Tonight I'm reviewing Zach Snyder's 300 on Blu-Ray. But before I get started, I'm going to let you know about the setup I'm using: My PC. That's right, I watch movies on my computer. The same machine I play my games on, the same machine I surf the internet on, and the same machine on which I'm currently blogging on. Okay, on to the review:
300 is the story of Spartan King Leonidas who takes...well....300 of his best warriors to the Hot Gates at Thermopylae. He goes there to defend Greece against a second assault by the Persians led by the "god-king" Xerxes. Well, anyone who has read the story knows exactly what happened. Leonidas and his soldiers fight to the death battling Xerxes' armies. The actions of Leonidas and his men inspired Greece to unite and drive out the invaders permanently.
300 was directed by Zach Snyder, who also directed the Dawn of the Dead remake and Watchmen. 300 isn't based on the actual story. The film was actually based on the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller, and as a result, has a particular style to it, that I enjoyed a great deal. It was all filmed in front of a green screen, so the backgrounds are meant to give a sense of grandeur about Greece. 300 is not realistic. At all. It's too stylized with an overabundance of slow-motion, which some people may find irritating. I didn't. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Persian soldiers get their limbs hacked off in spectacular slow-motion.
The performances are also what helped the film, to a degree. Gerard Butler plays King Leonidas. David Wenham: Delios. The beautiful Lena Headey plays Leonidas's wife, Gorgo. Dominic West plays the slimy Theron. The performances in a film like this I think, help drives the story. Gerard Butler is great, as he brings a nobility and strength to the role, which helps us connect with Leonidas.
I watched 300 on Blu-ray, and I have to tell you, it's amazing. The picture is crystal clear, even more so than standard DVD, and it has all the special features of the two-disc DVD set on one Blu-Ray disc. I'm not going to bore people with the specifics of Blu-Ray. Overall, I give 300 a solid 9/10. And I recommend watching it in High-Definition. It's much better that way.
Well....that's my first review. It's probably not much, but I'm sure I'll get better as time goes on........I hope.
