In the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta, boys are taken at age 7 from their families for years of, well, Spartan training, to become warriors of matchless strength and suicidal bravery. King Leonidas hails them as a breed apart from those wimpy "philosophers and boy...
PRESS ARCHIVES
300 Reviews
Hard-core `300′ oozes action, blood, masculinity
{FACTBOX} Movie review "300" Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West Director: Zack Snyder Running time: 117 minutes Rating: R; graphic violence, nudity, sexuality *** 1/2 **** Excellent *** Good ** Average * Poor In the cinema, there have always been...
Strange world of Sparta is not for the meek
RATING: (POLITE APPLAUSE) 300: Action drama. Starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey and Dominic West. Directed by Zack Snyder. (R. 117 minutes. At Bay Area theaters. See complete movie listings and show times, and buy tickets for select theaters, at sfgate.com/movies.)...
Hail to the Spartans
Neither history nor cinema is especially well served by "300," which is, nonetheless, a remarkable intersection of technology and imagination. The battle at Thermopylae in 480 B.C., a suicidal last stand by an army of Spartans and Thespians estimated at about 5,000,...
‘300’: Exiled In Guyville
Zack Snyder raises Frank Miller's brutalist comic-book aesthetic to a bloody new level. Also: The attack of 'The Host.' Robert Rodriguez's "Sin City" was an eye-frying accomplishment — the movie lifted Frank Miller's stark noir fantasy world straight off the...
Stunning scenes of ancient war stem from graphic-novel roots
"300," a visually spectacular and blood-drenched adaptation of Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's graphic novel, turns ancient war into a ballet of death. The film's origins on a painted page are evident in its stylized images and stunning cinematography. You could call...
Blood tsunami (3 1/2 out of 4 stars)
"300" touts the most epic, ensanguined battles the viewing public has ever seen "300" Warner Bros. Pictures Directed by Zack Snyder Written by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad, based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Hedley, David Wenham,...
Review: ‘300’ An Artistic Triumph
Historical Epic Not Perfect, But Heartily Completes Mission = There are moments of surreal beauty and wonder in "300," the bloody new war epic based around the popular Frank Miller graphic novel about the legendary Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. -- unforgettable...
Stylized ‘300’ strips graphic Greek battle to epic core
Summary: 300 (R) Three Stars (Good) A violent, highly stylized graphic-novel variation of the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan warriors made a legendary "last stand" against 10,000 Persians. Gerald Butler stars in Zack Snyder's adaptation of the popular Frank...
Ultra-violent fantasy film is a jaw-dropping masterpiece
Listen up, men! And women! But not kids! If you thought Gladiator was a bit too stingy with the bloodshed, if you felt Sin City could have been more stylized, if you hate it when the masses refer to graphic novels as "comic books," this is your day. For today brings...
Brutal but beautiful
300 is inspiring, to say the least, and surprisingly so. After a few disappointments in films of this genre and being neither a fan of Greek literature nor movies of the genre, many elements of 300 have made yours truly sit down and take notice. First, it was the...
Review: 300 — Scott’s Review
If Gladiator and Sin City had a baby, it'd look a whole lot like Zack Snyder's 300. And that baby would be a 22-pound boy who shot out of the birth canal bearing several tattoos, snarling like a jackal and wielding a spiked club. Almost completely mindless but...
EW 300 Review
Movie Review 300 (2007) Credits Release Date: Mar 09, 2007; Rated: R; Length: 117 Minutes; Genres: Action/Adventure, War; With: Gerard Butler and Vincent Regan The Spartans' paltry number against the massive forces of King Xerxes' Persian army provides the eye-candy...
Gorgeous brutality excuses all flaws in 300
Zack Snyder’s 300 shouldn’t work. An adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name, the film aims for stylized beauty and breath-taking visuals while keeping a comic book feel. On top of that, it tries to be more manly than a WWE main event. With all...
Blaze of gory
Zack Snyder represents Frank Miller in 300 Starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey and Dominic West; Written by Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad and Michael B. Gordon; Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller; Directed by Zack Snyder; 117 minutes; Rated R [for graphic battle...
‘300’ is one of the best movies I will ever see
I can’t hold myself back anymore. I need to scream it from the rooftops: “300” is phenomenal – one of those movies that rips out your spine and uses it to whip you across the face. It’s the first 2007 release that I’ve given the maximum four stars, and that figure...
THE GLORIOUS IMMORTALITY OF THE 300
300 is a film adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same title which recounts and immortalizes one of the greatest battles in history, the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., in which 300 Spartans, led by its King Leonidas fought against invading Persian...
Rolling Stone: 300 Review
The ads tell you to "prepare for glory" as 300 Spartans go to war against an army of Persians, numbering 250,000, in the film version of Frank Miller's graphic novel about the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae. My advice is to prepare your eyes for popping -- hell, they...
300 (review)
Support the Troops The first person who uses any aspect of this flick to justify the American debacle in Iraq is getting a swat across the nose with a copy of My Pet Goat. Which King Leonides of Sparta does not sit reading while his country is threatened and attacked....
300 Spartans
I have seen 300 twice now, and the second viewing was crucial. Not because it was on an Imax screen – a very impressive way to watch the film – but because I came into the theater without the kind of expectations I had my first time through. I knew that 300 wasn’t as...
300 Review: Epic, Powerful, and Incredible!
* US Release Date: March 9, 2007 * Genre: Action, Adventure, Comic Book, Drama * MPAA: Rated R (for graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity) * Running Time: 117 minutes * Directed by: Zack Snyder * 9/10 “Immortals - we'll put their name to the...
Frank Miller’s 300 is a sight to see (Blog)
This movie is just bad ass. I love it. Please watch it. This movie is so violent but does it in such an incredibly smart and artful style that makes this film an event in itself. 300 makes The Matrix look old. The plot is very simple: the Spartan king Leonidas leads...
Last Night at the 300
I went to the Hollywood Premier of the "300" last night, and talked a bit with Director Zack Snyder, screenwriter Kurt Johnstad, and graphic novelist Frank Miller. There will be lots of controversy about this film—well aside from erroneous allegations that it is pro-...
A fight to the death in 300
[i]Thanks to mjbooklady for the article![/i] Based on American graphic novelist Frank Miller's tale, 300 depicts the 480 BC Battle of Thermopylae in which 300 Spartan warriors took on the might of the Persian army, led by King Xerxes, who threatened to conquer Sparta...
New film ‘300’ takes blood and guts to a whole new level
Director Zack Snyder and writer Frank Miller combine to produce one of the year's best action films in "300," a visual eye candy extravaganza of blood and guts. The film centers on King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his quest to protect Sparta from an oncoming Persian...