Wednesday DVD Review™

“Give nothing … but take from them … EVERYTHING!”

As promised in last week’s review, today I will talk about what can arguably called the man movie of the current century – all homoerotic jokes aside. This movie blends all of the aspects that draw men to film and sends them flying at us with visceral force and palatable intensity. This movie literally increases testosterone levels in its audience. This movie is about war, honor, duty, and courage. THIS … IS … 300!!!



For those who happened to be living under a rock, let me quickly lift it and lend you a brief look into the backdrop of the story. 300 tells the tale of 300 Spartan warriors – led by the king Leonidis - who choose, against the will of the ruling council of the country, to oppose the greatest single army of slaves and soldiers that had been assembled in history, the Persian empire and it’s God-King Xerxes. The entire movie recreates the Battle of Themopylae, which the director Zack Snyder claims is done with 90% accuracy during an MTV interview. Other historians agree, or disagree, to varying levels on the historical measure that is present in the film.(1)

Now, onto the movie review. We have all seen films of incredible beauty and cinematography in the past. Epic shots of clashing armies on the fields in Braveheart and the Lord of the Rings trilogies, we have seen beautiful swordplay in movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and The Matrix introduced us to the wonders of “bullet time”. However, 300 takes the best of each of those and merges them into a single production. The battles may be in smaller scale than in the references above, but are no less wonderfully choreographed and executed. The swordplay not as eloquent and fanciful as the Asian-themed listing, but still convey a oneness with the spear and sword that makes a person’s jaw drop. And finally, while none of the Spartans possessed the mystical power of Neo, the slow motion throughout all the battle scenes was simply awesome and conveyed the true fluidity and mastery in which the Spartans moved and fought.

The presentation of the movie in the theaters was gritty, and with a very noticeable fingerprint of Frank Miller. The visuals were often stylized, with novel and dramatic scene sequences never before seen on the screen. Even though the movie used a rather limited color pallet, the blacks and whites, the bronze and crimson, and other more earthy tones made the film seem physical on the screen. While this may not have highlighted all that the HD-DVD player that now sits on my AV rack can do, it still was a visual sensation to the eyes that is a sight to behold. The audio is, for lack of a better term, war. War with swords classing, men screaming, horses squealing … all you would expect in an epic fight … and then set to a rock soundtrack. It was simply brilliant.

The casting and acting in the movie was as impressive as production of the film. Every single actor, whether playing King or Queen of Sparta, the rogue and backstabbing council member, or the God who wished to rule over the Greek lands, all made you believe that they were plucked out of time and put to the screen for this role and this role alone. Mix into that some fantastical creatures and creations in the forms of the Immortals, or other ‘generals’ which the Persians (supposedly) employed, and you have a cast of characters truly worthy of the script.

The only thing I cannot yet comment on, but will save for a future blog, are the extras on the HD-DVD. Yes, I was not mistaking earlier – this movie made me buy the HD-DVD player. With my personal DVD collection coming close to 400, I had been resisting the temptation whereas I already own an upscaling Samsung DVD player. The price of the HD-DVDs is a problem, but then I noticed that relatively new releases make their way to Ebay, in new and sealed offerings, at prices near to their regular counterparts. Then finally, with enough confirmation that I should see a noticeable difference on my 65” Mitsubishi Diamond RP HDTV, and the current deal ($179 + 5 free movies), I took the dive. And I will never regret doing so. But that again, my friends, is topic for another blog.

In closing, 300 came into my house and immediately, with its first watching, moved into my personal “favorite 5” list of titles I own. If I can find a canvas transfer, the poster might also earn one of the coveted spaces on my wall … but we will see.

(1) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_movie