Directed by: Zack Snyder

Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro

In 480 BC, Spartan King Leonidas took 300 of his personal guard to defend his lands against the encroaching invasion of the Persian Emperor, Xerxes. There they fought a battle spoken even now in terms of legend, of bravery and of personal sacrifice for future victory.

In other words, they died.

During a preview of the film a few months ago, director Zack Snyder (responsible for the fantastic Dawn Of The Dead remake) spoke about his latest project, which had been in the works since Troy was filming. He got together with Frank Miller, and soon after, the film industry was sold on the idea.

According to Snyder, Miller’s inspiration came after watching 1962’s The 300 Spartans and realized that the good guys couldn’t survive. "It changed the way he thought about heroes. . . that 300 guys went to their death on purpose."

Filmed primarily on blue screen ("it narrowed the enormity of the project") in Montreal, Snyder’s vision of 300 is a finely sculpted, shadowed work of art. Scenes are transposed entirely from Miller’s novel to the screen, albeit with a bit more shading and live action. Hazy floating debris, slow bubbles of blood and contrasting scenes of light and dark create a painted world that misses only the narrative text boxes.

The characters have their complete range of facial expressions, yet are treated in such a way as to look painted. When you’re telling an epic story, you don’t want to be hampered by constraints - this story is the one spoken of by legends and Frank Miller, not by historians or those wishing for a wholly accurate retelling.

And above all, it is not a story to be told at a child’s bedtime.

"That was the challenge of the movie - it was not watering down," said Snyder. "If you know the book, you know it’s a different way of thinking." And that’s what he set out to do. In fact, there’s a Frank Miller site where scenes from the movie are compared to the original art. . . and the resemblance speaks for itself.

The film critic camp seems divided when it comes to 300. There are those who hate it, and others who love it.

Much like films such as Serenity, there seems a certain pop culture savvy that’s required to truly appreciate these kinds of films. One is an acknowledgement of Frank Miller, who penned and painted the 300 graphic novel. Also required is a familiarity with comic books and their style of art. There’s a necessary appreciation for computer graphics and enhanced realism. Those who worship at Sony Computer Entertainment’s God Of War altar will also find much here to appease their appetites.

That the movie is filled with testosterone is a given. That it’s terribly violent is also a given. But when you go see a movie based on a graphic novel about Greek legend, what did you expect?

The film is made to be excessive and over-the-top. It’s the film that Ghost Rider wishes it could be. It’s about letting go of critical faculties and just enjoying the spectacle. Sure, there are plenty of homoerotic undertones and likely some historical inaccuracies. But this isn’t a film based on textbook history... this is a film based on someone’s vision.