This movie is really amazing guys and do believe me. i am sure this would be in the top 250 list as no 1. In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian army in the mountain pass of Thermopylae. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history. Persian King Xerxes lead a Army of well over 100,000 (Persian king Xerxes before war has about 170,000 army) men to Greece and was confronted by 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians and other Slave soldiers. Xerxes waited for 10 days for King Leonidas to surrender or withdraw left with no options he moved. The battle lasted for about 3 days and after which all 300 Spartans were killed. The Spartan defeat was not the one expected as a local shepherd named Ephialtes defected to the Persians and informed Xerxes of a separate path through Thermopylae, which the Persians could use to outflank the Greeks. This movie should rock out!! Can't I give it more than a 10? I was among the non-press people who got to see a pre-screening of this film in Los Angeles and it is unlike anything I've ever seen on film before. Stunning, awesome, amazing, incredible - the superlatives continue to flow as I think about the impact of this film. First, visually it is eye-popping and the kudos heaped on Zack Snyder are well-deserved. It is very artistic with a unique look but it is never cartoonish. This is a breakout film for Zack, and should also be for Gerard Butler as King Leonidas, catapulting him into the higher echelons of Hollywood royalty. Admittedly, I've been a fan of Butler's for more than a couple of years now, but when this film was first announced I wasn't so sure it was "my cuppa tea". Then I saw the footage at Comic Con last summer and became excited. But even that didn't prepare me to be so blown away as I was by the film in its entirety. Butler's Leonidas dominates, and gives us a very multi-dimensional king whose love for his country, his soldiers, his son, his Queen and his freedom is enormous and the driving force in all he does. Lena Heady's Queen Gorgo is one of the best kick-ass parts for an actress I've seen in a long time. She is a perfectly matched complement and full and equal partner to her king. More than once I found myself cheering out loud for her. She makes sacrifices on the home front, to gain support for her husband's battlefield pursuits, that are just as heart wrenching as those her King makes. The other Spartans, David Wenham's Dilios the storyteller, Vincent Regan's Captain, Michael Fassbender's Stelios, all contribute important dimensions in illustrating what makes these men such an elite fighting force. There are many battle scenes, but they never drag on endlessly. Each is compact and efficient, and there are even moments of humor scattered among the severed heads and limbs. The violence is very stylized, reminiscent of V for Vendetta, and didn't make me turn away. The soundtrack is fantastic, with loud, heavy metal during battle scenes and more in the background at other moments. There are some lines in this film that should become oft repeated classics - "This...is...SPARTA!!" is only one of those. March 9 cannot come soon enough for me, because I can't wait to see this on the IMAX screen. This is a NOT TO BE MISSED film for men, women, Frank Miller fans, Star Wars fans, LOTR fans (but not children - it definitely earned its R rating). To those who fault the historical inaccuracies, neither Zack Snyder nor Frank Miller ever intended this to be a documentary on Greek or Spartan history. It is a fantasy story based on an event that really happened, call it "History Meets Middle Earth" intended to entertain, not educate. I hope it can be viewed from that perspective by others, and maybe it will inspire some who see "300" to study the truth behind the fantasy.
