Not too glorious - 300 Reviews

Zack Snyder's "300" is beatifully photographed... and that's about it. The story of 300 Spartan warriors defending their land from the massive Persian armies seems compelling- unfortunately, though, the suspense is ruined before the battes even begin. So just how could a tiny regiment have a chance against a force which shakes the ground when it marches? Easily-and the Spartan leader, King Leonidas (Butler) tells us how. In a bizarre scene early on, Leonidas visits a tower where lepers greedily hoard young, female "oracles" who only deliver prophecies after dancing semi-nude. Before Leonidas pays for the oracle's message, he confidently spells out in detail how he will use the Greek terrain to outweigh the Persians' advantage in numbers. All is well until he is reminded it is not wise to do battle during holy seasons. It's fairly obvious as to whether or not Leonidas heeds this warning. Now, in every tale of Greek mythology, it is never wise to disobey the gods. "300" does a poor job of illustrating this theme. Nearly every battlefield surprise or calamity goes against the Persians. The battle sequences are highly stylized and graphic, with blood gushing in epic proportions- so much it puts many video games to shame. Too bad the movie itself is not of epic standards. Under two hours, there is little time to develop any decent amount of plot excluding the combat. The backstory of Leonidas' wife trying to convince the Spartan counsel to send more soldiers to aid the 300 is not compelling at all. And with all the talk of Spartan honor, glory, and superiority of character, there are too many instances which contradict the self-praise. The movie also goes heavy on symbolism, which only distracts the audience with all-too familiar images (the coins scattering on the ground from "The Passion of the Christ" and the hero in imaginary golden fields from "Gladiator" to name a few). All in all, "300" is a disappointment, offering nothing inventive- this movie is rather forgettable. Immediately leaving the theater, I could only recall the names of two characters; this is not characteristic of a movie with a decent story. It is indulgent in its arcade violence and underdevelops the plot to the point where there is no reason to care for any of the characters (Greek or Persian). There's much action, but not as much entertainment.