“A new age has begun. . .

. . . an age of freedom. And all will know that 300 Spartans gave their last breath to defend it.”

This isn’t anime-related, but I think this is worth mentioning anyway.

I saw 300 a couple of days ago in IMAX. And. It. Was. Incredible. Go out, and see it now. You definitely want to see this in the theater. Don’t be the one that sees it on DVD and says to himself, “. . . Damn, I should’ve seen this in the theater!” (Note: Small children, squeemish people, and people who just can’t handle over-the-top violence need not apply)

Some of you may be familiar with the name Frank Miller. He is the creator of Sin City, another graphic novel that was adapted to film (a very incredible film, no less). 300 follows a similar path; it’s a graphic novel that was also adapted to film. Much like its predecessor, 300 is a film to behold.

First off, let me get this out of the way. There is almost no plot. The movie centers around the Battle of Thermopylae, an ancient battle of the Greco-Persian war where a few hundred Spartans and Athenians stood off hundreds-of-thousands of Persians. Since it centers on this battle, there isn’t much you can expect in terms of plot development. Even so, if you can just enjoy a film for its entertainment value (read: mindless violence), then you better go out and see this movie.

First, let me touch on the visuals. Every shot looks like it can be a stand-alone art piece. The use of CGI and lighting is quite astonishing. Now, you will see a lot of stabbings, beheadings, dismemberments, and other things of that type in this movie. The fight scenes are simply epic. I enjoyed how certain parts of the action were sped up until it gets to the stabbing/beheading/dismemberment, in which it switches over to slow motion.

Now, the audio is also impressive. A lot of the soundtrack reinforces the ancient Greece setting and makes the battles seem a lot more epic. Something else that’s interesting is the inclusion of some metal rock pieces. Though one might not think that it would be very fitting for such a movie, it did fit the scenes quite well.

The acting is top-notch, despite the fact that there wasn’t too much of it. I really liked Gerard Butler’s role as King Leonidus. Most of you have probably seen the “Madness? This is Sparta!” scene in a trailer. He plays his role perfectly as the king of Sparta. David Wenham of Lord of the Rings fame also did well as Dilios, and Lena Headley was also great as Queen Gorgo. Despite the fact that most of the cast isn’t very well-known, they did an excellent job pulling the movie along.

Altogether, it’s a must for any person who doesn’t feel like thinking too much and just wants to see some people get chopped up into pieces. Enjoy 300. Just don’t expect anything deep.

300 – 9/10