300: A Beautiful Satisfaction

MUST-SEE: (Snyder) This film was beautiful! A digital playground. Not since Hero have I been so blown away by the digital wonders of a film. And despite several critics who have argued against the lack of genuine cinematic credibility, because it is so digital, I beg the audience to appreciate the technological masterpiece it exists as, and not what a critic thinks it should be. Director, Zach Snyder (Dawn of the Dead) created the entire film in a warehouse. It took 60 days to shoot. He used real people, with real muscles, and real voices. Other than that, and for the next year, the whole film is thanks to computer polish, and the finished product is mind blowing. First of all, the plot is driven solely by the battle (unlike Troy's sex, lies, etc.). Secondly, all the emotion stems from the heart and soul of the Spartan warriors, dressed in nothing but capes, leather briefs, and their rediculous muscles. From the first scene, which recounts how each Spartan boy becomes a "real man," you become engrossed in the spirit of the warriors. They are the defnition of bad-asses. Thirdly, the variant time-speeds play with your eyes, working with powerful music to hit your soul through your senses. The blood paints a warm color scheme throughout each battle, making violence art. Aside from the eye candy, King Leonidas' (Gerard Butler) voice booms with authority and wit, keeping you in awe, and often chuckling. 300's mix includes a 9-foot golden clad King Xerxes, computer-generated rhinos and elephants, mutilated ogres, and adolescent sex toys. The sky is always dark, thunder always claps, and the spears are kept sharpened. For the UFC fan, this movie will motivate you to work out and fire up your fighting spirit. For the aesthetic oriented, the digital creation surpasses your wildest dreams. And, finally, for the graphic novel lovers, Frank Miller's original provides the inspriation for this adapted script. It's hard to point out bad parts to the film, but my only complaint is the scene in which a young female "dances" in an oracle trance, obviously holding her breath under water. The mistake distracted me from one of the most fantastic scenes of the 2 hours. But, that is my only complaint. I loved the story. I loved the theatrics. I loved the battles. I loved the muscles, and I loved the humor. See this movie. And see it in IMAX!