300 DVD Review

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"300" reviews

DVD

300

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-09-28 14:50:21

Provider

DVD Review

An epic and groundbreaking transfer to the screen of Frank Miller’s graphic novel reaches DVD as a brilliant, brutal and passionate depiction of mythology.

At the Battle of Thermopylae King Leonidas lead his meagre, but expertly trained 300 Spartan troops to stand against the invading Xerxes’s Persian thousands. It was one of the original stands for justice. They faced troops brought together by Xerxes from all parts of the East as he made his push to conquer Europe. It was a bloody fight to the death.

Director Zack Snyder has delivered a fantastic and original film that will enthrall and astound. Taking the best of Miller’s graphic work he’s cast carefully to emphasize the heroic (almost superhero) bravery of the Spartans. Leading man, Gerard Butler is unshakable in his portrayal of Leonidas. He totally inhabits the role, making it wholly believable. And that’s an astounding feat as you’d expect the digitally built sets, backgrounds, effects and colorized film to do everything to stop you suspending your belief, but they have the opposite effect and create an otherworldliness you are inexorably drawn into. This is all helped by Snyder devoting space and time to the politics of the day that lead to Leonidas taking his personal guard to war alone and by showing some of the training and pivotal experiences of Leonidas’s youth he ensures you invest with the character before the fateful battle commences.

Action-wise it’s faultless. Terrific fight scenes between the Persian army and the Spartans are not only bloodthirsty and highly violent, they’re choreographed tightly and filmed sharply and acutely to ensure you are transfixed by it all. It makes Miller’s Sin City look like a rough ‘still-in-production’ sketch.

The extras flow (along with the blood) on the 2-disc edition: A commentary from Snyder, the writer and director of photography makes you realize how much they were devoted to this project and highlights what’s real and what’s fake in each (and every) scene. Featurettes include a short making of; a discussion of the reality (or not) of the film; the real life of a Spartan warrior; a focus on Miller’s work, a selection of webisodes focusing on different elements of the production and key cast members plus finally two deleted scenes with Snyder explaining why he elected not to show you more of the treacherous hunchback or the giants with dwarf archers in the final cut.

It’s a visceral piece of filmmaking. Admittedly it’s not deep, or particularly intellectual. It’s one fantasy battle scene after another. And brilliant.