Monday, March 12, 2007

300 reasons to see '300'

I'm sure someone has thought of 300 reasons, but it's not going to be me. I have a thesis to finish up. I will, however, tell you that you should see this movie. That's right, a blatant plug.

Let me just start by saying that I thought I'd appreciate this film for being pretty, and probably not that much else.

I was wrong.

We saw it on Friday afternoon, and it was just amazing. I know it's gotten mixed reviews, especially as far as the story goes, but it's an epic film, and the visuals are simply stunning. There wasn't any moment when I wasn't engrosed - because of the story, yes, but also because I didn't want to take my eyes off of the screen for fear of missing something beautiful. There's also the argument of whether it's pro- or anti- Bush, but I'm not going to gander. And let's be honest. I don't really care. After art school I know that any artistic medium can be over-analysed, and to immediately take this film about war and insist that it has to be one or the other simply because we're at war right now isn't what the film is about. To me it just detracts from it. Leave the politics to the politicians, and let this film stand on its own as an artistic breath of fresh air from an industry that has recently been turning out more politically-biased sludge than my darling DC. Seriously. I read the paper when I want to think about politics. I go to the movies when I want to be entertained.

Anyhow, with that out of the way... This movie shows a tight-knit group of men who believe in comraderie, backbone, pride (the good kind), self-sacrificing love, and dedication.
Also, basically, it was a visual tour de force. Snyder did a magnificent job bring the pages of Miller's graphic novel to life while staying true to its origins in comic-land. The dark wash over the entire movie, the sparse use of color, etc, etc... it just read as a graphic novel... only on a movie screen.

Of course people disagree with me. 'Mixed reviews' means just that. But for anyone who wants a graphic punch accompanied by, yes, a little violence (haha... a little?) - go see this film!