Review: 300
Approximately two years ago, I read Frank Miller's graphic novel 300 for a literature class. I loved the story, and the visual style. I especially loved that it was based on actual events, which makes it all the more interesting. When I found out several months ago that they were making a movie, I began to get excited. At the time the 300 was relatively obscure, but a major motion picture would soon change that. As the premiere approached I began to hear more and more about it. Co-workers were discussing it and technology sites and magazines gushed. I finally read real reviews and was convinced I'd love the movie. The reviews I read were technically mixed, but that revealed only the failures of some of the reviewers. Criticisms were a portal to the ignorant or misanthropic views of those writing them. Every single "negative" was, in my view, a positive.
Finally I saw it today, on my birthday. It was everything I hoped it could be. It's an inspiring work of art, visual splendor guiding by an uncompromising vision. And that's the crux of its glory. The heroes in 300 are truly heroes. This is a thoroughly Romantic film. The Spartans are the absolute embodiment of Western values, which is manifest in their deeds and flawless physical attributes. Every one of those 300 is a true warrior, and citizen-soldier. They fight for freedom and justice against an army of slaves led by a sexually ambiguous self-proclaimed god-king.
This point is, I think, worth elaborating on since some reviewers seem so transfixed on it. This story is told exclusively from the view of the Greeks, and this is exactly how they perceived the Persians to be. Xerxes, and the rest of the Persian elite, wore lots of jewels and, from a Western perspective, flamboyant clothes. The film's portrayal of Xerxes is certainly accurate from the Spartans point of view. Moreover, this effeminate view makes Xerxes that much more offensive to the Greeks. After all, these are the epitome of manly men; to submit to such an androgynous figure is unthinkably repugnant.
In all, there is not a single thing in the entire movie that I object to, not one point I thought dragged it down. I was at first a little hesitant about the creation of the queen as such a prominent figure, but she earns her position (and quite dramatically so). Perhaps the aspect about 300 I find most appealing is the moral certainty. I refuse to see it as some sort of allegory for the current political situation (it predates the 9/11 attacks by several years), but the broader philosophical implications are timeless. Western civilization is under attack by the Persians and a few brave fighters stand to challenge it. They can do so because they are right, and they know they are right. Moral fortitude is a virtue we can never do without. I love that, in a rare occurrence, a film proudly declares modern Western culture, with its love of reason and freedom, to be absolutely superior to everything else. I love that King Leonidas is not some confused soul seeking guidance but rather a resolute leader, armed with the courage that comes from knowing with certainty that your cause is just. I love this movie.