300 the movie?

[A_Volpe]

First off, I LOVED reading 300. I knew it wasn't going to be totally researched or faithful to the history, but I took it for what it was and just really enjoyed it as a seperate-but-related story and characters...And his visuals and composition is just awesome.

That's what I'm going to do for the movie when it comes out. Go into it with a grain of salt accuracy wise, hope it's true to the comic itself and enjoy that aspect of it. I'm eager to see it.

Secondly...
I'm having a change of heart on my soapbox stance on Hollywood. Before I was always outraged and frustrated with Hollywood being closed-profit-minded little monkeys with snobby better-than-you additudes....Some movies like Troy I know I won't ever see, so Hollywood doesn't get my money. I guess I've just come to the harsh realization that Hollywood won't ever change, so it's better to just get into the mindset that the accuracy will be trash as you get your seat in the theatre, and take the movie for what it is - a movie...To Entertain.

It's all a catch-22 double edged sword. We, the reenactors, historians, Geeks and academics are going to have to "clean up the mess" after a movie, like "300" per se, and re-educate people on how it Really Was. I think the same is true for "Gladiator" - I know myself and several Roman buddies got into Roman Reenacting because of that movie...Sure, we were heartbroken/frustrated when we discovered how horribly off the accuracy was, BUT, we found the Real stuff far more interesting anyway, and I have to say I have a certain, demented sense of pride destroying other people's preconcieved notions by re-educatiing them about REAL history compared to Hollywood. Sure, it gets repetitive, but it's Par for the Course.

So let Hollywood make thier silly little movies. Something abismal and outright slap-in-the-face to History like "King Arthur" will make me twitch and want to go rampage Hollywood, but then they won't ever get my money to see that trashfest. (it's really the audacity to say "See the Untold True Story..." and here comes Arthur in Lor. Segmentata and an Attic helmet...In 500 someodd AD. That is such a blatant screwoff of historical evidence, but then so was Guenivere in nothing but Woad (but dead sexy I admit)

Let Hollywood continue to make trash, and watch as thier ticket sales and attendance crumble to nothing. Maybe then they will realize it's time to take another approach and make good, accurate movies. Until that time, I'll wait to rent and continue enjoying real research with real buddies and fellow history Geeks, and to spread the true word of accurate research to the Public. (and, if we get enough public to demand accuracy, hopefully Hollywood will listen)