300...This Years Big Epic?

300 is not for the faint of heart, but for the die hard action fans seeking a blood, guts and glory epic.
Loosely based on the historical battle of Thermopylae, that took place in 480 B.C., 300 is not meant to be historically accurate, but a reflection of Frank Miller's graphic novel. From this Zach Snyder (director of Dawn of the Dead) gives us stunning cinematography, much like that of Miller's other work, Sin City, where film and comic books collide producing a new and revolutionary form of art.
Being a huge fan of Sin City, I wasn't in the least bit disappointed with 300. Yes, some of the lines were corny and the editing could have been better, but overall 300 is the sword and sandal epic we've all been craving. It's a testosterone fest with brutal battle scenes and decapitations reminiscent of Ridley Scott's Gladiator. However, Gladiator took home five Oscars including Best Picture and a Best Actor Oscar for Russell Crowe's performance as Maximus. Now this is where 300 was lacking. The acting and dialog just weren't up to par. Gerard Butler, in the role of Leonidas, I'm sure gave the director exactly what he was looking for, but his intense character often over-delivered corny lines such as the famous trailer line "Spartans! Tonight we dine in HELL!" I did however like the character of Leonidas despite the corniness. I was not so crazy about Queen Gorgo, his wife, who I felt was just a waste of space. I guess because there were no other female main characters, they decided to stick her in. Yes, she was badass like the rest of the cast, but I felt that she was just there for the sex appeal since there's mostly half-naked men running around for the majority of the film, and mostly men are coming to see 300.
As a whole, 300 is awesome if you can deal with all the blood and death. When I left the theater with a bunch of my guy friends, all they wanted to do afterwards was fight someone...like little boys who wanted to be King Leonidas and his brave 300 and take down the mighty army of Xerxes. It was quite funny.
Flashing back to Gladiator, when Maximus is in the collesium after defeating some intense rivals he yells, "Are you not entertained?" and if he was talking about 300, then hell yes I was entertained!!!

Grade: B