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.

So, what is not to like and especially when it is filmed in this different but very appealing way. We get 300 of the best the Spartans have including King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) vs the whole of the army of Xerxes. We have epic battles and we have the most impressive men's physiques that you will ever find in any movie, and I am talking each and every Spartan. It is so obvious that these guys worked hard for this movie and got themselves into peak condition. The story is fun and the battles are so well choreographed that it goes beyond impressive. Kind of violent so I would say tha tit is okay for adults and those over, say, 13 but younger it could be a bit scary.

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?

As I said in the title, 300 is visually stunning and innovative, it's filled with macho 1-liners that will be quoted for years and has the added advantage of telling on of the great stories of history. Some of the macho lines are even from history!

Sure the history here is about as accurate as the science in Star Wars, but that's fine. We all know Xerxes was not 10' tall and probably did not have access to hand grenades. And it's kind of funny to hear the slave-owning Greeks going on (and on) about freedom. But that's fine, this is over-the-top music video cartoon of a movie.

I hesitated between 4 and 5 stars. I genuinely enjoyed it, and watched it along with its unnecessary sequel (1-star for that one) as well as the two Sin City films for a Frank Miller weekend. This is the best of the four.

Young men loved this and made it a blockbuster mainly for the special effects and the blood & guts. OK
Mature men loved it for the traditional "male" things of honor and glory and lets beat the bad guys.
Women loved it for Gerry and his extraordinary body and the true love he shows for his strong, smart wife.

Anyone, regardless of age or gender, can find something appealing in this unusual, interesting, completely different movie. Yes, the special effects are eye-popping, even today when we're inundated with effects. These are quieter and stranger. There is a surreal quality to them that works. Yes, the story (although not strictly historically accurate) is a classic tale of sacrifice and honor to which any thinking person will respond to with pride and sadness. Yes, Gerard is gorgeous and the perfect King for his time, but he is more: he is the personification of the noble warrior, the reluctant warrior, who would rather make love to his wife and raise his son than fight the invaders, but does what "a free man" has to do to stay free.

There is some gratuitous violence and grossness - I could have done without the leprosy-ridden priests and the malformed Persians. And, yes, there is no attempt at political correctness. Thank goodness. That was not a popular concept in ancient Sparta and would have been ridiculous if it had been inserted into this movie.

This is a film that grows on you. A film that is better at the 2nd viewing and will surprise you with things you missed at the 3rd viewing. It's not for everyone but, if your mind is open, you can enjoy it on whatever level works for you.

What's not to love... It goes above and beyond the story the Herodotus told. I rewatched it because I'm listening to Dan Carlan's Hardcore History pod casts and wanted to see how they came together. I have to say, I love historical stories from this part of history, but from a historian's perspective if you do not have suspension of disbelief forget about it. Great cinematography from an actor and director's stand point.