Monday, September 25, 2006

Reviews: 300 Trailer

Tamara and others really like the trailer for the movie adaptation of Frank Miller's 300. 300 is a retelling of the story of the Spartan exploits at the Battle of Thermopylae.

I love the story of Thermopylae. I wouldn't mind reading Miller's graphic novel or Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire which is recommended reading in some US Army units. It is a tale of heroes fighting insurmountable odds with little more than good ground, good tactics, and good dialogue ("Come get them" and "Good, then we will fight you in the shade") to aid them.

But I don't know whether 300 will beat out 1962s The 300 Spartans for me. 300 copies the comic's art style and frankly it really doesn't do anything for me. Miller's art has just become too stylized for my tastes. Instead of fighting in proper phalanx formation with proper armor and equipment, we have a bunch of bare-chested well-oiled homo-erotic warriors battling gallantly and somewhat stupidly. But I'll probably see it anyway.

It is nice to see Gerard Butler getting good work. He's done period work before with TNT's Attila. Often times he's a standout in otherwise dreadful movies like Dracula 2000 or Timeline.

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