Gore, stunning cinematography make '300' a spectacular epic

Zach Snyder's latest film, "300" is visually spellbinding. Though it is wrought with violence and gore, the acting is great and is an overall convincing testament to a group of 300 brave Spartan warriors.

From the mind who brought audiences "Sin City," Frank Miller's next graphic novel adaptation comes across even more beautifully than his last. Previews promised dazzling cinematography, beautifully choreographed battle scenes and enough half-naked men to satisfy Carrie Bradshaw.

"300" follows Leonidas, the ruler of Sparta, as he and his band of 300 fearless warriors attempt to take on a massive Persian army. Using brash and merciless fighting techniques, the army staves off the Persians for a remarkable amount of time and through countless obstacles.

Gerard Butler is jaw-dropping as Leonidas. Everything from his mannerisms to his intensity on the battle field just shows that this is an incredibly versatile actor and was the perfect choice as Leonidas in this entirely. The film was shot completely in front of a blue screen and that Butler was able to maintain his intensity in such a sterile environment speaks to his talents. A wise crack by Butler here and there helped the movie not get too heavy as it clocked in just under two hours.

The film rests squarely on Butler's shoulders and he does an impeccable job of not only living up to his expectations as the ruler of this group of fearless warriors, but almost outshines the special effects that help set this film apart from other historical epics.

While there are a few (maybe a few too many) similarities between this film and Ridley Scott's "Gladiator," Snyder does a pretty good job separating himself from tired clichés and moves toward making this film more than simply an historical epic.

Larger than life characters such as the Persian ruler, Xerxes, the Immortals, the rhinoceros and elephants were designed to be much bigger and exaggerated. The Spartans had not seen these creatures before and as the story was passed down, the beasts and characters were described to be much bigger and imposing.

As with Miller's "Sin City," "300" has its fair share of blood and gore, but with many films similar this, it is often hard to tell what is going on during a busy and chaotic battle scene. "300" does a great job of isolating characters and making their movements clear and powerful as they power through their beautifully choreographed battles.

Snyder had a huge undertaking with this film. Expectations were extremely high for this director, whose last film was the lukewarm "Dawn of the Dead." But he came through in a big way and really showed he is capable of making a movie on a massive scale.

As Spartan warrior Dillios is sent back to Sparta after being injured, he tells the villagers the story of Leonidas and the 300 Spartans and urges them not to forget about what they did. It will be hard for audiences to forget what Snyder, Butler and the whole cast of "300" has done, even many years later.

Alex Drumm can be reached at drumm.33@osu.edu.