300

Before I start the review, I must issue yet another apology to you, my loyal readers. I was away without any internet for the past week and thus was unable to make any posts. Hang tight-- a post on the Heroes finale is on its way, and I hope to get at least a few posts in a week from now on.

Now, unless you haven't been paying attention this weekend, you've undoubtedly heard by now that 300, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae, has become the 3rd highest opener for an R-rated movie EVER, as well as the biggest March opening in history, pulling in around $70 million this weekend. And as much as I dislike supporting the studio that brought you such golden winners in the past year as The Ant Bully, The Lake House, and Superman Returns, I urge all of you to go see 300 because it's without a doubt the best film of 2007 thus far (but DON'T go see at The Bridge theater in Philadelphia. This was by far the worst movie-going experience I've ever had, as I was forced to ignore unending cell phone rings, loud chatter throughout the film, busted sound for about 15 minutes, and worst of all, the cries and laughter of the TWO YEAR OLD CHILD SEATED NEXT TO ME. Although I will say, it was pretty funny when the kid kept saying "Horsie! Horsie!" as several horsies were stabbed in the face with humongous swords.)

I don't like reviews that give too much plot detail, so I'll keep this paragraph as brief as possible, though I am sure there are those of you who are unfamiliar with the Battle of Thermopylae. Simply put, 300 is the story of how King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) of Sparta and his 300 perfectly trained soldiers attempt to protect their homeland from the 200,000 over-matched troops of Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), God-King of the vast Persian Empire.

There is much in this film to praise, and very little about which to complain. The film's most obvious strength is its unbelievably mesmerizing visuals. I simply have not ever seen a film that looked anything like this one, not even Sin City, Robert Rodriguez's 2005 hit film based on Frank Miller's popular graphic novels of the same name. In my mind, there were 6 "c's" that contributed to this visceral and stunning visual world: composition, color, camera speed, costumes, "cover up" (meaning make-up) and close-ups.

The shot composition was absolutely breathtaking. Any shot from the film looks as if it's been ripped straight from Miller's novel. Director Zack Snyder (who also directed the best sports VHS ever, 1990's Michael Jordan's Playground), has created a masterwork of visual spectacle-- I would've paid double the admission price just to watch this movie with the sound off. His use of colors both bright (such as the red capes of the Spartan warriors) and muted (such as the wall of Persian corpses) serve to heighten the beauty and radiance of the shots.

Similarly, the fantastic costumes and make-up, which due to the enormous use of extreme close-ups come under great scrutiny, all fit perfectly within the astounding visual world Snyder has created. Indeed, there are a great many close-ups (think of how many there are in your average comic book), which gives an even greater importance to the elements of mis-en-scene, for there isn't a detail to be missed. Some of my favorite touches were the solid brown orbs of Xerxes' eyes, the faces of the disgusting temple priests, and the dirtied hands of the Spartan fighters. The only drawback to this magnifying glass effect is that sometimes costumes and make-up were too visible, to the point where I could almost see the brushstrokes on Xerxes gold face or the small pieces of latex used in the costume for the hunchback Ephialties (Andrew Tiernan).

Another cinematic element worth noting is Snyder's use of different camera speeds. Throughout the film, Snyder speeds or slows down the camera to marvelous and riveting effect. My favorite shots of the entire film are the slowed down shots of The Oracle, writhing in her clairvoyant dance of the divine. Moments such as these were not only crucial to the storytelling, but both beautiful and freakin awesome at the same time.

Like Sin City, 300 relies mostly on CGI. The majority of the film was shot on blue or green screen in a studio, though if you told me the entire film was made on location in Greece thousands of years ago, I would most certainly believe you. The film looks fantastic, the acting is superb, especially Gerard Butler as King Leonidas. While you'll recognize the faces of many of the actors, you most likely won't be able to name them or their previous work. This utilization of non-famous actors allows the film to thunder along unimpeded by any focus on a big-named star, a tactic which serves this movie quite well.

The one complaint I have is a small one that is easy to ignore in the face of all the film's overwhelmingly positive attributes. The characters are not fully 3-dimensional, and the dialogue is a bit forced or cheesy at times. However, I found the voice-over narration to be especially compelling and extremely effective, and furthermore, found much of the dialogue to be fiery and sharp.

If you couldn't guess, I loved this movie. I was riveted not only by the suspenseful story, but more importantly, by the absolutely stunning and one-of-a-kind visual world Snyder and his team have created. I might even go so far as to say that 300 is the most visually arresting film I have ever seen. This film is for anyone who loves not only a great action or historical movie, but also for anyone who loves seeing the magic of cinema and how far modern technology and creative vision have allowed filmmakers to push the envelope. Unless you don't like being dazzled and feeling your heart race with excitement for 2 hours, this film is for you. For being the best film of the new year and one of my favorite action films ever, I proudly give 300 the coveted grade of A