300 (DVD, 2007, Widescreen)

"300" captures the hyper-stylized look and peculiar sensibility of Graphic Novels on film., that has eluded many a talented director.
Along with British Graphic Novelist Alan Moore ("From Hell", "V for Vendetta"), Frank Miller is regarded as one of the masters of the genre. His Gothic, camp-free revamp of DC Comics' mainstay "Batman", "The Dark Knight Returns", provided the brooding template for Tim Burton's "Batman" (1989). And, in 2005, Miller found a kindred pulp spirit in Robert Rodriguez, who partnered with him to co-direct "Sin City", a smashing adaptation of Miller's noir-esque triptych, shot almost entirely on green screen to render the graphic novel's shadowy, chiaroscuro visuals with exacting fidelity.
Now director Zach Snyder ("Dawn of the Dead") takes a similar digital approach to Miller's "300", albeit on a much grander and technically more ambitious scale, to transport the viewer to the ancient, corpse-strewn 'Battle of Thermopylae', circa 480 BC, when 300 Spartan Warriors fought thousands of invading Persian soldiers. A True Tale of Bravery from Greek History.
Miller's quasi-mythic retelling of the Spartans bravely facing their "beautiful death" against the Persians is a bold and wildly imaginative example of the graphic novel at its creative height.
Co-written by Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, and Michael B. Gordon, the movie is narrated by the Spartan Warrior/storyteller Dilios (David Wenham), who introduces us to the legendary Spartan Ruler, King Leonidas (Gerard Butler). Per the Spartan Code of Honor, Leonidas has trained to be a fearless warrior since childhood. Renowned throughout the ancient world for their extraordinary valor and loyalty, the Spartans have long repulsed would-be conquerors, but they have never faced as intimidating or ruthless an army as the Persian hordes, commanded by the giant Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro).
Despite the looming threat by the Persians, the Spartan Council refuses to give Leonidas permission to lead the Spartan Army into battle. Undaunted, he nonetheless bids farewell to his devoted wife, Gorgo (Lena Headey), and young son to face the Persians head-on, backed by an all-volunteer army of 300 Spartan Warriors. With his trusted advisors Dilios and the Captain (Vincent Regan) at his side, Leonidas prepares to unleash hell against the Persians at the Hot Gates of Thermopylae — a treacherous, seaside pass on the Aegean Sea, where they're prepared to fight to the death in defense of Sparta.
This film is so intensly stylized; presented in such unrelenting Graphic Noel noir., history never seemed so enthralling !!
SEE THIS !!!! It has the guaranteed inability to fail you !!!! Wildly entertaining while revealing such a Heroic True Story !!!!

This nonstop action movie tracks a boy from birth to death within the rough and brutal Spartan society and ends up with the great Legendary fight to the death of the mighty 300. The spirit and courage (to the point of arrogant stupidity) was very admirable. I certainly enjoyed the movie but felt it a bit long for what the story had to offer. I would recommend it to all certainly if nothing else for the history lesson however inflated the legend and Hollywood has made this! Thanks for reading!

"300" is a testosterone-driven fantasy in which all men are fearless warriors, driven by the need for battle and bloodshed. War is depicted as gloriously as any geek loner-type could hope for, with every soldier being the epitome of strength, courage, and physical brute force. Emotional bonding, sensitivity, and compassion don't even come into play; these men were trained to be ruthless killing machines, all in the name of preserving the glory of Sparta. This would no doubt be a ridiculous film if the story were presented in a straightforward, mainstream way. But straightforward and mainstream, "300" is not; this is pure, hard-driving escapism, from the frenetic battle sequences to the elaborate special effects to the over the top performances. In this sense, it's absolutely brilliant.

And it gets even better. Every shot, every setting, and every event is accentuated by a look so stylized that it's practically a living duplicate of Frank Miller's original graphic novel. This was achieved through computer-generated imagery, which was responsible for creating most of the film's locations. Bluescreen technology--also utilized for another incredible Miller adaptation, 2005's "Sin City"--made for a majority of the sets, leaving very little for the actors to actually work with. I can only imagine the effort that went into post-production, the endless hours of crafting landscapes, characters, and special effects all with the click of a mouse. The work paid off; the end product is an effectively heightened reinterpretation of reality, a kind of living illustration that transcends any sense of time or place. It's the perfect look for war story of this caliber, something so grandiose and overplayed that you can't get enough.

