300

Sometimes we watch the movie that somebody else wanted to watch. My "boys" saw 300 about three times each in the theater. The thing made a killing - with production costs of about 65 million, it had a domestic gross of $210,614,939.
So you gotta ask, "why?" Curiosity killed the cat, I guess I only feel maimed.

Frank Miller (Sin City) wrote the graphic novel from which the film is spawned and Frank has a twisted little love affair with really sick violence. Very loosely based upon the battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan warriors held off the legions of Xerxes, Miller borrows from history what he chooses and embellishes the rest. I mean embellishes, with a capital E - all the Spartan warriors have chiseled abs (airbrush defined) and good hair - all the baddies are tres ugly - throw in a kick-ass queen -everything else is gravy.

Mostly, this is a video game brought to life. The dialogue is cheesy but delivered with good humor. What the boys want is what the boys get - long protracted battle scenes that lurch from real time to slo mo so you don't miss a decapitation or the gallons of CG blood. Who needs a meaningful story? Just throw in some hubris and words like "freedom" and "glory." The visual effects are fascinating if incredibly over the top; with manipulated color contrast and texture. Who expects acting? The costuming is original, creative and effective. Loads of talent and effort went into the battle choreography.

It's just so sad that we still find bloodbaths entertaining. See the website here.