by David Banuelos
Copy Editor

Since 2003, when the final chapter of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy hit theaters, I’ve been jonesing for the next great fantasy/historical war epic.

Few moviegoing experiences can top the rumble one feels in his chest when he experiences gigantic armies of men and beasts march and charge at one another, the hair-raising inspiration of pre-battle speeches, or the delectable blood, guts, and flying limbs that come with the clashing of swords, spears, and shields.

Unfortunately, the genre has suffered since Peter Jackson’s stunningly gorgeous adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s masterpiece. We fans have had to tide ourselves over with abysmally awful tripe like Troy (2004), and the equally vacuous Kingdom of Heaven (2005). I didn’t see Eragon, last year’s attempt at revitalizing the style made famous by Cecil B. DeMille, William Wyler, and Stanley Kubrick, among others, but, by all accounts, it just plain sucked.

Which brings us to 2007, and director Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s historically-inspired graphic novel, 300.

The level of excitement at Pacific Place for the Seattle premiere was off the charts. Some fans got in line three hours before show time, and a few were decked out in full Spartan costumes. By the time I signed in with the rest of the press covering the opening, the line had wrapped itself around the top level of the mall twice. The early buzz translated into a $70 million opening weekend, making it the #1 movie in the America by a wide margin.

The plot surrounds the Greco-Persian Wars that took place from about 500 B.C., to 448 B.C. The massive armies of the Persian Empire marched on Greece in an attempt to take over the peninsula. Xerxes I, the Persian emperor, sent emissaries to the Greek city-states ahead of his gargantuan forces for offerings of “earth and water” as tokens of submission.

Many smaller cities bowed to Xerxes’ will, but Sparta, led by King Leonidas I, dramatically resisted, throwing the envoys down a deep well and shouting after them, “Dig it out for yourselves.”

Thus begins this highly-stylized account of one of history’s most famous last stands. The true story that inspired Miller is worth some research (Wikipedia: “Battle of Thermopylae”) even though both Miller and Snyder took several dramatic liberties with the story.

Generally speaking, I can’t stand it when faux-historical epics (or any film for that matter) modernize dialogue, and invent dramatic plot threads to beef up true stories that don’t need any help. For as much as I loved 300, this cinematic sin was shamelessly and repeatedly committed, but the historically accurate lines (e.g. the Spartan warrior Dienekes’ iconic, “Then we will fight in the shade,”) nicely balanced the script.

Gerard Butler shines as Leonidas, while Lord of the Rings vet David Wenham performs well as the soldier and narrator, Dilios. Lena Headey’s portrayal of the Spartan Queen Gorgos was quite the crowd-pleaser, even though nearly all of the plot surrounding her character was pure fiction, and Andrew Tiernan brings life to the overly-stylized and loathsome traitor Ephialtes.

The greatest appeal of the film is its undeniable visual brilliance. Like Miller’s previous foray into film, 2005’s Sin City, 300 is swollen with marvelous imagery, incredible fight choreography, and tasteful use of slow-motion cinematography. The Spartan heroes and their surroundings are larger than life, despite the fact that nearly all of the sets and locations are nothing more than green-screens.

Altogether, 300 satisfies the war-epic jones, and must be seen in the theater to be fully appreciated. (The chest-rattling sound of the Persian army marching can’t be translated without a high-end home theater set-up). Despite the fudging of a few historical details, the essence of the story of the 300 Spartans is well-captured, and, despite what some have said, there are no intentional political metaphors.

Image Courtesy Warner Bros.
Not Lemmings - the Persians fall into the sea thanks to the Spartans, in 300.