Frank Miller's 300

[darthpsychotic]

Official Site: http://300themovie.warnerbros.com/
Video Journals: http://300themovie.warnerbros.com/video_journals.html
Yahoo Movies: http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/300.html


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http://www.superherohype.com/news.php?id=3404

Miller's 300 Headed to the Big Screen
Source: Variety August 15, 2005

Warner Bros. Pictures is set to return to ancient Greece and make war epic 300, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. Variety says the film will be directed by Zach Snyder and produced by Hollywood Gang Productions and Atmosphere Pictures MM.

Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life) has been signed to star. Production will begin October 17 in Montreal.

The film tells the true story of 300 elite Spartan fighters who, led by King Leonidas (Butler), fought to the death against King Xerxes' massive Persian army during the battle of Thermopylae in 481-480 B.C. According to lore, their valor inspired all of Greece to rise up against the invading Persians, planting the seeds of democracy.

Snyder (Dawn of the Dead) and his writing partner, Kurt Johnstad, adapted the screenplay from Miller's graphic novel. Michael Gordon wrote a previous draft.

The studio said 300 will rely on hyper-real renderings similar to the stylized illustrations created by Miller for his book.

http://www.superherohype.com/news.php?id=3517

Another Casting Call for 300
Source: BeestBoi September 29, 2005

A second casting call for a new character in Warner Bros. Pictures' 300 has gone out. The war epic, to be directed by Zach Snyder, is based on Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. Gerard Butler stars in the movie, which starts filming on October 17 in Montreal:

300
WARNER BROTHERS

Producers: Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann, Gianni Nunari
Director: Zack Snyder
Casting Director: Lora Kennedy
Start Date: October 17, 2005
Location: Montreal

SUBMISSIONS ASAP TO: ANN GOULDER
C/O THIS IS THAT
417 CANAL STREET, 4TH FLOOR
NEW YORK, NY 10013
TEL: 212-598-0574

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT A "THIS IS THAT" PROJECT. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THERE OR FAX THERE. THE CORRECT PHONE # IS 212-598-0574. AUDITIONS IN NEW YORK FOR A VERY LIMITED TIME ONLY, SO PLEASE SUBMIT ASAP!

CAST: GERARD BUTLER

SEEKING:
[ORACLE GIRL] Gender: FEMALE Age: 18-24. MUST BE ABLE TO PERFORM UNDERWATER (WITH EYES OPEN). VERY BEAUTIFUL. LONG HAIR (PREFERABLY RED, BUT COULD ALSO BE BLONDE OR BRUNETTE). PREFERABLY PALE-SKINNED. MOVEMENT/DANCE EXPERIENCE AN ASSET. SLIM FIGURED (YET SHAPELY - IE. NOT FLAT CHESTED). UNINHIBITED - COMFORTABLE WITH HER SEXUALITY* (*SEE NOTE BELOW RE: NUDITY)

She serves the Ephors - the Spartan mystics - channeling the Gods so that they may advise both the King and council of Sparta. The process is both emotional and physical as she is forced to give her body over to the will of the Gods; it is almost as though she is in a drugged euphoria, that is at once tragic & sensual. The Oracle Girl is a slave to the Ephors. She is beautiful because they choose only the most beautiful Spartan girls to live among them as oracles. They still, after all, have the needs of men. *NB: The script denotes that The Oracle's body is thinly veiled by the sheerest of fabric (ie. upper frontal nudity - through the sheerest of fabrics). APPROXIMATELY 3 SHOOTING DAYS PLUS ONE (LATER).

http://www.superherohype.com/news.php?id=3720

300 Official Site Launched
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures December 22, 2005

Warner Bros. Pictures has launched the official website for 300, based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City). The site features production Blogs from director Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead) and concept art, with video journals coming soon.

