It has such bad writing at times- the narration is not good- the feminist elements are a bit tiresome and cliche and obvious to spot- but Lena whats-her-name is perfect, and I never ever tire of going back over and over to watch Gerard Butler and his fellow homogeneous soldiers fight the heterogeneous elements of empire building and the Persian Empire. Yeah, yeah, I know Spartans - despite having fairly liberated women and a fairly liberated society (although engaged in infanticide) also had helots (weren't they called? ) - slaves of a sort- and I realize they had engaged in a rather small sort of empire building... but nothing in line of what goes on today, and nothing compared to what the Persians did.... so yup! Very satisfying to watch men be men, and this movie would never, ever, ever be made today. If it was, the Spartans would miraculously become a heterogeneous society where multiculturalism existed- and the Persians wouldn't be decadent with malformed people and ultra-feminized 'men'. It would never, ever be made today.

A film that can be watched over and over. Good story, but great cinematography. It gives the feel of being in a storybook or fable because the atmosphere feels surreal. The original is much better than the second version of the series.

A Perfect Nazi Movie! I see this movie as one of the most Racist Movies made by American Film Industry. First of all, Black Slavery was just invented by Colonial Europe in the era from 1490 to 1860 and most Ancient Slaveries was mostly White, and the word Slave itself is derived from Slav or Slavic people who are still living in Eastern Europe and Russia and parts of the Middle East. Also, notice how the movie depicts deformed people, like the "hunchbacked traitor" and the fighting Monster in the Persian Army. The movie depicts Xerxes as a beardless shaven clean face, and with pierced noses and face, surrounded by Lesbian Women. If Hitler was alive, he would have loved this movie!

In a world of "toxic masculinity", thank our great fortune that this film was created during its time before this cancerous feminism and SJWs are at it peak now infecting our media. While the film isn't entirely accurate to the history, it is still fun to watch and remind ourselves of what our ancestors and predecessors did to build the world we have today. Men of ancient times have fought to protect our homes, family, and way of life. Masculinity is never toxic, it is the toxic feminists that brainwashed modern society into believing it is. I love this movie and continue to watch it over and over, for it is the last surviving over the top machismo type fun of its kind.

300 was based upon the comic book series of the same name by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. It portrayed the Battle of Thermopylae when a small group of Greek fighters led by the King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) of Sparta fought an invading Persian army. Thermopylae or the Hot Gates was a pass in the mountains where a small force could hold up a much large number of opponents. 300 was a great war movie full of CGI enhanced action but with an Orientalist point of view.

The movie begins with an almost fetishized version of the Spartan warrior culture where children are taken at a young age and taught about fighting and violence. This builds up the myth of the Spartan fighting men who will be the stars of the story. They are portrayed as proud, strong, and standing for freedom, while the Persians are shown as blood thirsty imperialists. For instance, Leonidas and his men come across a village that was massacred by the Persians and all the dead bodies strewn across a tree. Later the Spartans will face monsters and giant beasts at the hot gates as well. It’s all meant to emphasize the good vs evil theme of the story. The Spartans were democracy and civilization versus the Persians who were oppression and empire. This is called Orientalism view where the West (Spartans) are always portrayed as good and the East (Persians) are bad. Despite that I have to say that I’ve always loved the action and the stylized violence.
C

I actually enjoyed this movie very much. I hadn't watched it until I ordered this DVD on a whim because it got such luke warm reviews. But, I concluded those critics and even some of our friends simply watched a different movie than I did. I never saw any plot miscues nor anything that wasn't at least in the mythos of what precious little actually exists of the Spartanhistorical narrative. I can appreciate that scholars of Ancient Greece maintain things just didn't unfold that way but the Spartans told themselves they did and that's what this production was based on. Sheesh!. How is that different from more than one Flood account in the Old Testament? Or the Exodus that archeologists and scholars are still making entire careers out of arguing about?

So full of slo-mo CGI, bloodless flying blood, and grotesque men and beasts, 300 plays like a grisly animated feature. Silly beyond bounds, with a total lack of historicity, this is a really bad movie. Poor Gerard Butler! Could not finish.

300 is not a historically accurate depiction of the Battle of Thermopylae--certainly everyone has realized that by now. This film is extremely stylistic, with a heavy use of green screen to simulate dramatic lighting and employ heavy amounts of CGI (there are plenty of ridiculous CGI blood splatters that simply vanish into thin air). Everyone in the film, even the Spartan politicians, is about as physically toned as is possible for a human, and the Spartans forsake battle armor to show off their hairless sculpted torsos.

300, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, is kind of ridiculous. It's completely over-the-top. It seems like an homage to masculinity. And yet, as much as I want to laugh at it and dismiss it as stupid fun (which is easily done with the sequel, Rise of an Empire), this is actually an excellent film with some amount of depth to it.

No, King Leonidas probably didn't fight a giant CGI wolf as a boy, but this film is extremely successful in conveying the mindset of the ancients--their perceptions of an enemy, their need for honor and glory, their dedication to their nations, their struggle to understand the world around them, and their devotion to camaraderie and brotherhood. As the film portrays, this ancient mindset was often forged in conjunction with death, battle, and sacrifice. The style used in this film helps, rather than hinders, the conveyance of an ancient Spartan worldview.

That the movie managed to convey these themes while being entertaining, quotable, heavily stylized, and overall cheesily awesome is what makes it a success.