Philosophically perfect, historically inaccurate - 300 Reviews

But even for a history buff, inaccuracies here and there didn't bother me. This film was more about the Spartan warrior than an attempt to make a documentary about the beginning of yet another Greek war with the Persians. And as such, this movie was superb. The Spartan warrior is the epitome of the professional soldier. The warrior ethos is a character on its own in this movie, and it's dead on. When you hear King Leonidas speak and see the Spartans fight, suffer, and fight on, you're seeing true warriors. A rare thing in the modern world. The casting of the movie was excellent, even though Gerard Butler's Scottish burr escaped him on occasion. Lena Headey, as his wife Queen Gorga, did superbly. The Spartan women were in their own way as fierce warriors as their men. In terms of the movie itself--visually, it's a comic book brought to life. Everything is exaggerated, from landscapes to enemies to the actual battles. It's stunning, it's like no other movie I've ever seen, but that also means that history and realism take a few knocks. The actual fighting style of the Spartans with shield and spear was Hollywoodized, so it was impressive to watch, but prone to error. The story itself, of heroism, sacrifice, and the courage of the 300 Spartans, is the reason to go see this movie. The story of Thermopylae has endured for thousands of years because it's stirring, incredible, inspiring, and this movie does tribute to Leonidas and his men.