The film stars Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera), Lena Headey (The Brothers Grimm), David Wenham ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy), Vincent Regan (Troy), Rodrigo Santoro (Love Actually) and Dominic West (The Forgotten).

http://www.superherohype.com/news/featuresnews.php?id=3778

300 Set Visit Preview
Source: Edward Douglas January 16, 2006

In 1998, after five years writing and drawing "Sin City", Frank Miller decided to do something different, releasing the mini-series 300 about a little known battle between a small band of Spartan warriors and the vast and powerful Persian army. The lesser-known project inspired by historic books like William Golding's "The Hot Gates" and Ernie Bradford's "Thermopylae: The Battle for the West," was optioned for a movie but lay dormant for years until the success last year of the movie Sin City, co-directed by Miller with Robert Rodriguez.

Now, the film is back underway, being filmed by director Zack Snyder, best known for his 2004 remake of George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead," for release by Warner Bros. in 2007. It stars Gerard Butler, last seen as the title character in "The Phantom of the Opera," as King Leonidas, who leads the Spartans on to war, Lena Heady ("The Brothers Grimm") as his wife, and David Wenham from "The Lord of the Rings".

Warner Bros. recently invited ComingSoon.net/SuperheroHype.com to tour the Montreal soundstages where Snyder was filming the movie. Although the entire movie was shot in front of a green screen with computers being used to create the environments in post-production, the process was more involved than one might expect with the production team constructing hundreds of swords, shields, realistic period costumes, 3-dimensional construct landscapes and a lot of very real-looking corpses. They've also expanded a bit on Miller's original story adding a few new characters, although they've been hellbent on recreating the look and feel of Miller's distinctive art style, as well as the limited color palette used by his regular colorist Lynn Varley. As a matter of fact, some of the still photos we were shown, while still works in progress, looked like they could have been panels taken directly from Miller's graphic novel.

While on set, we had a chance to speak to creator Frank Miller, who was visiting the set for the first time himself, director Zack Snyder, actor Gerard Butler, production designer Jim Bissell, a few of the producers, and a guy named Mark Twight, the trainer responsible for the cast's unconventional training regiment that has to be seen to be believed. Although the film is being prepared for release in the summer of 2007, we'll share some of our inside look at the making of this epic film before then, like to explain what is commonly referred to on the set as "The Crush."

[Uilmuteiz]

Can't wait to see this. I'll have to dig up the comics and re-read them.

Frank Miller is such a good writer.

[DoubleSith]

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=77993

Many of the main forces behind the film adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel, 300, were trotted out early Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con, including Miller himself, Gerard Butler, David Wenham, and director Zach Snyder.

Snyder began the panel by introducing the special teaser trailer that was put together exclusively for San Diego. From his viewpoint, Snyder noted, he felt that some of the special effects weren’t fully finished, including a scene with an attacking rhino. The clip, utilizing music by Nine Inch Nails, included some of the highlights from the graphic novel turned film, such as Leonidas defeating the wolf, the pit that the messenger was kicked into, and the arrows darken the sky. Even some things that were added into the movie that weren’t in the GN such as a giant man with swords for arms and horned animals plowing through soldiers. Surprisingly this was an R-rated trailer including heads floating after being severed from their bodies, and nudity in extreme sex scenes. After it ran Butler called for it to be played again causing much glee.

The long Q & A started off with a question for Snyder asking him why he made the movie look so much like the graphic novel, to which Snyder replied “I have ideas of my own. But this is a really cool book and I wanted to do it right and not ____ it up Hollywood style.” Miller chimed in, noting that much of the background work was done by [his longtime collaborator] Lynn Varley.

Miller got his first question of the morning when he was asked if he co-directed this film as he did with Sin City. Miller immediately said that it was Snyder’s movie.

Throngs of young women were quickly tossing questions at Butler and Wenham with Butler being asked how he related to the sacrifice of Leonidas. Butler had this to say:

“For me it was a sacrifice to prepare and train. This was a hard shoot; I ripped hip flexors and felt like a cripple by the end of the shoot. We had a team spirit on this shoot. We were all willing to die for each other and at times ready to kill. It is an inner world where you must learn to dominate. To play a king you must learn to get respect from the cast and crew. I had four different trainers for this film which goes a long way to being a king. Plus, I learned from Zach because he is a real general. Also with Leonidas being extremely intelligent, charismatic, and insane that I had to learn to play those things because I am none of that. But I am determined and uncompromising. This role has been my most fascinating.”

