film review essay Essay

Film Review #1

The movie 300 was directed by Zack Snyder and is based on a story written by Frank Miller. The story line depicts the Battle of Thermopylae in which 300 Spartans, led by King Leonidas (played by Gerard Butler), made a stand against the Persian army commanded by Xerxes (played by Rodrigo Santoro). Leonidas’ refusal to accept Xerxes demands is what started the battle.   The Spartans were able to fend against the Persian army by usage of a narrow passage way called the “Hot Gates”. King Leonidas and his army of 300 soldiers were able to hold off the Persian attack for about three days. During the battle, his wife Queen Gorgo (played by Lena Headey) tries to convince the Spartan Council to send reinforcements to the king. Their refusal was because King Leonidas broke Spartan law by going to battle without the Oracles blessing. The Oracle and an indicative councilman were bought out by Xerxes. Spartan victory would have been possible if it weren’t because of the treachery of Ephialtes. Ephialtes betrayed Leonidas because he was refused the chance to fight in the battle due to his deformity. Furious from the decline, he then went to Xerxes and informed them of a separate path through Thermopylae, which the Persians could use to outflank the Greeks.
All the while the men knew that there was not a chance they’ll come out of the battle alive. But as Leonidas explains, even though they are going to die, at least they will die with honor defending their country, defending their freedom.
The visual effects are what make this movie stand out from the rest. Impressive battle scenes are cut with disorienting speeds, producing sequences of chaos and at the same time using slow motion to display the fighting technique for which the Spartans are known for. Aside from using different speeds of video, Snyder also uses CGI (computer-generated imagery) to exaggerate the colors of the sky, clothes, and the massive Persian army.
The usage of CGI in the movie is so...