Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

“Graphic novelist” (aka comics artist) and writer Frank Miller seems to be on a roll. As far as translating works from story art to big screen is concerned, Miller is very likely the premiere writer/artist in his field. You may or may not know that going into 300; and I suspect for the most part most who see the film will not.

And that is probably the secret of his success. Because although you know what you’re in for when you’re off to see the latest adventures of Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man on the big screen, that’s much less the case with Miller’s work. It’s very possible you could see films based upon his work and never know they were inspired by a comic book series or graphic novel.

And this is very much the case with 300. Because the film, although obviously very much inspired by Miller’s six-issue limited comic series of the same name, is based on actual events, if rather loosely interpreted actual events.

The Real Story
History tells us that the Battle of Thermopylae, on which 300 is based, is a textbook example of the use of terrain to a defender’s advantage. There, in 480 B.C., a force of 300 Spartans under King Leonidas along with a force of several thousand allied Greek troops held off an attack by a Persian army under Xerxes that numbered at the least in the hundreds of thousands. Though their stand cost them their lives and they were eventually defeated, the 300 rallied the rest of the Greek states into action. Eventually, they defeated the armies of Xerxes and kept Greece free of his influence.

The Movie
In a nutshell, this is also the plot of director Zack Snyder’s film, which takes perhaps more liberties with the legend and engrosses it more even than Miller’s comic version did. Through Leonidas, who defiantly resists the Persian demands that Sparta submit to Xerxes divine authority, we see almost all of the action unfold.

To the delight of Miller’s fans, the film is a glorious big screen adaptation of the comics, with sweeping cinematic shots that are almost exact duplicates of Miller’s equally grand artwork. The gritty images and flat colors match Miller’s art schemes as well, and give a genuine feel for the harshness of Spartan life.

But those enamored of action films and military history will be equally pleased with 300, with its epic battles and gory blood letting. Certainly not for the squeamish or younger children, 300 is full of intense battle scenes complete with squirting blood, severed limbs, impalements, and decapitations. Then too, there are graphic sex-scenes not suitable for younger audiences either.

Everything here is larger than life-from the monstrous Persian Immortals to the hideously deformed traitor Ephialtes, who led the Persians around the pass and betrayed Leonidas. His physical deformities here, though not substantiated historically, are meant to represent the base nature of his treachery. And though he’s mentioned in the histories of Thermopylae, we’ll probably never know if he really existed or is just a device the Greek’s invented to magnify the legend of Spartan invincibility. After all, this implies that the 300 Spartans, even hopelessly outnumbered as they were, were only defeated in the end by perfidy rather than force of arms.

If there is one area where the film is perhaps not so grandiose, it’s in the casting, where you won’t see any big name actors. Still, those featured do pull off rather good performances, most notably Scottish actor Gerard Butler who brings a very noble and sympathetic Leonidas to life here.

There are some surprisingly comic moments sprinkled through the film. And 300 also manages to bring Leonidas human side to the fore through his love for his wife, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey). She reminds him what he lives, and eventually dies for. The theme that freedom comes with a price is rampant through the film, as is the idea that free men must resist tyrants, a notion that is as important today as it was almost 2500 yeas ago.

And then there are the lavish effects that make this at times a true piece of eye candy, with sprawling scenes, marching masses of men and beasts, and scenic countryside, much of which was done entirely with CGI, though you’ll swear it’s real.

All in all, 300 is a very entertaining film that honors the sacrifice of Leonidas and the 300 Spartans. Perhaps it is a bit gory and violent, and some will criticize it as such. But war is a messy business, and better that we should see so than be brainwashed by sugar-coated efforts that try to cover up the truth. Only then can we understand what war is really about, and the sacrifices that those who undertake it on our behalf must make.

Suggested Reading: Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300 .

More Comic Book Movies:

Still in theaters-Ghost Rider

Superman Returns
Superman the Movie
X-Men
X-Men 2
X-Men III: The Last Stand
Fantastic Four
Batman and Robin
Batman Begins
The Return of Swamp Thing
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
Hulk
Daredevil
Hellboy
Darkman
Man Thing
The Flash: The Complete Series
V for Vendetta
The Punisher (1989)
The Punisher (2004)







Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age