Wenham and Butler were asked about their costumes or lack of costumes that caused hoots and catcalls from the audience. Butler said that at first, he never felt as stupid as walking around wearing a leather codpiece, but once you’re around 60 guys wearing them as well, you get used to it quickly. But, Butler said, it was really the capes that caused him the most trouble and he felt that these soldiers must have gotten killed often, when they would get their swords caught on their heavy capes.

Asked if he was familiar with the graphic novel, Wenham said that as soon as he found out that he got the role, he picked up a copy of the graphic novel and saw that his character was naked nearly the entire time aside for what? A leather codpiece of course.

Miller was asked about his research for 300, as the person asking had not read 300 yet, but Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield and wondered if that book came into his research. Miller replied that he had wanted to do this story since he was six years old and he did a lot of research, but that it was just a coincidence that Pressfield’s book and 300 came out around the same time.

Snyder was asked where and how long did it take to film and responded with, “It took 60 days in Montreal because it was the obvious play to recreate ancient Greece.” Wenham said that it was tough for him to believe that he was going to have to wear a leather codpiece in Montreal in the middle of winter.

Butler was asked what it was like to work extensively with CGI, in that much of the background was not physically present, to which he replied that he found it very difficult to imagine giant cliffs and huge armies but he trusted his director. Even though Butler said that it is not as fulfilling for an actor in some ways, it makes it easier because you can get to any set very easily.

The entire panel was then posed with the question of since there are hetero scenes will there be any male-on-male action and Miller said “No, this is fiction.”

Miller was then asked about his trip to Greece for research and Miller said that without his trip to Greece and his understanding that they used their landscape and the ocean to fight their enemies he wouldn’t have been able to do the book. But the Hot Gates are much different now, Miller noted, because there is a freeway alongside them.

The two actors on the panel were asked what was the most rewarding part of the film, and both quipped, “Getting paid,” But Wenham followed up with, “The opportunity to work with a great cast and crew and with a director like Zach who is always calm made it very rewarding. But truly the best part was getting to work for a true legend like Frank Miller.”

Butler said “I was also excited to work with Frank Miller. I got excited about this project after a meeting with Zach in a coffeehouse where we were both jumping around talking about Leonidas.”

Snyder was asked his first question about the official soundtrack “Since NIN was used as music for the exclusive trailer, what kind of music will be in the film?” The director said that he wants the film to rock and roll since it rocks. Miller doesn’t want to the movie to be some dusty old relic and that the film feels timeless but contemporary and that the soldiers move like superhumans.

Snyder was asked about how difficult it is to surprise audiences and compete with movies like Batman Begins and Spider-Man. Snyder said that this isn’t Superman or Batman, it is Frank Miller’s book and that he just tried to make it cool on a day to day basis. Miller said that he is sick and tired of being reassured by today’s movies such as, how many times can Harry Potter be cheered by his classmates.

Then as a last hurrah, the audience demanded that they get to see the teaser trailer again. With much foot-stomping the audience went crazy.

300 opens in 2007. The production blog can be found here.

[Altair]

Lowest-quality trailer leak from ComicCon:
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Comic...-300-3123.html


Review of an advanced screening:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=8202

REVIEW: "300" THE MOVIE

by Mark Cronan, Contributing Writer

Posted: August 24, 2006

Last week I had the chance to see the upcoming movie "300" based on the Frank Miller graphic novel at the first advanced screening Warner Bros. held in Los Angeles. Advanced screenings are an important part of the film development process, as they allow the studio to gauge audience reaction and make adjustments to the film prior to release. In this case, "300" isn't coming out until 2007, so this is a very early screening indeed.

