle armor of Spartans didn't consist of much. Except for a big ass shield, expertly wielded spear, and a sword encased in an ankle sheath, the insanely-ripped and abs-baring Spartans were dressed for battle in tight undies and long flowing capes which almost reminded me of those San Francisco Gay Pride Parade, no offense meant either to Spartans or gays :) But you forget that easily once the fighting begins as the Spartans mercilessly massacre wave after wave of Persians including a misshaped giant, a rhino, and a herd of elephants. Of course, geography helped. The narrow pass of Thermopylae "consisted only of a track along the Gulf of Malis so narrow that only one chariot could pass through" [source; map]

This might seem a bit too obsessed with the current political climate [and Sampada would agree wholeheartedly] but I did sense a lot of coincidences between the plot of the movie and the war in Iraq. Lines such as - freedom does not come free (Queen Gorgo) or scenes where the Council dabbles in matters if they should send the rest of the Spartan Army (the surge debates in the U.S. Congress) when the band of 300 is fighting a Persian army that is ruthless or King Leonidas questioning his moral dilemma when the laws of the land demand he do nothing.

But of course, all that is purely coincidental because I don't assume either Frank Miller, the director Zack Snyder, or even the original King Leonidas meant to draw such comparisons. Perhaps I should lay off reading about the war and getting all riled up each time it is mention (more on that in another unrelated movie review)

Finally, I highly recommend 300. The movie's imaginative landscapes, breathtaking battle scenes, and cheer-worthy quotes (rooted in Greek folklore, after all) make it a fulfilling cinematic experience. However, if you are queasy about violence and war, you may be disturbed but the visual treatment of such scenes actually make them look like hyper-realistic paintings.