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300 by Matthew Stewart
Casting:
- Gerard Butler (King Leonidas)
- Rodrigo Santoro (Xerxes)
- Lena Heady (Queen Gorgo)
Review:
Some films are excellent because of casting. Others because of their meaning. And others still are remembered for their setting and their storytelling. 300, however, is excellent in my eyes for none of the above. 300 is the story of the royal guards of Sparta and their king, numbering in total about 300 Spartans and an unspecified number of other "Arcadian" reserves. They are the only thing between the tyrannical emperor Xerxes and the rest of Greece, and valiantly, they hold the line. That's all you need to know as far as plot is concerned.
You see, recently, I've seen this trend of films that try and be epic, that try oh-so-hard to be deep and full of meaning. This often results in their failure. 300, on the other hand, is the complete anti-thesis of this dogma. It knows what it is - an action film based around ancient Greeks killing a disproportionate amount of Persians - and it doesn't try to be anything more than that. Non-combat scenes all either lead to combat, or provide breaks in the combat so that it doesn't blur into one big fight-scene (As Quantum of Solace is often accused of). This simplicity and un-assuming nature, combined with a cast of more-or-less unheard of actors who don't dominate the screen, is what wins this film for me.
Now, onto the techy stuff. The cinematography is excellent; none of this shaking of the camera you see in the new James bond, it's clean, and clear. Also, the use of bullet-time to speed up and slow down the fights provides the engagements with a sort of "cool" factor I hadn't got since the matrix, and pays homage to it's comic-book roots with a cheeky smile on its face. The acting itself is good, although not ground-breaking, and to be honest, they are but instruments in the hands of the script, which is amazing. Not because of it's scope and grandeur, but because of how cliché it all is. "THIS IS SPARTAAAH!" The king yells as he kicks a Persian down a well. "TONIGHT, WE DINE, IN HELL!" He shouts on another occasion when addressing his men. It's filled with laughable, quotable, lines that you can be sure to yell at a friend over and over again, or tailor to your liking (“THIS IS JENGAAH!” “RED SAUCE ON PASTAAAH!” etcetera).
Now, I wouldn't be the self-imposed critic I say I am unless I gave it a couple of bad points. First up, the non-combat side of the story can be a little odd. It's some random political plot line that seems completely out of place with the rest of the film. Also, the film is a little long, getting on two hours. I think they could have many it a tiny bit shorter, and it would have given in more bang per minute.
In conclusion? Brilliant film, well worth seeing if you need an adrenaline rush.
Rating? 9/10
Analogy? It is akin to thrown through a several glass windows, and landing on a mattress every other pane, which falls down into more glass. Sharp, fairly hard, with soft bits to break up the blindingly quick events that bring to your mind the question, “Wait, how did I end up doing this?”
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