First up, we'll give you the studio synopsis of "300": "The Film tells the true story of 300 elite Spartan fighters who, led by King Leonidas (Butler), fought to the death against King Xerxes' massive Persian army during the battle of Thermopylae in 481-480 B.C. According to lore, their valor inspired all of Greece to rise up against the invading Persians, planting the seeds of democracy."

STARRING: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West, Rodrigo Santoro, Vincent Regan

DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder

SCREENWRITER: Zack Snyder

STUDIO: Warner Bros

RATING: R

GENRE: Action / Adventure / Drama

RELEASE DATE: TBA 2007

Based on the comic book series by Frank Miller.

Before we get to the review, I'd like to share some observations from the screening itself. I've never been to an advanced screening where there was so much security - they were very selective in who they were going to let see their movie. There was no saving places in line (everyone got a number after their interview), every person was personally interviewed with multiple questions about your employment (to make sure you in no way are affiliated with any kind of press, entertainment company, etc...), a little speech about how they matched your named against a black-list of people they have caught releasing unauthorized reviews prior to final cut in the past, checking every person's driver's license (I saw three people sent home because they had no driver's license), no cell phones allowed (not just turned off, but not allowed) with a full metal detector to get in the door, etc. As Internet leaks have become more and more common, these types of measures must be made by the studios to protect their properties.

Okay, on to the movie.

It's very, very good, however it's not a film for everyone. If I had to compare it to other films, I would say there are parts of "Gladiator's" organized fighting, "Lord of the Rings'" grand-scale battles, the "Thirteenth Warrior's" feel of going against the unknown depths of man with the stylistic feel of "Sin City."

And the movie is quite stylistic. Colors are stark and heavily contrasted. While it isn't as extreme as "Sin City," the feel of a comic book is present, and the entire film looks "different" than most film. Sometimes, using slow motion, it almost seems paneled. And certain scenes are set up to further this mood, this distinctness.

The story is fairly simple, and told through the eyes of one soldier, exaggerated here and there by him due to his perceptions at the time and not due to intentional puffery it seems.

Sparta is a country of soldiers. While the Athenians and Acadians have philosophy and finer intellectual pursuits, Sparta is a hard, harsh, almost cruel place where only the strong are permitted to survive, where every child goes off to become the perfect soldier (or die trying, which is common), and where even the weakest woman is a stronger and likely better fighter than most of the strongest soldiers of any other country.

King Leonidas, played by Gerard Butler, is the best of the soldiers of Sparta. He is a perfect warrior in an army of nearly perfect warriors. In what is likely to be a breakout performance for Butler, he offers a Shakespearean rendition of King Leonidas. He embodies loyalty to his people, dedication to the principals of freedom, and courage where other good men tremble. Butler's interpretation of King Leonidas as a stern man willing to do what is necessary, placing freedom above even his own life, is convincingly heroic. We believe a nation would follow this man anywhere, and his presence is dominating and unquestioned.

King Leonidas' love for his nation is matched only by the love and passion he has for his wife, Queen Gorgo. Sparta's Queen Gorgo is powerfully played by Leana Heady, and she is an equal match to her soldier-husband. While Leonidas fights for Sparta's freedom and protection on the battlefield, Heady's Queen Gorgo uses every political, social, and even sexual tool at her disposal to fight for Sparta back home. This is not a woman buried on the screen by the overpowering presence of men. Instead, Heady's Queen Gorgo is an alluring, imposing figure of both beauty and intelligence, able to manipulate, control, and persuade better than the most powerful figures of her nation.

As should be familiar to readers of the "300" graphic novel (or history), Sparta is about to be attacked by the Persian army, the greatest army in the world that is threatening to engulf everyone and everything under the rule of their God-King Xerxes, hauntingly portrayed by Rodrigo Santoro.

