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I wasn't blown away by it, though I think I got myself over-hyped about it. For me there wasn't any momentum in the film that led to any type of build up or climax. Having said that, the overall pace of the film and the action was great, and the portrayal of the characters was really well done. (Though I must say, the over-use of CGI blood took away from some of the gore factor). On a positive note, there was a lot of female nudity, and some male bum cheeks for the ladies.
I guess I'd give it about an 8 out of 10.
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Magnus/Matt
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I was not dissapointed at all. They butchered the history (as I knew they would), but they got the spirit of the thing right, and thats what really counts. Gerard Butler made a great Leonidas.
Marshal White
aka Aulus FABULOUS 8) <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_cool.gif" alt="8)" title="Cool" />8) . . . err, I mean Fabius
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...
Remarks by Philip on the Athenian Leaders:
Philip said that the Athenians were like the bust of Hermes: all mouth and dick.
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Hi Caius  ? roll: though the Spartans were an impressive looking bunch. Spartan Kit not very Accurate however very cool looking! I would give it an 8 out of ten as well. Keeping in mind its entertainment not history. I think I will do some research on Spartans, there an intresting bunch. Cheers Caius/thomas R
He who desires peace ,let him prepare for war. He who wants victory, let him train soldiers diligently. No one dares challenge or harm one who he realises will win if he fights. Vegetius, Epitome 3, 1st Century Legionary Thomas Razem
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The problem is not whether it is historically accurate. It is not, and must not be judged according to that standard.
The problem is far more serious: it has an added political message (Gorgo's speech: 're-enforce the soldiers fighting in a foreign land'). This message is meant to be taken seriously: after all, Gorgo's speech is not in the album and was added by the movie makers. I think it is sincere message, which I respect and to a great extent subscribe. But if the movie has a serious message, it also means that the makers must be taken seriously when they use stereotypes of the Asian invaders as subhumans (cf. this review).
If they had stuck to the original album, there would have been no problem. Now it has become a political pamphlet - in fact, war propaganda of the worst kind. One can also make a serious movie about "freedom is not free" without portraying the enemies of freedom as inhuman.
The makers can not have it both ways: either the movie has a serious message and they honestely believe that Asians can be represented in this way, or they think that it is just an action movie, and the political message is gratuitous. In the first case, they insult the Iranian population, in the second case, the coalition soldiers. Both deserve more respect.
Jona Lendering
Relevance is the enemy of history
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Jona, most folks don't think as deeply about things as you do. They go to the movie, like it or hate it, then they go home. There are others who read plot/subplot, hero/anti-hero themes, compare story lines with other stories, but most of us who do are writers, and basically, nobody seems to take things like that seriously either.
Oh, well, just my musings. I'll see it, though, just to find out what all the fuss is about. I rather suspect if it had been written and shown in Persia, it would have a different angle, though. The Greeks would have been clumsy, treacherous, and foolhardy, barely civilized naked savages. Would we complain (if that were the case) as arduously as we do now?
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)
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Folks, watch the modern politics.
David, I agree withy you that most movie-going people will surely miss the propaganda.
However, your assumption about what the movie being made in Persia (I assume you mean Iran) would look like, is out of line. Don't add fuel to the fire.
Afaik, Iran has no anti-western movie culture, in fact 'approved' movies in Iran seem to be non-political as a rule.
Jona, please PM me if i'm wrong there.
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Quote:I agree withy you that most movie-going people will surely miss the propaganda.
Isn't that what makes it nasty?
Jona
[size=75:1rrn8j7j](leaving this topic for now; i've now said "hey, this is a political movie" and don't want this topic itself to become a discussion about Iranian conceptions of the western invasion/liberation of Iraq)[/size]
Jona Lendering
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I was both impressed and pleased with the movie - forcing myself to keep in mind that it was a re-creation of the graphic novel NOT history. The action was tremendous and the makers at least stressed the significance of the Spartans fighting in a phalanx for a while.
I find it remarkable, however, that for all of 300's emphasis on battle and the "few against the horde," it failed to capture just how epic the Greek effort at Thermopylae really was... It was also a bit disappointing that the name "Thermopylae" was never once mentioned.
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Whether you like 300 or not, I think it will help spark interest in Ancient Greek history with the general public. I live in a small town of about 12,000 and saw the movie on a Saturday afternoon (today) - the theater was packed with mostly teenage boys (and a few girls). If the movie does well, maybe (hopefully!!) some courageous movie industry types will again consider producing a film adaptation of "Gates of Fire."
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Quinton Carr
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Quote:David, I agree withy you that most movie-going people will surely miss the propaganda.
However, your assumption about what the movie being made in Persia
Robert, you have entirely missed my point. Way back in the dim past when this started, the premise was made that the Persians were made to look like barely human orcs or somesuch. All I was saying is that if the other culture were the authors, those roles would be reversed. I have no axe to grind with the Ancient Persians, Ancient Greeks, or anyone else's Ancient ancestors.
So for you to assume I was making some kind of reference to modern cultures is simply incorrect, perhaps judgmental, and a projection of someone else's opinion on mine. I meant no disrespect to anyone. There really aren't any more Persians, per se, right? Nor Hittites, Ninevites, Sumerians, etc., etc. There are of course peoples who live in those areas of the world, and some can trace their bloodlines back into dim antiquity, but the national identity is simply a remembered one, not a political statement. Some of the peoples are new cultures who have taken over the areas through conquest, picking up abandoned lands, relatively modern map drawing (such as at the end of WWI) or inheritance of some other kind. But we all know that.
No offense, honest, but if I'd meant Iranians, I'd have said that. I did not, so I didn't. Good enough?
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(David Wills)
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I saw the movie and I thought is was competely awesome!! The costumes, the fights, the music, everything!!!
I hated that is historical accurate but knew that it was based on Comic. I was glad to hear historical qoutes like "come home with this sheild or upon it." and "our arrows will blout out the sun. Then we will fight in the shade."
Hopefully it will spark some interest in the Greek culture so that we can see some more Greek re-enactors!
Joshua B. Davis
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it was a fun movie to see. i'll get the dvd too i'm sure
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Chuck Russell
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Yeah, I'll probably get the DVD too.
As a regular movie go-er I don't look too deep into things that are meant to entertain me. If I want propaganda I'll turn on the news. Seriously, the majority of movie watchers are just average people who probably won't see such messages, so I don't think it's a big deal.
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Quote:No offense, honest, but if I'd meant Iranians, I'd have said that. I did not, so I didn't. Good enough?
Absolutely. I was hoping you meat that, actually... I was caught on the wrong foot, since comments like the one that I entirely wrongly put in your mouth (my apologies!) are heard way too often these days (I must take care not to be too cynical). Thanks for clearing that up.
While we're on the topic, did the ancient Greeks really paint their opponents as inhuman? Or was that just a modern treat by the author of the comic book?
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