Dryvetyme Onlyne

300
Legendary Pictures
Directed by:
Zach Snyder

Rating: 8.4

I have a group of friends who have a rather strange ritual. Every two months or so, they hold what they’ve come to call “Braveheart & Beer Night.” You think I’m joking, but I’m not. They’re serious. When I first heard of this glorious event, I figured that they gathered together to watch different epic war movies and revel in the same manufactured plots that have made folks like Jerry Bruckheimer rich beyond my wildest imagination. But they don’t – my friends are more than content to drink good beer as they watch Mel and the boys romp around the Scottish Highlands rebelling against the perpetually encroaching English (those pansy lowlanders with their hosiery and silly monarchs).

And I find it kind of curious that they don’t expand their horizons a bit more. Think of the options they could explore – Gladiator, Master & Commander, The Patriot, Troy, Alexander, and Kingdom Of Heaven. The list could go on an on, all of them wallowing in the same general plot layout: virile main character battles against all odds (both internal and external) with a jagged, depressing, yet noble and righteous outcome where the main character often personally suffering a tragic end. Everything is this passionate mix of heart-rending demise and uplifting personal sacrifice for the greater, communal good. It’s the stuff of myth, legend, and Hollywood formula (my personal favorite is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – tell me you don’t cry as Spock speaks his final words to Kirk). Why do these films keep being made over and over again? Because we’ll fill theaters over and over again.

In such a vein, 300 is set in 480 BC, a time when Grecian city-states were attempting to inculcate rudimentary democracy while battling against the ever-expanding Persian Empire. It’s the celebrated story of the Battle of Thermopylae where a small collection of Spartan men (allegedly 300 of them, hence the title) choose to fight back against Xerxes and his wide-ranging and expansive collection of mercenaries from all of the cultures the Persian Empire had assimilated. King Leonidas (spectacularly portrayed by Gerard Butler) refuses to acquiesce to Persia’s offer to pay Xerxes tribute as a conquered nation in exchange for relative peace and nominal autonomy. However, the oracles whose decisions dominated religious and political life deem that Leonidas lay down and accept Xerxes’ terms so that the advancing Persian army might not destroy Sparta. Leonidas rejects their rejection and launches out to certain destruction to resist Persia’s advance, knowing that he must do so in order to give the rest of the Greece time to mobilize a substantial enough force to confidently repel the Persians. What follows is a series of skirmishes, elaborate attempts at negotiations, and larger-than-life battles between the Spartans & Persians whose closest measurement of comparison can be found in conflicts like The Battle of the Alamo (an foundational tale in Texas history).

So, what sets the cinematic rendering of Frank Miller’s graphic novel apart from its counterparts in this oft-maligned but profitable genre? Through the selection of a cast of talented yet relatively unknown actors, by properly and conscientiously converting Frank Miller’s work to the silver screen, and with a hearty blend of top-notch CGI work and costuming details, the film rises above other flicks based loosely upon historical events. Director/writer Zach Snyder has a vision for the film that carries it far beyond the clichés of over-the-top acting and contrived/hyped-up dialogue. Is some of that present in this movie? Absolutely! How else do you make another David v. Goliath plot emerge and bear cinematic fruit in our souls?

I’ll admit that it’s easy to criticize 300, but such negative commentary is filled with the usual suspects: bombastic, testosterone-laden conversations and blood-drenched battlefields filled with historical inaccuracies. Are there deeper shades of meaning and denser levels of moralizing being subtlety pushed throughout these scenes? Sure there are – that’s what makes them myths and legends! Why else have cultures from across the globe, across the span of human history continually used story and fable to teach their people ethics and morals? Such tactics are a given in stories of thie nature, but just because I enjoy a movie doesn’t mean I have to swallow what they’re pushing hook, line, and sinker.

In the end, just look at it this way – if we wanted to partake of a movie that follows the textbooks and original manuscripts to the letter, wouldn’t we have just stayed home and watched the History Channel instead? But we didn’t, now did we? And since we didn’t, we should take advantage of an opportunity to watch a great story brought to the big screen with artistic integrity and a penchant for keeping you glued to the action. Frank Miller’s 300 should not be missed.