Santoro, heavily altered by CG effects to appear larger, taller, and significantly darker, offers a truly creepy vision of Xerxes. His voice is a booming bass that carries across the battlefield from atop a massive metallic platform-throne carried on the backs of dozens of slaves, commanding attention in an almost supernatural echoing tone. Santoro convincingly presents an oddly feminine Xerxes, whose soft features bejeweled with treasures of presumably conquered nations suggests a demi-god whose every wish and desire is catered to by his slave-worshippers.

King Leonidas, seeing the threat that Xerxes poses to his nation and to all free people, wants to send the Spartan army to stop him.

However, because Sparta is the beginnings of a Democracy, he must follow the law. And the law says Sparta cannot go to war unless the Oracle that is controlled by the small ancient order of priests who worship the elder gods give their advice to go to war. Unfortunately, the oracle does not advise war (having been bought off by the Persians).

King Leonidas struggles with the concept of defying the law he was born to defend. Eventually, he decides to "take a stroll" with 300 soldiers as "King's Guard", including his Captain, depicted by a grim Vincent Regan, to defend him on his travels that just happen to carry him towards a critically strategic choke-point that Xerxes and his army must pass through to reach Sparta. The council grudgingly permits this through their inaction (though without a vote).

Regan's vivid representation of King Leonidas' Captain of the Guard is a picture of loyalty and courage. Every good leader needs a reliable cohort able to execute the plan, and Regan's Captain level of competence, resourcefulness, and confidence in his King's strategy is so infectious that one feels like victory is really achievable even in the face of such extreme odds.

King Leonidas and his Captain come up with a plan to rebuild an ancient wall near the sea, and force the enemy into a narrow gorge where the enemies numbers will not serve as much of an advantage (the enemy numbers around 100,000+ is my guess).

The soldiers of Sparta are all dressed in their uniforms: bright red cloaks, distinctive helmets, shields, spears, and swords (scimitars or falchions actually), bare chested in a toga-like wrap, boots, armbands, and extremely muscular. They move with grace, speed, and a certain uniformity. You really get the sense that these are people whose only purpose is to fight, so that the rest of their nation can survive in this harsh world.

From here, the movie becomes a bit of a cross between "Gladiator" and several scenes from the "Lord of the Rings" movies.

Battle after battle after bloody battle takes place. These battle scenes are not your run-of-the-mill confusing mess of bodies smashing together. Instead, care is taken to engage the audience in the fighting tactics of each side, to zero-in on the action in some unique manner and move the camera around to provide the best (and sometimes unusual) view of the conflict. Sometimes a slow motion effect reminiscent of Chinese action films like "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" are employed to display the precision and speed of the Spartans. Other times portions of the action are sped up, like the drawing of a sword or the readying of locked shields, reinforcing the image of warriors so well-trained in melee combat that their muscles are moving automatically, faster than their own minds could have commanded had they taken the time to think about their next move.

The armies of Xerxes seem inconceivably large and varied, and are as unique as the individual battle scenes. Having conquered most of the world, Xerxes's battalions are each somewhat elite unites of special fighters and fighting styles. There are bowmen, cavalry, elephant-riders, alchemist-fire throwers, beasts, heavily armored men, lightly-armored whip-wielders, a super-elite Xerxes guard called the Immortals (whose faces are deformed and look a bit like Orcs), and there is even a giant reminiscent of a troll.

The "Lord of the Rings" analogy doesn't end there however. The whole feel of large portions of the movie is similar to the "Rings" trilogy, with grand vistas, ancient buildings, fleets of ships, and even a Gollum-like hunchback named Ephialtes who follows them (a discarded Spartan whose mother escaped with him at birth to avoid his death due to his deformity - Sparta breeds only perfect warriors). There is some witty banter between the King and his closest friend similar to the banter between Legolas and Gimli in the "Rings" movies. There are even some "creatures" in the movie, such as a goat-headed man and a truly creepy man with blades for arms and perhaps even some dark arts of magic being performed in the corrupt dens of the enemy - but the impression is given that these are maybe exaggerations of the storyteller rather than "real" creatures and things.

