If I were to choose which film- besides 2005's 'King Arthur'- that had the best display of manly macho man strength, it would have to be Zack Snyder's '300' (sorry 'King Arthur').
Based on the comic book by Frank Miller which in turn was also loosely based on a historical event, '300' follows King Leonidas of Sparta and his army of 300 Spartan warriors as they fight against the Persians at Thermopylae to defend their border in 480BC. It is very rarely that I usually watch any comic book film that is outside the big two companies Marvel and DC Comics so this from Dark Horse came as a breath of fresh air for me.
As one who likes Greek mythology and history (see my review for the Disney version of Hercules) it was only a matter of time before I had this film in my sights. I had only seen it once before when it was on TV and it did look good but I had to go to bed partway through because I was so tired at the time. However due to the 2020 shutdown I was able to find the time to watch it...and it was certainly worth the wait.
As I said, the story follows King Leonidas as he and his army of 300 brave Spartan men defend their borders from the Persian Empire and is narrated by one of the soldiers from Leonidas' army, Dilios (played by David Wenham). We are first introduced to a young Leonidas as he grows up learning the violent ways of Sparta; where only the strong survive. When he comes of age- "as with all Spartan boys"- he is taken from his mother and thrust into the cold world where he has to learn very quickly to survive in the wilderness.
Years later he returns as a man and rightful King of Sparta (played by a very beefed-up Gerard Butler). The main part of the story is set some time later when a messenger tries to treat with Leonidas...but makes the grave mistake of insulting and misjudging his Queen (played by Lena Headey from 'Game of Thrones'). Then of course we have the iconic "THIS! IS! SPARTA!" line as the ignorant messenger and escort are killed in a grizzly manner.
It isn't before long that King Leonidas eventually goes to war in order to stop the invasion of the Persian army. What follows is a series of battles shown as excellent slow-motion action scenes and even more excellent background visuals.
Sadly, the film only ends one way for the army of Spartan defenders but I'll let you see that for yourself.
This was the film that introduced the world to Zack Snyder and what he could bring as a film maker. Whilst some of his films have been hits and misses I would certainly count this as a hit. Especially if you are interested in Greek history. Yes there are some inaccuracies (such as only King Leonidas wearing a plumed helmet but that had only been done for the film so that the audience could identify him) as well as not something to watch when you're trying to eat your food but it shouldn't stop you from enjoying it at any other time.
There had also been a bit of a studio battle as well; Zack Snyder wanted '300' to be rated a fifteen whereas Warner Bros wanted it to be a twelve so that it could bring in more money. In the end, it had been Snyder that had won the battle and as a result '300' became the highest-grossing fifteen rated film of all time until the first 'Deadpool' film was released nearly a decade later.
'300' Shows off a lot of stunning visual effects that hold up to this day in comparison to so many other films that have been released over the last few years (notably 'Avengers: Endgame'. I don't understand how the effects can look off on that film, especially towards the end considering how big it was). Then there's also Snyder's trademark slow-motion action scenes. When I first watched it I wasn't sure what to be more impressed by...or the actors running around in the impressive six-packs that they had earned through a very tough training program during filming!
All in all, '300' represents one of Zack Snyder's very underrated films (such as 'Batman Vs Superman' in my opinion) and is worth the watch for the stunning visuals and slow-motion action scenes. I will ignore the actions of a few people who tried to get '300' banned in 2020 because it was "too manly" and a few other things that they were "offended" by in the film.
The score is also pretty decent too (some maybe familiar with Tyler Bates' work on films such as Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' films and other Zack Snyder films such as 'Sucker Punch').
Over all a really enjoyable film to watch for a couple of hours for anyone who isn't squeamish over a little bit of blood and wants to watch a bunch of manly men protecting their borders from invasion and for the incredible visual effects and slow-motion action scenes.
For now, I will leave the last bit for Dilios.
"Give thanks, men, to Leonidas and the brave 300!"
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