beyond the wall of abs

I've always had a soft spot for the most famous last stand in history, the Battle of Thermopylae. I've always had a soft spot for Gerard Butler, since I first saw him on Lara Croft 2: The Cradle of Life. I have a soft spot for the droolworthy Rodrigo Santoro, since he emerged out of the water in Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle. And despite the portrayal of the mousy Carl in Van Helsing, I have a soft spot for David Wenham. And since I was introduced to Sin City, I've developed a high respect for Frank Miller. In short, I had high expectations coming in for 300, the movie. It did not disappoint.

Action, gore, sex. Breathtaking visuals. A wall of abs and a wall of the dead. Like Sin City, it was a comic book come to life. Never mind that it was historically inaccurate--no one gave a hoot that the award-winning graphic novel was historically inaccurate. Never mind that Rodrigo Santoro was unrecognizable as Bondage-Drag Queen-Xerxes. Never mind that unpleasant scene at Xerxes' harem/bordello. Never mind that the monsters were like two-bit copies of the Lord of the Rings ones. Never mind that portrayals were mostly two-dimensional.

300 was a fabulous trip. It hit the ground running and never stopped accelerating until the last moment. Frankly, if we weren't in Rockwell, I would have expected some moviegoers to get up and cheer. Heh.

I'm sure it's been lambasted by critics. It was awkward at times (err, director dude is famous for Dawn of the Dead!), and ear-splitting as well, what with a very modern metal score ala-We Will Rock You. It glorifies a tribe held in the highest regard by the Fuhrer himself, what with their infanticide and weeding out of the weak.

The movie was testosterone galore, a lot of shouting, a lot of killing, but definitely a whole lot of fun. After the movie, the SO and I were both smiling. It was a good end to the weekend. I brushed up on the details of Thermopylae again (the last I'd seen of it was a short docu on NatGeo). I'd want to read (but not buy) the comic. I'd watch the movie again. Totally.