While all of these waves of battles are going on, back home the Queen is attempting to persuade the council, using all her influence that she has to offer, to send the full army to support the King.

I will not give away the entire ending at this point, as there are some surprises at the end that, though not wholly unpredictable, are worth experiencing nonetheless without spoilers.

The audience at the screening seemed to love it from beginning to end. However, note that the audience was 400 or so people, mostly men in their 20s (primarily due to the fact that invitations were given out at Los Angeles area comic book and game stores for the most part).

I said earlier that this movie is not for everyone, and it isn't. It's "R" rated for a good reason. While there are some explicit sex scenes, it's the violence that gets the rating here. Boy, is this movie bloody at times. Some of the more in-your-face bloody moments include: a tree covered entirely by dead bodies nailed to it; a wall built mostly with the dead used as the mortar; and a pile of dead bodies about three stories tall. There are limbs severed, spears plunged, lots of blood, screaming, and slow-motion ballet-like dances of spinning death.

In other words, this is not a date movie for most couples. This is a chest thumping, dirty, writhing mass of violence at times. You can feel the testosterone in this film. However, the violence is not the kind that makes you want to be sick at the reality of it. It is all quite stylized and probably less gory overall than Miller's other big screen success, "Sin City." Still, it's there, and if you don't want to see men fighting and dying, do not see this movie.

I found the movie very compelling, and plan on seeing it again (perhaps even on opening night). It is very "manly" in tone, and one does not leave contemplating the philosophical meaning of things. Instead, it's the kind of movie that you leave with a feeling of power, from having been witness to something grand.

And three posters and a bigger version of an older snapshot:

[Altair]

300 Promo Trailer's Up, and it gives everyone the creeps!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX6UX6ZUvlU

Without words.

[Altair]

Without words!

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/300/trailer1/

[spoil][video width=500 height=350]http://images.apple.com/movies/wb/300/300-tlr1-h.ref.mov[/video][/spoil]

[hypertext]

Now that movie looks simply badass! Aside from the whole speedo thing.



Great Trailer BTW.

[hypertext]

New Trailer is up. Looks freakin awesome!!

[spoil][video width=480 height=350]http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1529799&sdm=web&qtw=480&qth=300[/video][/spoil]

if the hidden didn't work here's the link: New Trailer

[sultan bey]

yes, this movie looks great. thanks for posting the trailers

[Ascovel]

It's so over the top, that it looks really silly. Works only as a comic IMO.

[Altair]

I don't think so. I think it kicks ass, just as Sin City, and the strong contrast is a great visual element.

Can't wait to see the movie after this breathtaking trailer!

[hypertext]

I have to agree with you Altair. Should be a really visually stunning movie. It's so "over the top" that I think it will really work.

[Altair]

Of Dudeity and Machine Guns: AICN Review

9 New 300 clips + feature shorts (bts)
http://iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1860&Itemid=99

All in all, it's pretty safe to say: This Movie's Gonna KICK YOUR ASS!

[TroyObliX]

I have to admit, when I first heard about this movie, I couldn't really give a shit. Now that it's about to come out, I'm looking forward to it. From all the trailers and clips I've seen it looks like it is going to be pretty good.

[hypertext]

A review is up from superherohype.com

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/reviewsnews.php?id=19031

edit: don't know why, but with the web page enabled, the whole page is redirected to the site, so for the non-clicky:

[spoil]

Summary:
Not content with merely bringing the visuals of Frank Miller's amazing historic epic to the screen verbatim, Zack Snyder actually improves upon them, using his equally sick imagination and a solid cast to sell this amazing story of the mighty Spartans.

Story:
King Leonidas of Sparta (Gerard Butler) leads 300 men to the Hot Gates at Thermopylae to protect his city from thousands of advancing Persian soldiers sent by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) to destroy Sparta. At the same time, Leonidas' wife Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) tries to convince the city's council to send more soldiers to his aid.

