300
Let's start this off by saying that before Xmas 06, I had not read a word or seen an image drawn by Frank Miller. And as of this writing, I have yet to read the graphic novel this film was based on. I have, of course, read the two Dark Knight books, and all but one of the Sin City books. That being said, I'm a huge fan of what I have seen of Miller's, including the first movie version of Sin City. I went into 300 with nothing but the highest expectations, feeling chills everytime I saw the previews. With only a few recognizable character actors holding the cast of this film, it looked like one of those classic sword and sandal epics of yesteryear, and that can't be bad.
What you get with 300, however, is the old style epic with a Frank Miller twist. The visuals are beyond compare, and some of the shots look like they're straight from the Miller book, based on his usual style. The music is a mix of classic score and hard guitars, which seemed only slightly out of place, but since I was into the movie pretty hard, it was all good.
The basic plot follows the king of Sparta, Leonides, played by Gerard Butler, as he takes 300 of his best soldiers to thwart an invading Persian army that numbers into the millions. He is advised against going by the powers that be, but feels that pride and duty obligate him to not bow to the Persians, and he does what he feels is right. At home, his queen does what she feels is right to persuade the government to send her husband help, and revelas a traitor in their midst.
The action is hard and heavy, the performances are spot-on, and it all makes for a fantastic 2 hour trip. The director, Zack Snyder, who's biggest film was the Dawn of the Dead remake, follows in Robert Rodriguez's footsteps, and does the source material justice. Based on the box office receipts for opening weekend, around $70 million dollars, Snyder's vision of bringing Alan Moore's Watchmen to the big screen just may come true.
All in all, this was an incredible film, powerful, well put together. Its getting a 10, hands down, the best film of the year so far. We'll see how far that goes come 2008.
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