Update: Over at the Belmont Club, a poke at the Leftist pc-prism:
I have no idea whether 300 is a good movie, but Steven’s review is an entertaining example of how all events, including those which happened nearly 500 years BC, must be judged according to prisms of contemporary political correctness. Miller had to remember, for example, “that we’re in the middle of an actual war”. Did he not realize his duty to denounce it? But what if Miller had made a movie about the fight against Hitler? Would it have been necessary to remind the audience that Hitler was a nonsmoking, animal-loving, vegetarian artist? Or had he remade Zulu to include some white faces among Prince Dabulamanzi’s impis?
The most interesting thing about those who habitually denounce ethnocentricity and cultural blindness is that they are not without such sentiments themselves, the difference being that their cultural point of view is rooted in the mid-20th century, rather than say, ancient Lacedaemonia.
Commenter Greg Marquez said:
“My first reaction after the movie was that this was the first pro war, pro martial spirit, pro warrior movie I’ve seen in a very, very long time. Perhaps the left has finally pushed us far enough in the direction of pacifism for a much needed antithesis to begin. If that’s the case, woe to our enemies can’t be far behind.”
As we’ve debated here, I’m not sure a movie like 300 indicates a push-back.
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Just got back from viewing 300 with a half-full theater. 300 is bloody and gory but not horrifying in a Braveheart way. It was cartoonish enough that the deaths portrayed felt symbolic rather than individual and real. I cried no tears when anyone, including (spoiler alert: stop reading if you don’t know history) Leonidis bit it. (And I am a girl given to tears during movies–even blood and guts ones.) So is the movie emotionally empty? Well not so much emotionally empty, as philosophically and physically full. Like the Rocky series, 300 strips away doubt and fear which leaves room for contemplation. All good sci-fi/fantasy philosophizes among the fantastical. So the watcher can either leave the theatre reveling in the spectacle or wondering at the meaning, or both.
A rock-n-roll thumping score, over-the-top visuals, and Fred Astaire grace-filled battle-scenes featuring flying heads and spurting limbs serve as the backdrop to the story. The theme is simple and that is why critics scorn (see here, here, here and here) it and audiences love it. On the evil Persian side symbolized by a gold-adorned Xerxes there is hubris, decadence, slavery, treachery, bribery, betrayal, theft, cowardice, rape and weakness. On the good Spartan side symbolized by Leonidis and his wife Queen Gorgo there is faith, restraint (except during fightingâ€â€leave no prisonersâ€â€another reason for reviewers to hate it), freedom, loyalty, willingness, courage, giving, bravery and strength. The good side wins even in loss.
Spartan’s King Leonidis is offered a savior’s choice: “Worship the devil in return for all the kingdoms of the world.†Leonidis declines and tosses the messengers into a well, thus declaring war on the vast Persian army. Leonidis was not in a mood to treat with the enemy, also known as diplomacy, also known as appeasement, also known as certain submission, i.e. slavery. Perhaps this is the biggest sticking point with critics (see above): the lack of nuance. For example, here’s a “nuanced†sum up from the NY Post’s Kyle Smith:
But keeping in mind Slate’s Mickey Kaus’ Hitler Rule – never compare anything to Hitler – it isn’t a stretch to imagine Adolf’s boys at a “300” screening, heil-fiving each other throughout and then lining up to see it again.
Why, if I don’t miss my mark, that’s a rather over-the-top and lack of nuanced reviewâ€â€going all Hitler and heil-fives.
One of the more interesting ideas put forward in the movie deals with gender roles in a free versus a shame and power culture. Dr. Sanity has written about this extensivelyâ€â€making the link between subjugation/deification of women (can’t find the link right now) and the frustrated aggression of the men enslaved by their own bigotry. There is a somewhat graphic love scene between the King and Queen where both enjoy positions of power. This would be in stark contrast to Xerxes’ women as sex slaves who exist purely for the men’s pleasure. Their service to men was portrayed as empty compared with a good old romp of equals. In addition, Queen Gorbo has the nerve to speak out to the Persian messenger and the Spartan Council. How dare she? Well, she serves as the moral compass to King Lionisis; they are a team, and a formidable one. Marriage and family as societal strength surely also riles the critics.
300 lays out simple themes for the taking, the last one the most important. Persia was undone by their decadence and softness as much as anything. If America is to take a lesson, it should be taken from the Persians. The high ideals and simple beauty of democracy deserve a fight. Riches and indulgence and decadence and licentiousness will undo the greatest of cultures. America should worry about rotting within. That’s a danger bigger than any suicide bomber. With a weak will to protect the ideals, the enemy is already victorious.
