'300' full of beefy and bikini clad Spartans

Director: Zach Ryder

Stars: Gerard Butler and Rodrigo Santoro

Synopsis: Super violent movie recounts the story of 300 Spartans attempting to repel the invading Persian forces.

***

"300" is an amazing technical achievement, sure to delight fans of graphic novels, movie-goers who love first-rate visual effects and even history buffs.

The film "300," recounts the battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan warriors led by King Leonidas (Scottish actor Gerard Butler), held off a massive, militarily-superior invading force of Persians led by King Xerxes (Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro).

While they eventually succumbed, the battle allowed the Greeks time to unite and organize, and ultimately repel the invasion.

"300" has gung-ho action and battlefield violence for the action genre fans, and plenty of beefcake eye candy for the women in the audience. It also has a surprising amount of actual history, although the story plays out like fiction.

On the other hand, the film was somewhat less successful dramatically, and if viewers are expecting deeper meaning from this story, they might be a bit disappointed.

Filmmaker Zach Ryder set out to make a film version of Frank Miller's graphic novel "300" that was so true to the original that it was as if the novel came to life on screen. He succeeded in creating a seamlessly visual triumph.

Miller, who also created "Sin City," has a visually striking style and his works are lauded with legions of fans. For "300," Miller took a historical event and recast it as mythology, with all the legendary trappings and heroism of myth.

Miller was inspired by the 1962 film "The 300 Spartans," which he saw as a child, and he also did extensive historical research on the battle.

From a technical viewpoint, the film had few faults. It was largely shot with actors in front of a "green screen," yet the effect is flawless, with the actual actors completely integrated into the visual field.

Shot in a Canadian studio, there were no locations, no sets and no cast of thousands, yet the effect is wholly convincing as a Greek epic, and even beautiful to see. The film looks more like live action manipulated to desaturate the color than something done in green screen.

Techniques used were mostly green screen, but the rotoscope animation techniques of films like "Waking Life and "Scanner Darkly" were also used to alter the appearance of the actors, albeit in a more subtle way in this film.

Part of why this technique worked so well in this film was due to its artistic intent. Rather than going for realism, the visual effect of the film recreates the pages of the graphic novel, with painterly effects and alterations of the faces in some scenes, to make them conform more closely to the graphic novel original.

The filmmaker did want some realism, and actors were put through a rigorous physical program, especially Gerard Butler as Leonidas, to buff up for their bare-chested roles.

While technically ground-breaking and a worthy adaptation of the source material, the film is hardly flawless. The dramatics are uneven, with some stiff dialog and rather predictable plotlines. However, strong human themes of valor, loss and even love are stronger.

The story does a good job creating feeling among Leonidas and his officers. There are tender scenes between King Leonidas and his queen, Gorgo (Lena Headey), and an emotionally powerful scene of loss with a father and son on the battlefield.

On the other hand, a certain cardboard quality to the characters comes through as the villainous, bejeweled and effeminate Xerxes and the multi-cultural Persian army are so unrelentingly corrupt and repulsive, while the Spartan warriors are consistently shown in a positive light, even while coldly dispatching Persian battle survivors.

The story is mostly faithful to history, and to the graphic novel, but it leaves out some details and adds a layer of commentary. In the film, King Leonidas sneers at the Athenian troops that come to join the Spartans for the battle. The Spartans were a warrior culture, which brutally trained their men to be profession soldiers, while the Athenians were not.

In the film, Leonidas derides the Athenian citizen volunteers, which include artists and philosophers, as inferior to his professional soldiers. The Spartans lead the attack and masterfully hold the Persians on the beach where they have landed.

What the film leaves out is that while Sparta was superior on land, Athens was superior at sea. In the real battle, the Athenian navy held the Persians at bay by sea, blocking them from simply going around the Spartans by moving to another beachhead.

The film also added some elements not in the graphic novel, like a romantic story between Leonidas and his queen, and a story of bribery, corruption and political intrigue back in Sparta.

It is possible to read in some modern political, post-9/11 commentary in the film, something not in the 1998 graphic novel, but whether we are supposed to see Leonidas' Spartans or Xerxes' Persians as stand-ins for the U.S. is not entirely clear.

One is also unsure how to view the way the Persians, that would be modern Iran, are portrayed. However, the interjection of potential modern references is more of a distraction that weighs down the film than a meaningful addition, and is perhaps the film's biggest flaw.

Other deviation from history is the skimpy leather bikinis that the Spartans fight in. Added perhaps for a thrill for the women in the audience, the effect is a bit too much outside realism. The guys, especially hunky Gerard Butler, certainly look good, but it makes the film seem less serious too.

For fans of Frank Miller's work or of movie visual effects, "300" delivers on its promise. It is recommended for action movie fans looking for entertainment as well. For those seeking meaty drama rather than beefy bods and battlefield red meat, you might want to look elsewhere.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5