I haven't seen it (and don't really intend to) but some guy my husband knows got a theater release copy and burned it for us (we didn't ask or anything, he just showed up at my husband's work and offered him one), so my husband started watching it about 5 minutes ago.

If you go to the 300 boards at imdb (which I did earlier today), there are a lot of people who agree with what you've said. I could copy/paste some comments if you're not a member. Of course, for every "it was totally unnecessary" comment, there's one "great tits. more tits!!" comment, so you take from it what you want, I guess.

Yeah, the skin colour of the Persians was especially odd because Iranians actually have about the same skin colour as Greeks. Also, given the year it's set, they're obviously not muslim, but I get your point as far as it being propaganda against the 'other'.
What was the biggest turn off for me though was that the Spartans kept going on about freedom. Spartans! Give me a break, not only was Spartan society extremely harsh to live in, they had a slave people (the Helots) to do all their work for them.

I have an idea for an anti-300 bumper sticker (with other current relevance): "PERSIANS ARE PERSONS TOO"

As hot as that guy is, the movie just looks dull AND maybe offensive to me. Dull, because it looks like one long military fight scene (and I don't really care about military fight scenes), and offensive because it has such a fascist vibe to it. This was my initial reaction when I saw the trailer on TV in Feb., and so far nothing has made me change my mind and want to see it.

I enjoy a lot of movies that some people consider depraved, so I'm not being moralistic here... it just looks like a bore.

I really enjoyed Natural Born Killers.

"I enjoy a lot of movies that some people consider depraved..."

One man's open mind is another's depraved, the rest of us see such dichotomy as a good thing.

Did anyone else think the sexual violence was unnecessary, exploitative and a bit misogynistic? I don't understand why Queen Gorga's (Leonidas's wife's) molestation had to be portrayed as so sadistically executed. And, although I suppose it might have been necessary to the plot, her betrayal (and the betrayal of Greece itself) could have been accomplished without it.

I'd just like to point out that she didn't betray anyone... she did that to save her husband and Greece. And I'd say it's pretty essential to the plot.

Not to mention the priests' use of their young female prophets...

I took the priests' "use of their young female prophets" to show just how vile they really are.

Given current politics, I also didn't like the fact that the bulk of the enemy were black/Muslim

I'm not sure where you picked up the "Muslim" bit, however. Was there a reference I missed? Unless I'm mistaken, I had thought the followers of xerxes were to give up any and all gods they're worshipping and instead worship Xerxes as a living god.

Ok. So there were black enemies. The "good guys" were from Greece. Thus they were white. The "bad guys" were from EVERYWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET, as xerxes had conquered everywhere but Greece. Not everyone in the world is white. Thus, black people as enemies. Also white people as enemies.

I'm reviewing the battle scenes right now, and all those enemies who are covered from head to toe? White. I've not yet seen a single black hand, face, or back of the leg. So I'm going to have to completely disagree with you on that point. The majority of the enemies (and apparently ALL of those featured in the massive battle scenes) were white. But the characters with speaking rolls (the guy who gets kicked into the well, the guy whose arm gets hacked off, the guy who bribes the priests...) are black, I'll give you that much.

You have black enemies, it's racist. You have no black enemies (and thus no black people in the film), it'd probably be called racist. Tough spot to be in.

As far as "was such and such necessary? I think the film could have been done with out it," one could easily ask "Why was there so much violence/blood? I think the movie could have been done without it." Well sure. It could have, I guess. But it wasn't. The rape scene showed how much of a prick that guy was, and what a big sacrifice the queen was making in order to save greece/her husband.

Perhaps you'd prefer this version. :P

Note: I'm sorry if I seem to be coming down on you a little too hard. It's just that I hate it when great movies are over analyzed, and where racism is looked for where, most likely, none exists.

Hell, make that "when movies in general are over analyzed."

I don't think the charge of racism comes so much from the fact that the Spartans were white and Xerxes' army was Skintones X, Y & Z. But rather, the charge is made because the film deviated from historical reality in such a way that it romanticized the "white" army as the defenders of Good against the evil savage army made up various non-whites or "others".

Anyway, I thought it was basically Braveheart with less plot (and minutes, thank God) and way more abs. It was visually intriguing for a little while, but I got kinda bored. And personally, I think I'm getting tired of over-the-top violence.

Anyway, I thought it was basically Braveheart with less plot (and minutes, thank God) and way more abs. It was visually intriguing for a little while, but I got kinda bored. And personally, I think I'm getting tired of over-the-top violence.

I watched it the other night and this is exactly how I felt about it.

I think I'm the only person who enjoyed the movie.

I didn't feel it was racist or anti-Iranian. I don't think you could do a "300 men against the rest of the world" story without there being a huge breadth of colour on the opposing side.

Also, the Spartans weren't painted in the best light. There's a scene where the main guy is wandering around the battlefield whilst his comrades are killing the wounded and he's munching away on an apple. He says something like "Well, at least we're civilised." That made me laugh, but it was a pretty cold scene. Couple that with the killing of children early on and the sending out of the main guy as a kid to kill or be killed and you've got a pretty comprehensive picture as the Spartans as inhumane.

Misogyny: There's a fair few unnecessary breast shots, but the scene with the wife wasn't excessive. It was violent and upsetting, but I think it held itself at the same level as the rest of the film. The wife is also portrayed strongly. She's independent & she gets to kill the Judas character. My personal opinion is that despite a lack of female characters in the film, her character and story arc were not misogynistic.

Propaganda: I'm torn as to whether that "Freedom isn't free" message is propaganda or not. On the one hand, it sounds an awful lot like the nonsense that comes out of the mouths of our politicians, but on the other I think it's true. And I think it needs saying. So, dunno about that.

Yeah - It had a pretty poor plotline. But it was visually stunning, there were some great set pieces and as a boys night out it held itself remarkably well. IMO.

I'd just like to point out that she didn't betray anyone... she did that to save her husband and Greece.

I meant the betrayal of Gorga, not by Gorga. Gorga betrayed no one.

And Xerxes didn't look quite right to me, compared to older images.

I DID enjoy the movie, just like I enjoyed Sin City. A recurring theme of Miller is the hero whose code of honor, in a dishonorable human world, leaves him no fate other than a good death. I LOVE this theme.

But I thought what Miller did to Gorga was gratuitous, and the line "Freedom isn't free" disturbed me as potentially supporting all the self-serving bullshit Bush has been spewing since 9/11.

seanyboy: my friends and I all enjoyed the movie as well so at least there's a few more of us.

I enjoyed it as well, so add me to the count.

I was just bummed the Thespians got the shaft again. See, what they forgot to put in the movie is that 700 of them stayed behind with the 300 Spartans, for the same reasons.

The violence was well-done violence. The time-shifting effect in the fighting got old fast. The cosmetic metaphor of all good people being physically perfect, all deformed people being evil or weak and corruptible, was churlishly overdone. Every time somebody opened their mouth, I either started checking my watch or giggling -- these are some of the sillier lines of serious dialogue I've heard. I came out of the theater with sore ribs from holding back laughter and thigh where my partner kept punching me to shut me up.

It didn't have me shouting over the credits about how awful it was, so by that metric it was better than 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'.

Specklet: That's what sciurus said at the end of the movie but we decided that since the movie was based on the comic that was loosely based on history that it was OK that the thespians were omitted. Makes for a more impressive story if they're left out.