REVIEW: 300 (Possible Spoiler)

Could not have been anticipating this more. The trailer alone could have sustained enjoyment for at least the first half. The pulsating NIN track over gold-tinted sex and violence and a host of well delivered lines of cock-waving dialogue from Gerard Butler. How could it fail? The difficulty in my enjoyment of it and likely many others, is the knowledge that is director Zack Snyder is to helm the long-awaited adaptation of Alan Moore's seminal, untouchable comic Watchmen, widely considered the finest graphic novel ever created. It genesis has been troubled to say the least but finally its being made and with this lad on board. So could Snyder take Frank Miller's story of the Spartans vs. Persians and create and minor masterpiece blend of ultra-violent comic book storytelling and historical epic.

To be honest, its a double edged sword answer to that one. Reviews of the film had angered members of the Platt staff as much of the critical chargrin centred around the historical inaccuracy of the film; the actual number of Persian only allegedly in the hundreds of thousands, Butler's Scottish brogue and the use of grotesque monsters throughout the battles. If you are coming in to this expected a meeting of The History Channel and Sin City, walk away. We didn't expect that at all from the film and that likely would have hindered enjoyment had our historical brains been forefronted. However, in defense of those critics, Snyder does fumble on his tone and we flit between beautifully rendered action sequences splattered with blood and (slightly overused) slo-mo and worthy talky bits where characters are never fully fleshed out. Snyder seems uninterested in these moments and while you can't fault a film like this on accuracy, you could argue its failed attempts to bring pathos and standing harm its overall sense. When the fighting is going on, its utterly beguiling. Synder certainly has a gift for creating excitement during the battles and the film is sustained by the Spartan army crushing the Persians with the glee and viciousness of prime action movie stars. Butler does well as Leonidis, getting across his nobility and bravery superbly. Dominic West (The Wire) as Theron oozes traitorous sleaze but is underused and underserved by a weak script during the scenes back in Sparta.

The problem is that its about as shallow as a Hilton and fluffs the moments it needs to get right. You leave feeling utterly taken back by how little you know you will remember tomorrow. Depth is non-existant, with only Butler managing to bring anything approaching it to his character, you at least feel something at his demise. The problems in adapting Miller crop up again too (weak dialogue, gratuitous nudity, a completely pointless 'rape' scene) but where in Sin City they felt fine due to the subject matter and pastiche elements, here they feel heavy-handed and fail the movie. I won't deny the entertainment value of 300 though and it is a brilliantly made film, promising at least that Synder will make Watchmen look great. But we need some depth from him or its likely the internet lynch mobs will form baying for his blood. On its own merits 300 is fine if forgettable blood-stained fluff and worth a watch.

Film: 300
Director: Zack Snyder
Plattenspieler Rating: 6.3/10