The first three months of the year are traditionally a horrible time for the movie industry, existing primarily for the movie studios to dump out their worst movies and to try to harvest some sort of profit while Oscar movies try and profit from the lack of decent new movies. With the exception of a few films, most notably The Passion of the Christ (2004) and Hitch (2005), there is rarely anything for the Hollywood executives to be excited about this time of year.
That was true until 2007. In a year marred by terrible films, the unlikely hits Norbit, Ghost Rider and Wild Hogs have all reached incredible heights at the box office, with all but Norbit having already attained the $100 million plateau. The problem with these films is that they are horrid, and are probably part of some Faustian deal that involved many people selling their souls to make a quick buck. The release of 300 has successfully fended off several lesser box office rivals in recent weeks, similar to how the Spartans fended off the Persians at Thermopylae. In only two weekends, the film has already surpassed the other three competitors for highest grossing movie of the year with a take of more than $127 million.
Many people have been blown away by 300’s success. Traditionally, R-rated films have poor openings, as do films released in March. This isn’t a problem for 300, which broke the record for biggest opening weekend in March, and has the third largest opening weekend for an R-rated movie ever, behind only The Passion of the Christ and The Matrix Reloaded (2003). The film has also broken the trend of recent historical epic clunkers Alexander (2004) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005), which tried to bank off of their cast and directors.
With a $60 million budget, 300 is helmed by relatively unknown director Zack Snyder (whose only other major film was 2004’s Dawn of the Dead), and is headed by a cast of unknowns (the lead role of King Leonidas is played by Gerard Butler from 2004’s The Phantom of the Opera). The only thing the film has going for it is its source, the graphic novelist Frank Miller, who had his works Sin City and Batman Begins adapted two years ago. None of this seems to matter and the film, which was filmed entirely on a green screen like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, is a graphic novel masterpiece.
300 is by no means a perfect film: some of the performances are downright terrible, the script is chock full of cheese, the depiction of the Persians borders on ridiculous and there are enough historical inaccuracies to make history buffs cringe. These faults are all countered by the film’s strength: It is badass. The battle scenes are enthralling and beautifully done. Leonidas and his 300 Spartans are the ultimate protagonists, with the thousands of Persians led by Xerxes (whose voice may remind viewers of Prince) as a menacing antagonist. As corny as the dialogue may be, it exists simply to drive the plot forward and it is probably some of the most quotable dialogue in years for a film that doesn’t feature Will Ferrell.
300 covers everything a good movie needs: gratuitous sexuality, hundreds of people (among other creatures) getting killed in a wide variety of ways, some of the best battle scenes in years, hundreds of ripped men (for the ladies, of course) and, naturally, a deformed hunchback double-crosser. It is as inspirational as any by-the-book sports movie, and as gory as any horror movie in recent memory. It is exactly what the previews promised, which is rare in a time where previews typically show all the good parts of a movie and fail to deliver an equally good product when the finished product is actually released.
300 is definitely not a film for everyone, but those who aren’t expecting a study in screenplay or acting and crave nonstop action will be fully satisfied and most likely lining up to see it a second time. Though the film has sparked some controversy, especially with Iranians who are abhorred by the depiction of the Persians in the film, the way it is made would make any Greek proud. With its overly ripped heroes, evil antagonists and over the top battles, it stays true to the tradition of ancient Greek history, which was often exaggerated by historians such as Herodotus. The film won’t garner any extra credit for a history class, as it is only one part history and nine parts hardcore action, but that is perfectly OK.
