Steven Friedman: Go tell the Spartans

Go tell the Spartans

0 Comments Published by Steven Friedman on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at 10:12 AM.

When a close friend of mine called me last week to ask I was interested in attending an early screening of Zack Snyder's 300, I literally jumped out of my seat, hurting my ankle in the process. Wuss that I am. That certainly wouldn't happen to bulky Spartans, who - as I gathered from watching the film - would always continue to fight, while still trying to look good wearing nothing but a cape, helmet and a Spartan thong.

Based on Frank Miller's graphic novel (with painted colors by Lynn Varley) of the same name, 300 tells the heroic story of the famous Battle of Thermopylae, told from the perspective of Spartan King Leonidas (played in the film by Scotsman Gerard Butler, who evidently spent most of his time in the gym before they started shooting).

Now visually, this film kicks butt so hard you probably won't be able to sit for a week. Snyder, who really surprised me with his DAWN OF THE DEAD remake a few years back, definitely put the $60 million he got from Warner Bros. to good use. He shot almost the entire film on what George Lucas referred to as a 'digital backlot' (meaning they shot everything against bluescreen), and with Snyder's stylish (sometimes even bordering on kitschy) approach, it all just works out perfectly.

I love the surreal style that Snyder has dipped 300 in. Of course, in that regard, you could just as easily say that the film's based on Miller's novel and therefor it should bloody well look surreal, but Snyder does so much more than just literally translate page to screen (as kind of happened in Rodriguez' Sin City). 300 is a film experience first, and a comic-to-film adaptation second.

Needless to say, most of 300's 105-minute running time is spent on Leonidas and his Spartans, fighting hordes and hordes of Persian enemies. Stylized blood flies around, as does an assortment of body parts, elephants fall to their watery graves and Butler eats an apple while his hoplites make a huge pile of dead enemy bodies. It all makes for a wonderfully entertaining experience, and if you expect nothing more than that, you'll probably want a second helping by the time the end credits start to roll (I know I do).

I'm not saying the screenplay (written by Snyder and Kurt Johnstad) is bad, it's just that you forgive this film its less than perfect characterization, dialogue and dramatic buildup. And boy, is this film less than perfect, when it comes to that. When the Spartan soldiers are not fighting, the only thing they get to do is exchange manly glances and utter bellicose lines as loud as they can (Butler wins this competition hands down, by the way). I also thought the substory concerning Queen Gorgo (played by Lena Headey) back in Sparta was unnecessary and distracting.

But hey, if there's only one film this year where action really speaks louder than words, it's probably this one. Even as a screenwriter, I really couldn't give a rat's ass about perfect story structure, when Snyder does things to your senses that are probably illegal in some countries. Don't miss this one.