Analysis:
One always hopes when a graphic novel is adapted from the page to the screen that it's done by someone who understands and appreciates the original source material. That's certainly the case with Zack Snyder, who understands the appeal of Frank Miller's words and visuals as well as Robert Rodriguez did when he co-directed "Sin City." While the finite story of "300" might not be as strong an original work as Miller's "Sin City," it has the benefits of being a historic war epic, a genre that's thrived in cinema from "Ben Hur" to "Gladiator" and "Troy." Filtered through Frank Miller's warped imagination, it becomes a very different beast, though non-comic reading movie lovers might not find it nearly as foreign as "Sin City," "Hellboy" or other graphic novel adaptations.

It takes some time for things to get going, as we're shown King Leonidas' rigorous upbringing as Sparta's warrior king and the events that lead to him declaring war on Persian king Xerxes' approaching army. After being warned by the Spartan council and the oracles that going to war would mean death, Leonidas decides he'll only need 300 men to fend off the advancing Persian hordes by stationing them strategically at a mountain impasse. Leonida and his men are indeed mighty and strong warriors, but they also have a cocky machismo that leads to their undoing when they underestimate a lowly hunchback named Ephialtes (Andrew Tiernan).

It's always puzzled me why a filmmaker might want to make their movie look like Frank Miller's artwork, since it's so extreme in style with very little basis in reality. Considering how stunning Snyder's film looks from beginning to end, it's obvious that there's something there. It doesn't take long to adjust to the muted color scheme used to recreate Lynn Varley's color scheme from the books, giving the movie a distinctive look of fire tones as the Spartan's bright red capes leap out at you from the yellow, orange and tan backgrounds. (The blend of real objects and computer-generated images is almost indiscernible.) Though it's obvious that Snyder is never truly going for realism, the cartoonish nature sometimes takes away from the experience, whether it's the cheesy-looking wolf Leonidas faces as a boy or the flawed make-up on Ephialtes and the giant Immortal, which look even worse when put through the film's coloring process.

As is often the case with historic war epics, the battle scenes are the movie's high point, each one being more outlandish and outrageous than the last. The over-the-top nature of Miller's original work is taken even further as the blood flies freely in scenes of cartoon violence that makes the sword fight in Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol. 1" seem tame. When Snyder perfectly recreates Miller's panel of a Spartan soldier leaping towards a whip-wielding Persian to slice his arm off, you can't help but shout "Yeah!" And there are many moments that are just as entertaining. What's surprising is that some of the coolest fights and creatures aren't even taken from the graphic novel, though everything added by Snyder fits right into Miller's vision while showing what's missing from in-between the panels. It's amazing what Snyder's introduction of movement and 3-dimensionality brings to Miller's panels, especially when you go back and look at the graphic novel and realize how many of Miller's shots have been improved upon.

Those expecting non-stop action and violence may be let-down by the amount of dialogue and character development, which might not have worked if Snyder didn't cast actors who could pull off Miller's lofty words, particularly David Wenham's Dilios who narrates the tale. Gerard Butler drives the movie forward as he does his army, channeling parts of Mel Gibson and Russell Crowe to pull off Leonidas' unquenchable Spartan ego. At times, the movie gets a bit too "I Claudius" with the actors uttering every line as if it was Shakespeare, but it allows for a number of strong dialogue-driven scenes. Leonidas' face-to-face encounter with Rodrigo Santoro's Xerxes is terrific, as is Gorgo "negotiating" with Dominic West's Theron, a despicable member of Sparta's counsel who takes advantage of the king's absence. Snyder gets points for giving Lena Headey's Gorgo a bigger role in the film, and Santoro and West both give great turns as the type of movie antagonists you'll love to root against.

Snyder's musical collaborator Tyler Bates understands the genre as well as he does horror, creating a huge orchestral score complete with what sounds like a 500-person chorus. When it's time for them to catch their breath, he without missing a beat kicks into a bit of heavy metal guitar pyrotechnics that would make Rammstein proud. Small things like that are what make you realize how well Snyder understands his (and Miller's) mostly male audience.