Winners and losers, right and wrong, good and evil. This movie will make a lot of money. The progressives will despair.
As an aside: This is not a movie for children. I’m not sure it’s a movie for kids under 17. A couple dull-witted parents had their four year old daughter (or so) and another family had their eight year old son with them. The movie is romantically violent in a way that would be overwhelming for children. Scar-for-life, nightmares-until-adulthood type of scenes abound. It is downright abusive to bring children to movies like this.
Wonderful review, Melissa.
Thanks for the overview Melissa, your take coincides with other trusted sources, not to mention my usual barometer of “if the critics hate it, I need to see it.”
I may break my general rule of “waiting for the DVD” and pop for a double sawbuck of popcorn, soda and admission for this one.
The straight progressives may depair, you mean.
Captain Oveur: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?
Another failure of historical humor…Thebes, not Sparta.
Heil-fiving… I have SO got to try that at our next counterprotest! Are we supposed to yell “FAGGOT!” when we do it?
But, gosh darn it all, if only those Spartans could understand WHY the Persians hate them… wouldn’t that be a surer road to peace in this troubled world?
Thebanth? O, the dethpair.
The Theban Thacred Band? You thavage!
BONUS: If you live in a deep blue area, you can eavesdrop on the gnashing of teeth and wailing on the way out of the cineplex!
Your Dr. Sanity link leads to the Wikiarticle on the Temptation of Christ.
Oops! Sorry about the bad link. Here is her article on the Islamic shame culture. I couldn’t find her post on female objectification correlated to male aggression in oppressive hierarchical cultures. Bah! Hopefully, she’ll get this link and include it. It’s especially relevant here.
Saw it today. Blah.
Visually interesting. Battle scenes are good, up-close hand-to-hand stuff. Brad Pitt in Troy times 300. But every time someone talks, it’s usually awful. The makers should have left in the cartoon bubbles, since, like Harrison Ford once said of Lucas’ dialog, “You can write this stuff, but people can’t say it.”
The Spartan women have many rights compared to other ancient societies, but they’re still fucked up: infanticide, a loss of parental rights, children beating the crap out of each other, and they’re still under the rule of a king. Still when compared to the Persians, it’s a feminist paradise. I hear Natalie Merchant and Eve Ensler appear in Michigan State cheerleading uniforms in the director’s cut.
The Persians are makeup-wearing, body-pierced, inbred-for-ugliness, gold Speedo-clad decadent folk enslaved by Billy Blanks. Too bad he didn’t teach his elephants any of that tae-bo, cause a few good pachyderm roundhouse kicks would have made dinner plates out of the Spartan ranks.
Leonidas, played by Dave Navarro without his usual eye makeup (he probably tried out for Xerxes but his ex won his makeup bag in the divorce,) may look good in a black leather speedo, but it is the Oracle who stole the film as her nipples will surely be up for a best supporting role for the way they kinda-sorta-almost held up the silk “outfit” she wore. Too bad that scene couldn’t have been a few dozen minutes longer.
See it at the matinee, if at all. Most missed dialog: “How ‘bout them apples?”
Well, the initial box office numbers are sure to trigger a lot of clucking from our ‘betters’ as to the maudlin tastes of the knuckle dragging, beer swilling, NASCAR loving dullards that absolutely refuse to listen to the enlightened drivel they compliment each other shallowly for in various venues.
Having gone into the theater, eagerly, with a) a rudimentary understanding of the basics of the story of the events at Thermopylae b) the understanding that this was a stylized version of those events, based upon c) the graphic novel by Frank Miller (as opposed to a seriously detailed study by Victor Davis Hanson, sans visual clues) – I thought it was a very well done piece of cinematic artwork, and was one of the times I absolutely did not regret shelling out an admission price for the privilege.
As for the deeper meaning of the events at Thermopylae, well, you either get it, you don’t get it, or you simply refuse to get it (or admit that you get it). Because it deals in absolutes. It deals in real personal sacrifice (as opposed to a symbolic, well publicized, just for show stunt…can anyone say ‘carbon credits’?), for a greater good. It deals with sticking to an ideal, instead of taking the easy, the expedient, or even the apparently self serving path. It invokes terms easily mocked by the uninvolved, chattering classes – Duty. Honor. Loyalty. Courage.
Most certainly, the path the story of these events took to reach our ears involved ‘spin’ and ‘embellishment’ and were biased in numerous ways that we cannot even imagine, not having lived in the times through which it passed. Regardless – it is abundantly apparent, the sheer audacity of the occurrence speaking more loudly than any commenter could add to or reduce with surrounding flourishes.
