300

I really like Zack Snyder for Watchmen and Dawn of the Dead (and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and Suckerpunch look very promising, too), but 300 is unfortunately a very big misstep. A visually fancy historical carnage (a bit too digital and artificial for my taste) that to it’s own chagrin takes itself way too seriously. Gerard Butler is one of the least likeable actors and his heroic speeches almost made me burst out laughing. This is not Sparta, this is a bad joke. (2010-09-12)

Frank Miller has always worked better on paper (and even that hasn't been great as of a certain point). 300 may not be a total loss, but the ravages of time have gnawed away at it after only a decade. On the other hand, we can thank this phenomenon for the creation of the competing Spartacus series, which is simply much better in many ways. The comic book of the same name is legendary, but unfortunately, a sequel was released 20 years later. (2011-12-01)

Both an excellent start and conclusion and... And in the meantime, there is only filler, which is not boring only thanks to the charismatic Butler and the artistic component, which eventually becomes too much. It isn’t completely fair to reproach 300 for its unmistakable macho and even fascist façade, but to criticize its boring action scenes is. The middle part is mostly the clash between the brave Spartans and Persian masses, but the action itself somehow lacks juice. Which is a big problem with this type of movie. Paradoxically, the biggest plus doesn’t come until the stylized final credits. (2007-03-30)

Oops. This is no mega epic. 300 is a modest experiment based on a ten-page screenplay and with nice blue-screen backgrounds. The dialogue pretends to be so serious and cool that it’s laughable. The story recycles what we’ve already been told by Braveheart and Gladiator, only shortened and focusing exclusively on the visual aspect. It’s nice to look at and the battle scenes are well done, but everything else is bland. If not for the slow-motion shots, 300 would barely run 60 minutes. It’s fine for what it is, but I hope it doesn’t herald the start of a new film subgenre. (2007-03-13)

Thanks to the fact that I didn't let myself get overly hyped, despite the excellent trailers, I was able to watch 300 as an unbiased viewer, expecting a quality spectacle with good action – and to my great surprise, I got much more. An amazing film with one of the best visual aspects in recent years. The moment Gerard Butler appeared as the fierce Leonidas, even I, an old cynic, fell in love with Sparta and rooted for them as much as I could, even though I knew how it would probably end, thanks to history and logic. Of course, I have to agree with all the criticisms regarding the overall fascist tone of the story about a "strong, unyielding nation," but for me, the tale of unbreakable warrior discipline remains a story of heroism and determination. As for the visuals, 300 proved that slow-motion shots of blood and warriors can be captivating, even if we've seen a similar scene in a film countless times before. Both battles with the Immortals, the iconic fall into the gorge, and the final spear throw and arrow rain are unforgettable and, as cinematography showed, themselves undefeatable. (2007-04-05)