The DVD Dissection: 300
Posted by Chad Webb on 08.03.2007
A film shown in IMAX, and praised for being visually incredible is not meant for viewing on a full screen DVD.
Gerard Butler: King Leonidas
Lena Headey: Queen Gorgo
Rodrigo Santoro: Xerxes
Dominic West: Theron
David Wenham: Dilios
Vincent Regan: Captain
Michael Fassbender: Stelios
Tom Wisdom: Astinos
Andrew Pleavin: Daxos
Andrew Tiernan: Ephialtes
Written/Directed By: Zack Snyder
Theatrical Release Date: March 9, 2007
DVD Release Date: July 31, 2007
Running Time: 117 minutes
Rated R for graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity.
The Film
In my original review, I said that the fanboy nation needed to settle down with regard to declaring this better than it really is. I maintain that remark, but with a second viewing, I had a bit more respect for this experiment. 300 is a genuinely good film that is wounded by being overstuffed, overstocked, and overdone in virtually every department. Sometimes it is impossible to ignore the preliminary reviews, and they arrived in full force prior to opening day of this wide release. It was being hailed as a “masterpiece” and given “4 stars” by various critics. The TV spots aired prior to release implanted high expectations inside me. This can be unavoidable. Nonetheless, this is still easy to criticize due to so many quotes that puffed up the rating.
Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City), this story follows the courage of the Spartans during the Battle of Thermoplyae in 480 B.C. After the Godlike ruler Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) of Persia threatens to conquer Greece unless they surrender, King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) gathers 300 of Sparta’s finest warriors to face insurmountable odds in confronting Xerxes and his endless amounts of soldiers in the Grecian mountain pass of Thermoplyae. By fighting in this particular area, it would enable the Spartans to take full advantage of their small numbers. The Spartans obviously lost, but they dealt a permanent blow to the Persians which would echo on for centuries and motivate the Greek city states to establish the first democracy.
This is not meant to be historically accurate so eliminate that complaint from your brain immediately. Since this is based upon the graphic novel, it focuses its attention more on legend and myth, instead of simply sticking with cold hard facts. This was a very gray, vague, and hazy battle in terms of knowing what actually transpired. For instance, the exact numbers of either side are unknown, although most people assume the Spartans had 300 men. As for the Persians, I have read that their Army consisted of anywhere from 100,000 to 1,000,000 troops. No one would deny that a million sounds better. It makes little difference, the odds were huge. Another aspect that is uncertain is the fighting style of the Persians. In order to appeal to a wider audience, that fighting style has been exaggerated in true comic book fashion.
The influences of this film are so blatant that a deduction in points from the final rating is imperative. For starters, I could not stop thinking about Gladiator as soon as the presentation began. I shouldn’t have to say that the plots have similarities, at least in terms of being historical epics. Gerard Butler has a hairstyle and beard that definitely resembles Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott’s epic. Furthermore, Queen Gorgo reminded me of Maximus’s wife with her overall appearance. They are both brunettes that wear similar clothing, are very voluptuous, and extremely attractive. Our heroes also both have sons around the same age. Finally, Leonidas sounds like a cross between Maximus and William Wallace in Braveheart during his encouraging speeches and ferocious attitudes towards combat.
Having said all that, Gerard Butler was still riveting in his viciously resolute performance. While Butler has contributed to several mainstream films already, such as The Phantom of the Opera and Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, he has now made his name known worldwide. With this role, Butler’s career should surely skyrocket. The haughty Leonidas is a passionate, unwavering, and resilient leader. If not for the unfortunate truth that his character is prevented from being anything other than a glorified two-dimensional martyr, Butler could have been more memorable than the breathtaking CGI work.
Lena Headey’s resume is filled with unquestionable duds like The Cave, Imagine Me & You, and The Brothers Grimm, so by portraying Queen Gorgo, she took a step in the right direction. She has significantly larger screen time as oppose to the wife of Maximus in Gladiator, and that is a positive difference between the two. As far as depth and poignancy are concerned, Headey’s blazing performance is a highlight of this film, and a salute to a women’s place in what was a man’s world. Most of the acting from supporting side was solid all around with Dominic West (Hannibal Rising) as the sneaky Theron, David Wenham as the narrator Dilios, and Rodrigo Santoro as the femininely evil Xerxes.
This is a special effects masterwork in every way. Zack Snyder’s blue/green screen backgrounds and heavily saturated and stylized coloring are effective and mesmerizing. This is a visually delightful feast with images drenched in juicy yellows and reds, yet infused with touches of previous cinematic offerings. The computer enhanced picture instills a wonderfully modern tone and texture to the the inflated vision of this classic clash. One will make comparisons to the graphics in Sin City, as well as the horrendous Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow with the elegant and captivating approach of its illustrations. The evident methodology of style before substance will give the casual moviegoers everything they have been trained to admire: hypnotizing imagery, ardent dialogue, and violent battles.
