 | Studios: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release: | March 9, 2007 | |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure, Drama, Adaptation and War | |
| MPAA Rating: | R for graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity. |
First things first: This movie is an ADAPTATION of a GRAPHIC NOVEL (a comic book).
Second: The Battle of Thermopylae really happened.
What the movie tries to recreate is the art and mood of Frank Miller's work rather than correctly depict the historical battle that inspired it.
Here is a review of the comic book written in 2002: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~sparta/topics/reviews/enthusiast/300.htm
If you have seen the movie but have not seen the work it was adapted from, that review illustrates nicely how close the movie is to the graphic novel.
I could write about the historically inaccurate stuff one sees in the movie, but that review already does it ... along with with what is accurate... showing us that the inaccuracies were already present in the source. I think Frank Miller himself will admit the inaccuracies.
If you want to find out what else has been left out or what is not correct, then I suggest you do what I did ... read about the real Battle of Thermopylae.
Similar to every other movie inspired by historical events, those who sell 300 the movie boast of the history behind the story, and touch lightly, if at all, on where it deviated from the real story.
Like a graphic novel, the movie is a feast for the eyes. Like a music video, it has sensual scenes set to music. The clincher would probably be the battle scenes. The combination of these should be enough to warn the viewer that a lot of artistic license has been taken - especially visually (come on, you actually think the real Xerxes looked and dressed like the one in the movie?).
