If you are fascinated by ancient Greek history, mythology, legends, epics and culture, here’s a treat for you.
300 weaves all these together and presents it in the form of an epic movie on the Battle of Thermopylae, fought by 300 Spartan warriors against a million Persian troops.
Spartans are warriors through and through. Right from birth, Spartan babies are segregated to become warriors. Children are sent out in the wilderness to return as men. What they know best is to fight for honour, glory and freedom. Submission is never their forte.
Though the chances of surviving the battle are remote, King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his 299 warriors set out to fight the advancing Persian soldiers. War has been waged as King Leonidas has refused to submit to King Xerxes’ demand for earth and water and to bow before this self-proclaimed ‘man as god’.
Slow-motion shots capture every specific moment during battle. Well-choreographed fight scenes add to the visual appeal. Despite the violence and killing, the film escapes being gory or gruesome.
Butler as King Leonidas and his warriors give an honest performance. Butler has done justice to his role of king, husband, father and best warrior. Lena Heady as the Sparta queen is an epitome of grace and courage. “Only Spartan women give birth to real men,” she says with an air of confidence and pride.
300, based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller (who wrote Sin City) and Lynn Varley, is a well-narrated epic story.
Love, passion, hope, freedom and courage hold the film together. Truly captivating, heroic and mesmerising, 300 is something you would not want to miss out on.