The film is narrated by Dilios (David Wenham), a Spartan soldier with a hard-edged masculinity that shines through despite a deceptively soft voice. He recalls Leonidas, Sparta, and the Battle of Thermopylae with eloquence; when considering the heavy-handedness of war, this is no small task. Yet he always gives a perfect delivery, and that only strengthens the appeal of "300." This is in a world all its own, a world dominated by battle cries, sword fights, and bare-chested men that are ripped like bodybuilders. It's all thanks to Frank Miller, whose creative vision has allowed for a truly unique theatrical experience. If he creates another graphic novel, I can't wait for it to be adapted for the big screen.

Don't waste your time with this movie. This looks like a video game. Every seen is drab, and unreal. Not a believable movie.

This movie tells the story of the bravest warriors to ever enter battle. The Spartans take on the Persians outnumbered so badly so sane man would ever consider entering the battle.

The story tells the life a man whos life starts and ends as the chosen leader of his people. A great story with great effects and great battle scenes.

Overall an excellent movie!

This movie reflects history. And who knows this story from history would really enjoy watching this movie. Very nice point. Couple things were added here and there but its a movie! All movies are like that! overally i would say i was satisfied with that movie

A GREAT STORY THAT IT MAKES YOU WISH YOU WERE GREEK!!! IF YOU LIKE GRAPHIC BATTLES, THIS MOVIE IS FOR YOU. A MIX OF FACTS AND FICTION. YOU KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO END. BUT JUST LIKE WITH THE MOVIE TROY, YOU'LL BE ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT WAITING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS. Good Movie!!!ENJOY!!

300 is a movie that was released in March of 2007 and it was directed by Zach Snyder.

This is an awesome movie. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae

This movie IS BASED ON A COMIC BOOK. The exaggerated characters is further evidence that this movie IS BASED ON A COMIC BOOK. This is not a historical movie, it is a movie which seeks to put a rockstar, no-holds-barred spin on a particular historical event.

The battle scenes are AWESOME! This is an incredible action movie to watch. Grab some popcorn and prepare for the carnage! :)

5/5

Latsyrhc
Tamarack Collectibles

if you like war movies with alot of blood then you will like this movie. 300 takes you through the life of a sparton and how they become such good warriors. this movie has almost nonstop action through out the movie.

Zack Snyder's 300 is immensely entertaining and visually stunning in its combination of history and fantasy, which are otherwise contradictory subjects. The film follows the three hundred Spartans and their fight against the infinitely vast Persian Empire, at the Battle of Thermopylae. 300 clearly establishes its villains by siding all of its dysfunctional anomalies with the Persians. The fact that the Spartans are built and toned to perfection and seem more like bodybuilders then protectors, also helps establish the heroes. Make no mistake that in this movie, barbarianism is equally distributed on both sides and blood is a given in every scene; 300 does for blood what Titanic (1997) did for water. This movie does have a lot of crafty writing but it also has far too much glory chant and ineffective motivational speech. There are many attempts to motivate throughout the film, but most of that writing is drab even with the seemingly boundless energy in the performances. The actors use every last ounce of passion in their portrayals, but even great acting cannot compensate for bad writing. The acting is a fantastic effort especially when one considers the difficulties of acting in blue screen rooms. The effects are phenomenal as are the scenes away from the battles. The domestic scenes could have easily become weak in the editing between their calmness in juxtaposition with the formidable tension and heart-pounding action of the battles, but this is not the case here. The scenes at home are just as entertaining as those on the battlefield are. The narration makes simple the understanding of this unique story and while many will appreciate this film for its enormously large amount of body counts, others will make use of its themes of duty and glory, perfection and dysfunction, as well as responsibility and temptation.

The film had amazing cinematography! The cast were gorgeous and always love a classic love/action tale. If nothing else the beauty of the film attracted me most and leaves me feeling amazed after viewing it!

Bought this movie for my husband.I would recommend this movie for any man that is interested in ancient wars and battles.He has watched it over and over.

