Review: 300

Oh, wait.

Zack Snyder did this?

That's it, I'm Boycotting.

Thanks for the heads-up Ray.

maestrowork said:

I think Dawn of the Dead was brilliant.

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Me too. Oh, you mean Dawn '04?
As an action-adventure film, I thought it was just above indifferent. There were some interesting ideas in it, but there were also some big, gaping, plot holes.
Either way, I didn't think it deserved to carry the name Dawn of the Dead.

George Romero didn't do "Dawn?"

Not the modern remake.

maestrowork said:

Romero's original was a classic, of course (and I've met the guy). But the '04 remake was excellent, IMHO.

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Not to drag things too far off of a review on 300, but I've never had the nerve to watch the new one. Zombies scare me. Zombies in full color total blitzkrieg gore scare me even more. I wasn't aware Romero didn't do it though.

Prior to seeing “300” I watched a two hour program on the history channel which went into detail about story behind the battle. It made “300” all that more interesting. I’m not into gore, but I’m sure the real thing was as bloody as the movie depicted. The depiction of Xerxes was a bit hard for me to accept. I am a history fan, saw illustrations of him in books, and the movie was nothing like I would have pictured him. In whole I found the movie well done but a little too graphic for my taste.

I'm not really into gore or the level of sexuality in 300, but to me this movie represents a landmark in cinema. The visual style ... I don't think I've seen anything that even approaches the beauty of this movie. Some people on the post-production crew deserve major kudos.

And I don't know how other people feel, but this movie completely drew me in. When I watched it on opening night, there was one scene in particular that got half the audience on their feet cheering (no spoilers). I almost cried towards the end when, well, if you've seen it you know ...

As long as you don't go into this movie expecting realism and historical accuracy, and you aren't too grossed out by the blood and sex, it will be a rewarding experience.

alaskamatt17 said:

I'm not really into gore or the level of sexuality in 300, but to me this movie represents a landmark in cinema. The visual style ... I don't think I've seen anything that even approaches the beauty of this movie. Some people on the post-production crew deserve major kudos.

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I find it difficult to believe that making a movie look like a cheesy video game is a landmark achievement in visual style.

See I loved the gore and sexuality. My dissapointment came only from that the film had the potential to actually be affecting, to be a bit more (that sub plot with his wife, wtf?) and they missed their chance with it. The thing I love best about war movies is the whole brotherhood thing. And while they tried to establish some sort of relationships, it still fell cold to me. Although I love David Wenham.

I really enjoyed it, but it could have been something quite amazing if the writing had been on par with the visual aesthetic.

ETA: This is post 666 people. Be honoured!

If memory serves, he's also directing one of Stephen King's books. I forget which one, however.

maestrowork said:

Last I heard, Romero is in Canada trying to get things together for another Zombie fest.

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vikng said:

Prior to seeing “300” I watched a two hour program on the history channel which went into detail about story behind the battle. It made “300” all that more interesting.

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I just finished an excellent book about the battle of Thermopylae by Stephen Pressfield, called Gates of Fire. It's told from the view of a helot in service to one of the Spartan soldiers, and it's really well done.

I saw the History Channel special too, but I missed the last 45 minutes. Hope they run it again. I think I'm going to go see 300 this weekend.

For those of you who've seen it -- would you feel comfortable watching it with your almost-15 year old daughter?

Thanks Ray. I'll probably go see it myself and then decide if it's okay for her to watch.

I make her leave the room when I watch the Sorpranos and Rome, so I'm trying to be vigilant