300 is a Little Too Much like a Comic Book to Take Seriously: DVD Review of 300

Starring Gerard Butler (Phantom of The Opera), Lena Headey (The Brothers Grimm), David Wenham (Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers), Dominic West (The Forgotten, Hannibal Rising) and Rodrigo Santoro (Love Actually), 300 is packed full of action, spears, swords, and blood, but the film feels too much like a graphic comic book come to life than a dramatic retelling of those brave 300 Spartan soldiers that fought for their freedom so very long ago.

Gerard Butler plays King Leonidas, the great leader who led those men into inevitable doom. The Persian Army wants Sparta and there's just no getting around it. Or is there? When Leonidas picks up his shield and helmet to march on the onslaught of Persians descending on his country, there's no doubt that he and his loyal men will cut down at least a few enemy soldiers before they fall.

The Persian army is led by their own kind, Xerxes (Santoro). The two armies literally collide on the beaches of Sparta, and we are subjected to a bombardment of very graphic and stylish killing shots. This movie makes the mayhem of a standard horror film look like a friendly at the park. With a few great bird's eye view shots, the filmmakers make the difference in numbers very obvious. These 300 Spartans appear to be outnumbered, 1000 to 1. They even make the 300 men's plight that much more devastatingly brutal when they introduce some monstrous creatures right out of The Lord of The Rings films. The Spartan soldiers have to shove a few giant elephants off a cliff in order to survive.

Bodies pile up, blood stains the sea and the remaining Spartans stand proudly atop the gruesome display, asking Xerxes if that's the best he's got. Horde after horde of men and beast are launch at these brave men. Will they kill Xerxes before the battle is over or will they end up failing despite their strong convictions? This is a question that this movie raises and answers. Do we care about these brutal, vengeful people who like to practically torture their sons into "real men"? That's a question you have to answer yourself, I suppose.