When I was in Singapore, I managed to catch the Asian premiere of 300, the movie based on the comic inspired by the movie based on the Greek historical telling of the Spartans at Thermopylae. I know that it has been a while since the movie came out. I know that there have been a lot of reviews about it on the net. I also know that i was quiet for a long while before my recent spate. So shaddap and listen.
300 is one of those movies that tend to polarise people. Either you like it or you don't. Either you come out of the theater wanting to put on a skimpy loincloth and hack people to pieces or you're wondering where you can apply for a refund to get the last few hours of your life back.
The original movie, The 300 Spartans was done in the early 60's following the success of the Roman epic movies. They probably even recycled some of the costumes, because the Spartans seem to be wearing distinctly Roman armour. But I digress.
I got to watch 300 in what is bragged about as "the largest dgital screen in Singapore", and, I must admit, it was worth it. First off, the movie is just epic. I don't mean in the storytelling sense, but in the way the subjects flow from tight focus to long shots. The way the action goes from a very personal view of a head flying off, to a vulture's eye view of the entire killing field. And believe me, killing does happen. If you don't like blood and guts, even if it is rather stylised a la Gladiator, this movie is not for you. If you don't like simulated sex in multiple positions, go watch something else. If you're expecting a historically accurate retelling of the tale (which may not have been historically accurate anyway), watch the Discovery Channel. If, however, you want to watch some crazy fighting, and pretty much enjoy yourself without looking for deeper meanings, this is the movie for you.
300 was, like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, done almost completely on green screen. This shows, with impossible-looking backgrounds and lots of action. Where many movies try to hide the CGI work, 300 revels in it. Weird, fantastic, characters and creatures. Strange cities and backdrops. They're all there
So what is it like as a movie? Simply put, I loved it. Just the blow-me-out-of-my-seat fight effects, the comic book feel to it, they all helped to make this a great movie. Many people have come forward to say that the entire movie demonised the Persians, and that the Spartans weren't such nice people. But who frikken cares? I mean really? It's like the "This is unix. I know this" line in Jurassic Park. People are watching a movie about dinosaurs and complaining that a 11 year old girl wouldn't know Unix.
It's just a movie, people. Get a frelling life.
Besides, this movie is told from the viewpoint of the only man left of the 300 who stood. The storyteller Dilios was asked to return so that the story of the 300 would not die with them. The tale that Dilios spins is not the reality, but one coloured and calculated to give heart to the Spartans and Greeks before the Battle of Thermopylae. Obviously, this demonizes the opposing side as well as painting the Spartans in a very positive light.
But I come not to explain 300, but to review it. No two people will see the same movie. What we take from it is coloured by what we take into it. What I took in was the memory of the 300 graphic novel, and the knowledge that this was going to be a different kind of movie. And it was. It wasn't the acting, which was good but nothing really special, or the story, which, lets face it, was as foregone as the ending for Titanic. The Spartans could no more defeat the Persians and walk away than the ship could have avoided the iceberg. But it was the experience of it all. 300 is more a thrill ride than a movie. The violence, while brutal, seems almost cartoonish. The enemies they kill, masked and grotesque, are as sympathetic as the Cobra warrior drones GI Joe used to blow up by the dozen every Thursday evening. But it's the ride. The ride. The ride. The camera angles, the high speed attack culminating in a slow motion decapitation. This is what makes this movie worthwhile. With eminently quotable lines, and a rousing musical score 300 should be watched with the sound cranked up to 11, on as wide a screen as you can find.
Add new comment