Which is why those most enamored with such embellishment, such flourishes, such spin, over the plain substance about which they carry on, will loathe this entertaining reminder of just how full of shit they really, really are.
Oops…did I use one of Carlin’s words? S’cuse.
TW: …arriving at the theater, outside56 people were in line for tickets
Jon,
I did leave out the infanticide–the movie doesn’t dwell on it and the movie is a fantasy version hardly sticking to history or even attempting to be a period piece. What I did feel was missing, and alluded to it in the first graph, was emotional resonance. This wasn’t a feeling movie. It was an experiencing movie. And, if one is so inclined, a thinking movie. But one doesn’t have to think much to enjoy this film. It made me think of martial arts films where more and more bad guys just keep popping up and more and more extreme fight scenes ensue.
The Oracle scene was silly. That nasty dude licking her cheek was a throw-up in mouth moment. But I thought even these guys symbolized the elites for whom only power and pleasure mattered. And they were the ones who were supposed to be the “deciders”. The dude with the tongue reminded me of Ted Kennedy or would he be Joe Biden?
Mellisa,
Ted.
*shudder*
This paragraph alone shows how much Kyle doesn’t get it:
Notice the scare quotes around culture when referring to infanticide. I bet this guy finds it “culturally” acceptable to suck a baby out of a woman’s uterus so that she won’t have to shop at Costco.
Secondly, he sneers at Leonidas (“Leo”) over the fact that he ignores the “warnings” of the Oracle. What Kyle conveniently leaves out is that the creepy translator guy is corrupted by Persian gold. We really don’t know what the Oracle said was a “warning” to heed at all.
So you’re saying the intelligence was flawed? Maybe the current events parallels have something to them after all….
Perhaps the UN is corrupted by Iraqi Oil for Food money. Hmmmm?
Considering that it broke the 1st weekend record, this will be interesting.
Hollywod did everything they could to deride Mel Gibson and “the Passion” until they killed at the box office gate and made a fortune. No matter how progressive they are, money is still king in Hollywood so everyone suddenly wanted a quasi-jesus flick.
How they’ll read this will be interesting. Gladiator was freaking huge in it’s day, but Troy and then Alexander were less impressive. Kingdom of Heaven was even less spectaular as in that film there were no “good guys.” However, this is the same gerne but the main difference is in the delivery and the moral certainity of the charaters.
It’ll be interesting if they try to leech the genre again for cash or if they figure out that despite the fact that they like to act and write charters that live thier morality in shades of grey, it was the graphic novelist use of black and white that got notice.
Either way, I like it a lot. I’ll see it again on the big screen and I’ll buy the DVD. For my $7.50, it’s worth it.
Stranger, go tell the Spartans
That here we lie, obedient to their laws.
I loved it. I almost always wait until video for movies, but this one I will likely be seeing in the theater again.
My wife did not hate it, but pointed out that the theater was filled mostly with men.
Spartans! Lay down your weapons!
ΜολÎν ΛαβÎÂ
*no doubt, one of the more disdainful “who writes this stuff” lines poo-poo’d from the film by “sensible and feeling” critics.
Wind Rider:
‘Cept the Persians did say that, and the Spartans retorted “Persians: Come and get them.”
Recommended. Most of the really good lines were actual lines from history, and the idea that the critics call too “simplistic”, that people really do and HAVE died for freedom, is the center of the entire story. The Greek historians of the time took that point at once–Herodotus commented on it in his history. Thermopylae was the one of the first, if not THE first, battles where men sacrificed themselves expressly to be free.
I had the good fortune to see this movie with a theater full of US Marines the day before they deployed, and it got loud cheers and applause throughout, and a standing ovation at the end. The warrior ethos of the Spartans is timeless, and the movie reflected that excellently. Not a movie for those who want “nuance,” but for the most part, they’re incapable of understanding stark moral issues to begin with.
In my Massachusetts theatre a number of people stood up and cheered at the conclusion of the movie. There may be hope yet.
In the best action movies there is a defining moment that can be called the “Fuck Yeah!” moment. It’s a moment where we all want to cheer as some kick ass moment occurs. This movie may hold a record for number of “Fuck Yeah!” moments presented in a single film. It was the cinematic equivalent of taking handfulls of speed and being kicked in the head…but in a really, really, really good way.
The funny thing is that the movie really worked on a number of levels. It’s art direction and style are unique, and beautiful in it’s simplicity.