Adapted from a graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, it offers up a bombastic spectacle of honor and betrayal, rendered in images that might have been airbrushed onto a customized van sometime in the late 1970s. The basic story is a good deal older. It’s all about the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, which unfolded at a narrow pass on the coast of Greece whose name translates as Hot Gates.
Hot Gates, indeed! Devotees of the pectoral, deltoid and other fine muscle groups will find much to savor as King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) leads 300 prime Spartan porterhouses into battle against Persian forces commanded by Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), a decadent self-proclaimed deity who wants, as all good movie villains do, to rule the world.
The Persians, pioneers in the art of facial piercing, have vastly greater numbers — including ninjas, dervishes, elephants, a charging rhino and an angry bald giant — but the Spartans clearly have superior health clubs and electrolysis facilities. They also hew to a warrior ethic of valor and freedom that makes them, despite their gleeful appetite for killing, the good guys in this tale. (It may be worth pointing out that unlike their mostly black and brown foes, the Spartans and their fellow Greeks are white.)
But not all the Spartans back in Sparta support their king on his mission. A gaggle of sickly, corrupt priests, bought off by the Persians, consult an oracular exotic dancer whose topless gyrations lead to a warning against going to war. And the local council is full of appeasers and traitors, chief among them a sardonic, shifty-eyed smoothy named Theron (Dominic West, known to fans of “The Wire” as the irrepressible McNulty).
Too cowardly to challenge Leonidas man to man, he fixes his attention on Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), a loyal wife and Spartan patriot who fights the good fight on the home front. Gorgo understands her husband’s noble purpose, the higher cause for which he is willing to sacrifice his life. “Come home with your shield or on it,” she tells him as he heads off into battle after a night of somber marital whoopee. Later she observes that “freedom is not free”.
There are a few combat sequences that achieve a grim, brutal grandeur, notably an early engagement in which the Spartans, hunkered behind their shields, push back against a Persian line, forcing enemy soldiers off a cliff into the water. The big idea, spelled out over and over in voice-over and dialogue in case the action is too subtle, is that the free, manly men of Sparta fight harder and more valiantly than the enslaved masses under Xerxes’ command. Allegory hunters will find some gristly morsels of topicality tossed in their direction, but you can find many of the same themes, conveyed with more nuance and irony, in a Pokémon cartoon.

An interest in history & "positive hype" had me looking for this DVD. I enjoy "period" films & this is generally well done, w/ awesome cinematography.
It's blood filled, but of course a story treatment of historical battle w/ overwhelming odds!Dialogue is not a strong point, but visually it's intense! ("Lord of the Rings" buffs like me will see familiar faces)

i decided to by it since it was such a great movie. i totally hated everything about the product i received. it was not authentic and of the poorest quality it could have been. i have seen bootleg movies of that sort coming from the philippines before not even the picture on the cover looks anything like the picture seller used for promoting the item. shouldnt be sold by saying is actual movie. over all horrible product. would NOT advise ANYONE to purchase.

This movie is excellent, it has a surreal quality and a moving story, based on actual History. The 300 totally buff men with 6 packs in loincloths aren't bad to look at either ! One of my favorite movies.

I don't remember learning about this in history, but it's a pretty good story. I think this is one of those movies that almost inspires you to learn more about the topic. Very entertaining to watch!

A movie for the ages. With so many recycled ideas and studios just releasing movies to release movies. This movie ranks up there with the likes of The Matrix and Gladiator, ie, instant classic! Incredible cinematography. Not just a gory, all-out-fighting type of movie, it has a well-thought out plot and excellent script. The movie will keep you enthralled from beginning to end. You'll find yourself watching this movie repeatedly as you'll catch something new everytime you watch it.
Without question one of the best movies to be released in the last few years. You'll end this movie undoubtedly screaming, "SPARTANS..."

300 is the type of movie that you watch and later when you get home find out it was based on actual events in history. 300, based on when 300 Spartans and Greek allies who sworded off millions of the mighty Persian Empire led by the great King Xerxes. The movie was brought together real well and the actors were very believable, seeming that there were no major actors. The only thing I had a problem with the movie is that Hollywood took apart in most of the fight scenes, for instance the Spartan army were known to, when in battle, to keep in rank and closely knit with their shields up so that the enemy couldnt penetrate their defense. In the movie it was like that for a little bit, but after hearing a documentary on the film, the director claimed it would be too "boring" and decided to "spice it up" the only way Hollywood knows how. So majority of the films battle scenes are historically incorrect but im sure not many people didn't noticed anyways. Overall I thought it was great, and despite a little Hollywood with the fight scenes overall the movie depicted the life and times of the Greek Spartan lifesatyles and mannerisms in the 14th century b.c very well. Hope that this guide was helpful..
Josh!

Best "movie" of 2007!! I thought the costumes and story line was fantastic! I would rate this movie as one of my Top 10 of all time.

I think the movie was terribel. It insulted and attacked Iranians AKA Persians. And it is historically inaccurate. But alot of people say it is not a historic movie,but a hollywood movie. Well I disagree you can't make a movie like this where 300 Greeks kill millions of persians and They enjoy doing that. if you want to make a war movie, than you have to created races that do not exist just for the sake of the movie. But you can't Insult over 100,000,000 Million persians around the world. I do not recomended it. If you have seen gladiator, and troy this will seem like a joke to you.

The DVD was in Perfect condition, timely delivery,fair priced DVD. I was happy with the complete process.

This iteam was ship really fast like in 2 days the movie is bin used but in very good conditon like only one minor scratch or two no problems playing it. would recomen for people buy from this seller