Carpe Diem...: 300

Finally, I got down to write about 300.

Finally !!!

The movie is adapted from Frank Miller’s comic book series and depicts the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC), where an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian Empire at the pass of Thermopylae in central Greece. Sparta King Leonidas wishes to put Sparta at war with the Persians, but it doesn’t settle well with the Spartan council, mainly Theron (Dominic West) who has an agenda of his own. Against the wishes of the council, Leonidis ventures out with 300 of Sparta’s best men to confront the Persians at the Hot Gates, a twisted mountain path facing the sea where the vastness of the Persian army will be nullified. Meanwhile, on the home front, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) struggles with the corrupt and complacent Greek senate to send reinforcements to aid in the King’s battle. The movie is all about how 300 Spartans fought fiercely with the Persian army to resist invasion and offered Athens the invaluable time to prepare for a decisive naval battle that would come to determine the outcome of the war. After three days of battle, a local resident named Ephialtes betrays the Greeks by revealing a mountain path that led behind the Greek lines.

Now about the movie. Forget “Kingdom of Heaven”, “Troy”,” Alexander” and all those so called “sandals and swords" movies, movies that picture great battles, courage and the quintessential fight between "Good and Evil". These films do not hold a candle to the amazing piece of artwork that is 300. One cannot help but get hooked to the fantastic colors and the amazing visuals.

300 is by far the best cinematic experience that I have had since "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" in this genre.

What comes to mind when you think of 300 !!! War, Glory, Violence and the seemingly endless tide of crimson Blood. Never before has violence and gore been presented in such a gleeful manner. The visual tapestry of images is so rich I found it simply sumptuous to watch, that my orbs unabashedly reveled in the orgy witnessed onscreen. The battle, which dominates the movie, is a nonstop slaughterhouse with the ferocious Spartans lopping and chopping their way through their innumerable foes. But these scenes are incredibly beautifully choreographed, Powerful and elegant. I agree they are brutal, with too many dismemberment scenes, but it is all aesthetic. Especially 2 or 3 battle sequences where the Spartans go on a killing spree and vanquish hordes of Persians all in wonderfully choreographed action sequences. It feels poetic, with slow motion movements, wipes and quasi zoom-in zoom-outs, in-depth details like specks of blood and sweat flying all over, splashing you in its crimson splendor, even the sound of clashing of blades and shields, or the twings from the arrows, or a blade piercing into flesh....

And then there were those breathtaking shots...The young Leonidas’ encounter with the wolf in the snowy terrain, the march to the hot gates, the swarm of arrows that come and blackout the screen, the shots of the approaching Persian army ...I could go on and on.

I was reminded in between of the Quake 3 DM 17 arena, which had become our pasion in 2nd year at college. The blood spilling all round reminded of the Rocket Launchers blasting the Botz to pieces.

A special mention is needed for the script and the dialogues. The cracking one liners, the arguments, the Battle cries...its the combination of those lines and their delivery that leaves the audience spellbound and truly bring the characters to life.

I found the film’s music was different. Of course there was the somewhat irritating Enya like female singing, a trend that began with Gladiator and Lord of the Rings, but surprisingly there were some scenes where electric guitars that stirred up a frenzy, the crashing sounds of drums and metal guitar that took me by storm....you almost feel that mad frenzy and war munguring building in you.

The cast looked perfect in all aspects, and 300 showcases few strong performances. The look of the cast, the 6 packs of each Spartan warrior, their brisk body movements, their strong manly voices all drive home one point; The Spartans are a breed of mankind born to be warriors. They’ve been trained since the day they learned to walk to be ruthless and fierce soldiers. Gerald Butler (never heard of him before) as Leonidas delivers a remarkable performance as the King who puts honor, pride and land before love,family and tradition. His intense eyes and powerful stature ,with a voice and 6 pack abs to match delivers quite a powerhouse performance. And as his character’s name (Leonidas means Lion’s son) suggests, he is a natural born killer. Another standout performance is Spartan Captain-Vincent Regan, who after playing the faithful right hand to Achilles in Troy does a similar turn in 300 as Leonidas’ trusted captain.

I have acquired a new interest in the director Snyder, and hope to see his first movie "Dawn of the dead" soon. And the irony is that Snyder is basicaly a music video and ad film maker.

I loved the way how the film speeds up and slows down at certain key moments. The storytelling style in 300 reminds of the movie Sin City, while the sheer intensity of the violence brought back memories of Kill Bill. Both these movies were path breaking in their own sense. Both had quirky coolness about them. They made the audience uneasy, yet they were unable to resist the temptation of seeing the whole movie. Robert rodriguez and Tarantino inspired a new genre, and 300 promises to do the same.

But the beauty lies at the end...you realise how well the story has been told when a wave of delight runs through your body as Leonidas faces the volley of arrows, remembering his wife "My Queen! My Wife! My Love", just before his death. You feel good for him. It isn't like the death of General Maximus in Gladiator, or Achilles in Troy....you mourn their deaths, at least feel slightly sick that they died. But with Leonidas that isn’t the case. Here death truly means glory. Spartans never retreat or surrender. The only other option is Death which they gleefully accept as their ultimate glory in having sacrificed their life for Sparta and that fulfilling moment of glory is what comes through so wonderfully. And that message is succintly conveyed by Snyder.

300 is cool and bloody, maybe not classy but well its total paisa wasool.

If you have missed it, go ahead and watch it. If you hate blood and gore, stay away, its definitely not for the weak-hearted. But then you would never know what you have missed.

TRIVIA associated with 300:

Ten visual-effects vendors contributed to the film.
1300 out of 1500 cuts involved some sort of visual effect.
The film was in post-production for almost a year.
Snyder photocopied panels from the comic book, from which he planned the preceding and succeeding shots.
It was shot mostly with bluescreen to duplicate the imagery of the original comic book.
The only exception to the direct adaptation of comic was the use of the character Dilios as a narrator.
Two months of pre-production were required to create 125 shields, 250 spears and 75 swords, some of which were recycled from "Troy" and "Alexander".
The wolf that Leonidas is shown fighting in the wild when he was young was animated.
Movie budget = $60 million.
The technique used in making 300 is called "digital backlot".
The programs Maya, RenderMan and RealFlow were used to create the blood.
300 is 176th in the imdb Top-250 list.
In April 2006, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced its intention to make a PlayStation Portable game, 300: March to Glory, based on the film.
300's opening weekend gross was the 19th best in box office history, coming slightly below The Lost World: Jurassic Park but higher than The Incredibles.
It was the third biggest opening for an R-rated film ever behind fellow Warner Bros. release The Matrix Reloaded ($91.8 million) and The Passion of the Christ ($83.8 million).