300

Cast: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham
Director: Zack Snyder

This. Is. Sparta!

Back in high school, a friend of mine was raving about this movie (and most people who watched it were), but besides it being hella bloody, they said there was an ab party going on in the film. They were right; the Spartans were the epitome of men physique. They really are very chiseled. Beyond that, the film presents a part of history that seem to have jumped out from the pages of a history book and onto the big screen. As a bit of a history nut (who also prefer Roman and Greek history), this was a great portrayal of the battle.

The film is about a Spartan king, King Leonidas, leading a battalion of 300 men to block the Hot Gates. It is through this narrow road that the numbers of Persians would not be important, as there was no other passageway to Greece (or so they assume). You know how it goes in history: all but one die, because he was sent back to Sparta. The Persians move forward and now face the Athenians in battle. Because of the strategic war planning (my professor drew a graphic representation, something with the sea, etc. etc.), Athenians were able to win against the Persians in this battle. Though not an accurate reenactment of history, it gives a general historic ground for its viewers, not to mention seeing the battle commencement with our eyes makes an historical event jump out of the pages. Plus, this was based on the comic material, which also adapted part of history.

The visuals of the film are amazing. Besides the ab party going on with the men, it presents a different Greece, something far off from the recent Titan films. As for every action/war flick, there has to be someone of a comic relief, these coming from two soldiers played by Tom Wisdom and Michael Fassbender. Lena Headey looks beautiful in the film, and of course, Gerald Butler was great as the Spartan king. This was the role that placed him on the map, so kudos for him. He's really good.  The script was also well-written, and the fighting scenes were amazing. The formations, the fighting style and how they all coordinated together were good. It really looked like they were born to be fighters, protectors of Sparta. However, in the end, they were portrayed as those who fight with the heart.