Zack Snyder has crafted a man’s movie. That is not say females won’t enjoy it, but 300 prides itself on being manly as hell with loads of brutality, brawny combatants chiseled out of stone, a hard rock score, and plenty of vivid kills. As a filmmaker, Snyder is gradually improving and growing more intelligent as time rolls along. His Dawn of the Dead remake was commendable, but this sophomore mainstream submission better exhibits his many talents. He has generated some of the most aggressive and satisfying battle sequences in years. Each stance and scuffle between the Spartans and Persians is unique and clever with slow motion bedlam and buckets of spilled blood. As soon as Snyder can balance plot development with flair, he will become a terrific director. He’ll have his chance in 2008 when the long awaited graphic novel Watchmen is released.
The Spartans famous Alamo-esque stand has been adapted to film before. The 300 Spartans from 1962 also retells the battle, but this 300 has that easily beat any way you slice it. Miller wrote the novel because he was inspired by that film. The basic premise might have come from that version, but everything else was built to be attractive. Snyder and Miller spent 90% of the time using a blue screen, shot on location one time, sat in post-production for nearly a year, and used digital technology companies from all over the globe. 300 is available in IMAX for a reason. Many facets have been altered and switched to “look cool”, in the words of Snyder (even certain battle formations). The crew went that extra mile for the big box office triumph, and it shows.
What makes graphic novel adaptations so spectacular? In recent years, these films have been basically unstoppable. Is it because the pictures in the book make it easier for the director to be faithful? Perhaps the chosen filmmakers just put forth more heart to the projects. Whatever it may be, 300 succeeds in delivering ample amounts of excitement, despite some noticeable flaws. It suffers from being overhyped, and it will no doubt be overrated. Honestly, I can’t think of enough words that start with “over” to describe this film. Did Snyder reinvent the genre like he intended? No, but it was a worthy effort.
300 is action-packed with luxuriant visuals, invigorating characters, and pleasurable gore. The technical specifications have been brilliantly realized, and executed with precision and care. That alone is worth the price of admission. This is an average Gladiator meets The Lord of the Rings movie, but not a masterpiece. It is a palatable, but fleeting piece of eye candy. I had fun watching it, and I like movies like this, but I have a bunch of historical epics in my collection that I favor more. I would urge viewers to examine more than just the CGI here. I can see myself watching this maybe a couple more times in my life, but nothing beyond that.
The Video
I’m sure the 2-Disc widescreen edition presented in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio looks excellent, but this is a full screen version, which handicaps the director’s intended vision. As I stated in my review, 300 was spiced up for IMAX and the theaters, hence it does not appear as mind blowing or visually stunning as it did in the theater. On DVD is where the films storyline will have to carry it through the years, unless you have High Definition of course. Anyway, for the most part, the picture is quite fair, and fabulous to view. The colors and unique style is a bit grainier and rough, but still spectacular in many ways. The gritty contrast was the point, but it will likely be up to you on how positive or negative it is on full screen.
The Audio
This is rich and dynamic sound transfer all around. This is an action film after all, so the speakers never have a moment to rest. The swords and music fill the room, and vibrate the walls effectively. Each battle scene is rendered as earth shattering and bone crunching. Likewise, every character was very clear and lucid. My volume knob did not have to be adjusted at all. This has a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, Spanish 5.1, and French 5.1, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
The Packaging
300 is distributed in a standard black keep case with no booklet inside. The cover image is Gerard Butler looking pretty damn revved up for battle. The menu is only a picture from the film and an audio clip of Butler yelling.
The Extras
Feature Commentary - This includes Director Zack Snyder, Screenwriter Kurt Johnstad, and Director of Photography Larry Fong. The only person that really speaks is Snyder, and the others chime in with comments very sporadically. Snyder is extremely enthused about the film, and he should be. The main topic of discussion is what was CGI, and what wasn’t, or what was taken from the graphic novel, and what was created in their heads. It was moderately intriguing, but nowhere near the best commentary I’ve heard this year.
Previews (8:50) - A bunch of trailers begin when the disc is popped in the player. They are Trick or Treat, The Brave One, 300: March to Glory the video game, a preview for the soundtrack, Superman: Doomsday DVD, and Gametap.
Easter Egg (6:40) - I usually don’t search for these on purpose,but I stumbled onto this one. It features interviews with Zack Snyder, Frank Miller, and others chatting about how the story and style was approved by the studio. This was a terrific added bonus for a rather limited disc.
The Film: 7.5/10.0
The Video: 7.0/10.0
The Audio: 8.5/10.0
The Packaging: 6.0/10.0
The Extras: 7.5/10.0
The 411: Most of the fans of this film are hardcore, so I would guess they prefer the stacked edition instead of this puny one. Still, the movie is definitely a bloody adrenaline epic that is sure to entertain you. If you have seen many of the historical offerings of the last decade or so, the plot and characters contained within will be familiar to you. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that 300 will only get more popular with age. My advice is not to buy the full screen version. Treat yourself to the widescreen so you can have the best possible experience. At least Warner Brothers supplied some special features and reasonable technical specifications to enjoy. I expected a bare bones release. I’ll bet this is on sale for a cheap price, but spend the $5 or so more.
