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300 [Blu-ray] [2007]

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Sparse !
Review date: 2008-04-19 Rating: 4 out of 10

completely agree with:
Philip French
Sunday March 25, 2007
The Observer

A ridiculous rendering of the ancient world, 300 is a version of the Battle of Thermopylae, in 480BC, where the eponymous 300 Spartans under King Leonidas (Scottish actor Gerard Butler impersonating Sean Connery) confront the massed Persian army of King Xerxes (Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro). They are got up to resemble the doormen at an upmarket body-piercing salon.

It's based on a graphic novel and the dreary settings are generated by computers. From first to last, it's an orgy of bloodletting as the death-dealing, death-loving Spartans kill the Persian envoys and then fight off wave after wave of invaders until they're betrayed by a monstrous humanoid out of Lord of the Rings. The Spartan soldiers, carrying shields like dustbin lids and spears like park railings, have shiny rippling bodies, wear black leather Speedos and short red cloaks, and seem to be responding to an invitation to a fancy-dress party at a gay New York club that reads: 'Come as your favourite ancient Greek [we'll provide the Trojans].'

Reviews

The review "War Is Beautiful And So Is 300"
Review date: 2008-04-16 Rating: 8 out of 10

Wow, what a title from the reviewer below. Go serve 12 months in Helmand. At some level I got what he was talking about - but only just and the impact was lost by the grotesqueness of the title.

Great movie, great accent from Gerard Butler.

nothing to write about
Review date: 2008-04-12 Rating: 6 out of 10

Looked forward to this, maybe that's where I go wrong. It was not anything special, an ok film, not impressed with the grainy look, the story wasn't very engrossing & at the end I thought, what a load of rubbish. I even checked it was a blu ray disk I was watching at one point as the picture was so poor & as for the film I was waiting for it to end rather than hoping it wouldn't end.

War Is Beautiful And So Is 300
Review date: 2008-04-05 Rating: 10 out of 10

War is something that has been around since the existence of man, we as a species are naturally violent and although some people will disagree. To an extent war and violence is beautiful, depending on how it is portrayed and 300 is one of them films that portrays war in its greatest beauty. The beauty of the war told in this film is the beauty that only 300 men defended their land against the invasion of The Persian King Xerxes and his army of men almost 20 times as big. The defending of a kings family and home against an army who he is unconcerned of its size is simply beautiful as it tells of the human nature of self sacrifice to save those we love.

To those familiar with the original 1962 film "The 300 Spartans" this can simply be described as a jazzed up remake of the original, which can cater for todays audience. This is certainly CGI friendly with pretty much 80% of the whole film setting being in CGI. Also some of the major events in the film slow down and is shown in complete slow motion which I feel added to the drama and impact of the battle scenes and a particular individual event.

Being jazzed up, I think I made a bit of an understatement as some of the major villains in this film are so overdone it becomes quite ridiculous. Whether that be Xerxes being close to 10 feet tall or whether that be the oricles looking too un-human to be passed off as real. This in a way I think is too much as it pulls away from some of the true hystorical elements that inspired this story. Some people would think that the fancy gore effects or the strange looking villains would be a cool thing, but being a true fan of cinema this was one of the only things I hated about this film.

The acting is dramatic, the action is intense and Gerard Butler makes a spectacular King and is a great leading man. He seems to express a passion and charisma that you don't regularly notice in a role like this. The fight scenes are plentiful and seem to have been choreographed to an extent which makes it truly inspiring and there doesn't seem to be a single point where you can say "looks like they missed a step there"

On a lighter note the film is very camp with the whole army being very rugged with washboard abs and seeming to wear what can only be described as tight fitted underpants. This has also received a bit of criticism for containing racist undertones with the whole enemy army being black or dark skinned. This is something to be left up to the viewer as I didn't really see the big deal or the justification in that criticism, although I do suspect some people will understand the criticism.

I would suggest that you rent this before you buy it, it's what I like to call a Marmite movie.

You either love it or you hate it.

Hang it in an art gallery
Review date: 2008-03-30 Rating: 10 out of 10

I honestly cannot remember feasting my eyes on a movie so visually arresting and beautiful. Every frame is a perfectly crafted masterpiece of eye-popping brilliance, and on Blu-ray the effect is enhanced to an astonishing level. This release didn't win a top hi-def award for nothing!

Some people don't rate the Blu-ray release that highly, possibly because the movie is deliberately shot with grainy film to create a certain artistic effect, but if you can get into this then your eyes will be in for one of the most spectacular treats ever crammed onto a silver plastic disk.

Utterly, utterly superb and almost without equal.

Product Details/Specifications

Actor(s):
Rodrigo Santoro
David Wenham
Andrew Pleavin
Michael Fassbender
Gerard Butler

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900161039
Binding: Blu-ray
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2007-10-01
Audience rating: To Be Announced
Region code: 2
Running time: 116 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2007-04-05
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: English (Original Language)

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300 [Blu-ray] [2007]

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