More importantly, it works because it captures the heart of why humans tell stories. In any event we create a naritive, often simplified, that imparts a lesson that’s basic to the society. Perhaps it’s the story of King Alfred and the burnt cake, Lincoln freeing the slaves, or the last stand at the alamo. Whatever the story we tell it to our children to both teach and entertain.
300 strips away the post-modern conventions of story telling. There is no doubt or ambiguity of the people and motives. There is freedom and there is slavery. There is cowardice or there is bravery. We stand united for what is right or we fall. There’s nothing subtle about it, and this is why it resonates. Faults of the movie aside, it’s a refreshing breath of fresh air.
Yeah, that or the “Fuck Yeah!” moments. Those are pretty damn cool.
It grossed over $70,000,000 for the weekend.
My sons girlfriend said that she ran out of words to describe it, she liked it so much.
So it’s on my schedule for next weekend.
Haven’t seen it yet, but a friend of mine did. She’s very proudly Greek, and extremely apolitical (to the point where I have no idea what, if any, political viewpoints she holds, or for whom she may have ever voted). Her opinion: 1) the battle scenes kick ass, 2) big, hunky Greek guys are a good thing, and 3) some of the dialog was pretty painful. That’s good enough for me. I’ll go see it.
Cool movie, but I doubt the reviewers need to be worried about it militarizing the nation’s youth or anything. The crowd seemed to be composed mainly of nerdy-looking, comic-book-reading types, not some incipient “Hitler youth.”
If you can, I recommend seeing it in iMax format.
– Any vehical that puts the SecProggs bankrupt “I am my own savior” bullshit mantra in the glare of the sun gets my vote, and my support. Well worth the price of admission. Thankfully these sorts of films will continue to get made as long as the Hollywood elite worship at the alter of greenbacks, which won’t likely change any time soon.
Saw it in Austin last night at 6:30. The biggest “Fuck Yeah! moment was easily the confrontation in the forum between the queen and the guy from Steel Dragon. That got the womenfolk up and into the movie if they weren’t already.
Ding, ding, ding! That was my immediate reaction, too.
“We know what’s best for you. You mustn’t disobey us, er, her!”
I live in Maryland–blue beyond belief. And there was a distinct cheer when the Queen knifed the Senator. Yes, there is hope.
Hey, does anyone here have any Hollywood connections?
I just had an idea and I want to see if I can flog my idea for a kinder, gentler, more politically correct “300”.
My working title is “Brokeback Mount Olympus”.
Uh, well, yeah. That was Wind Rider’s point.
That’s why he supplied the (transliterated) “molon labe.” As in Greek. As in what Leonidas actually said. And which, for the record, translates closer to come and TAKE them.
Sheesh. I’ll bet a lot of joke punchlines go right over your head, huh?
Dave:
I, uh, blame accursed Daylight Savings Time and my lack of intimate knowledge of Greek for missing that one.
I guess the point of it all is that the “corniest” lines that every lefty reviewer out their is whining about are pretty much word-for-word translations of Herodotus’ accounts of the actual dialog. Oh, the carping I’ve heard about “why did they push that poor Persian into the well? Why did the director go that route?” Couldn’t possibly be because the Spartans, you know, actually did that, could it?
Hmmmm.
@ Doug
Wikipedia
Normally I consider Wikipedia to be an absolutely useless site, but we’ll go with it this time since I’m lazy as hell.
Yup. The script was pretty much spot on in that instance.
I can’t wait until some Revolutionary war movie comes out and the liberals complain about scriptwriters over-the-top portray of Patrick Henry and his not-to-be-believed “Give me Liberty or give me Death!” monologue.
Hmmmm.
I was thinking more along the lines of Zorro the Gay Blade meets Thermopylae.
“Now talk like a sissy boy”.
or
“Now swing your hips and say you naughty evil Xerxes ….”
So I’m inthe 5th week of a diet, the Optifast 800 calorie a day liquid diet, under medical supervision. I’ve lost over 30 pounds. But my proudest moment over the past month came the night after I saw “300” with my son.
I was preparing my delicious 160 calorie faux-tomato soup for my dinner , when my son looks at me and says in his best Leonidas-imitation: “Eat a hearty breakfast, for tonight we dine in hell!”
It is a good movie that applies to one’s life so well.
tw: age47, which I am.
WAITAMINIT~!
LEONIDAS DIES?!
WTF KIND OF MOVIE IS THIS, ANWYWAY?!
That’s like whining about all the cliches in Shakespeare.
Which, BTW, I expect to see in a movie review any day now…