The movie may not be quite to everybody’s tastes, but in terms of a film which embraces its graphic novel roots, 300 is a truly impressive adaptation. I can obviously accept why some people don’t like it, it is essentially a two hour testosterone fuelled fight scene with questionable modern day geopolitical subtexts, but if you can look past these points temporarily and accept it as an all-action visual spectacle, it is a unique creation. The prominent role which author Frank Miller played in its creation has ensured that the stunning visuals which are found in his novel are replicated perfectly onscreen. He and director Zack Snyder delivered a movie which, much like Sin City, looks like a live-action graphic novel which blurs the line between realism and fantasy.
I myself have had some reservations about the aforementioned political subtexts found in 300, namely that a bunch of distinctly un-Greek all-American boys march off full of nationalistic fervour to fight the good fight in the name of freedom against an array of Eastern armies whose mysticism and debauched lifestyles are no match for the chiselled abs from Sparta. This is an argument that requires more space than I have here though, so for now we’ll have to leave it for another day. What I would say however is this, despite its questionable subtexts, 300 is still an incredibly well-made and effective adaptation of the source material. The blood-soaked and fight-laden panels from the novel are right there to see on the screen with Snyder delivering some incredibly striking and visceral battle scenes. It’s excessive and entirely style over substance, but perhaps it just needs to be viewed as what it is, a deliriously over the top and brainless action fantasy take on an ancient legend, and not something be read into too deeply.