The Bottom Line:
"300" sometimes suffers the same problems of other historic war epics—does anyone really want or need to see 300 well-toned Spartans standing around talking?—Snyder perfectly captures the look and feel of Miller's original work with a movie that is fun, exciting and sick without ever losing sight of the story or characters. If you're into movies like "Braveheart" and "Gladiator," this one stands amongst them in a way that belies its "comic book" roots.

(Make sure to stick around once it's over for some of the coolest blood-splattering end credits you've ever seen.)

[/spoil]

[Steelsheen]

tempted as i am to read the reviews pouring out now i'm trying my best to stay "un-influenced" of other people's opinions. what i will read though is the comic book which started the whole thing. but first things first: find the time to read it...

[hypertext]

300 seconds of 300!!

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?name=movies&id=1553704&vid=136403

[spoil][web]http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?name=movies&id=1553704&vid=136403[/web][/spoil]

Let the page load all the way and then the clip will come on.

Damn I cannot wait for this movie to come out!!

[sithsooner]

Hmm...let's see.

This movie kicked my ass!
It kicked your ass!
It kicked everybody's ass and their momma too!!!

Loved it!!!

[Topeka]

I saw it opening night, loved it. I'm going to see it in IMAX sometime this week, which will kick ass.

[hypertext]

I saw it opening night as well. Couldn't believe how packed it was. Our theater had four different screens just for 300. Last one to open like that was ep 3

I really enjoyed the different feel the movie had from previous war movies. It was visually stunning, the acting was superb and it didn't feel like it dragged on at all. This was one bloody hell of a movie!

From what I've read so far, it's projecting somewhere around the 70 mil mark for the first 3 days.

[TroyObliX]

Saw this last night. It was all kinds of bad-assery. Looked great, sounded great, lots of action and what-not. Not a very cerebral experience, but it didnt appear to try being that so it was 100% enjoyable. I couldn't believe there were people with thier fucking children there though. WTF, get a babysitter before going to see hack and slash battle movie, not a good show for four year olds.

My big complaint is now my wife is expecting a lot more machismo crap out of me. On our way out of the theatre she scoffed at me for slowing down approaching a yellow light "What kind of a man are you? Leonidas wouldn't have stopped here. You are so not a Spartan." Fucking movies.

Was good though.

[Topeka]

I couldn't believe there were people with thier fucking children there though.

It's funny you mention that, becase that very subject was the topic of water-cooler conversation here at work. There were a ton of little kids the night I saw it. It was amusing when parents would reach over and cover their kids eyes during graphic scenes. You know, why would you bring a 5 year old?

[Fantana]

There was a shot early on in the battles when Leonidas is marching left to right on the screen. Its feels like its 5 minutes long as it keeps going and going and he must take out 30 Persians... it zooms in and out... what i am trying to say is that this is one of the greatest shots I've ever seen in a film. And there were two or three shots like that for some of the other warriors. I was a huge fan of how they left 3 or 4 people get a few minutes on screen just demoralizing and destroying the opposing army.

[hypertext]

I'm through almost have of the graphic novel and I must say that I am throughly pleased at how close the movie is to what Frank Miller penned out. So much of the dialog from the movie is in the novel and you can tell that they took so much artwork from the book and put it right on screen. Love them both!

[Obi-Wan Starkiller]

Saw this last night in DLP. Awesome movie and it moves fast from beginning to end. One minute he is killing the wolf, the next minute the credits are rolling. Gerard Butler is a bad motherfucker in this film and the whole group of 300 are unbelievably mad and savage. I loved it.

[kane_starkiller]

Totally badass movie! I gotta re-read the GN. Can't wait to see what Snyder does with Watchmen. Butler was a jacked up animal in this movie! Tonight we dine in hell!! Brilliant.

[sithsooner]

http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/300.html


DVD to be released July 31st.

[seeker]

YEAH!!!

[yarq]

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[yarq]

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