300 artistically showcases sex, violence, Spartans

The story of the Battle of Thermopylae is perhaps the coolest in all of ancient history. If you have forgotten your history classes, then I will give you a quick refresher.

King Leonidas and a force of 300 Spartan soldiers manage to hold off the Persian army of Xerxes the Great, which numbers somewhere between 100,000 and 1,000,000, for three days. The Persians aren't able to defeat the Spartans until a traitor tells Xerxes of a secret pass that will allow him to encircle the Greeks. This little bit of history is the inspiration for the new movie 300, directed by Zack Snyder.

The film is an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name written and illustrated by Frank Miller, the same Miller who penned the Sin City series that was transformed (with the help of Robert Rodriguez) into a very popular film two years ago.

As a comic book adapted for the big screen, 300 excels. The film stays very true to its source, with many of the lines and images torn directly from the pages. Snyder could have relied almost exclusively on the novel as a storyboard for the film. Fans of Miller's work will be very happy with the film.

But if that is all the film had going for it, it would be far from successful. The majority of moviegoers have never heard of Miller, so they will not care how faithful 300 is to the author's book.

Thankfully, Snyder has translated 300 into an epic that easily stands with the greats of its genre, like The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Gladiator.

Do not assume by this comparison, however, that 300 is somehow a new version of one of these films. Beyond the surface similarities of huge armies with spears and arrows, 300 is quite original.

My first impression of the film was that it was beautiful. Just like Sin City, the cinematography offers up visual splendors that would look more fitting in an art exhibit than on the big screen.

Snyder chose to film nearly the entire movie in front of a green screen and then paint in the backgrounds with computer-generated imagery. This creates a world that you truly need to see to believe.

From the open fields of the Greek countryside to the waves crashing against the cliffs near the Hot Gates, every second of film seems as though it was looked at individually to insure that it was as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

Shot on digital cameras, 300's scenes have a grainy appearance that often compliments the mood.

Sometimes, however, the limits of digital film become apparent.

At times the film is purposely manipulated to appear gritty from the digital feed, but instead it just looks heavily grained and unfocused.

With close-ups and wide pans the digital performs exactly as expected; it is the middle ground, however, about fifteen yards from the camera, where digital cameras are most limiting.

While 300 is worth seeing just for its stunning cinematography, that is not the only reason.

Gerard Butler, most famous for his role as the phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, plays Leonidas with a tenacity and confidence normally reserved for more famous faces. His calm, yet aggressive attitude makes his numerous one-liners all the more believable and allows him to steal the screen in every shot.

Well, every shot in which he is not accompanied by Lena Headey (Queen Gorgo).

Headey manages to pull off the revealing Greek outfits and requisite sex scene with a sophisticated elegance which provides a wonderful contrast to the brutal Spartan warriors.

In addition, Headey delivers some of the best dialog in the film in scenes with The Wire's Dominic West.

But a lot of movies have good acting, so why see 300? Because it's cool as hell.

The battle scenes, of which there are quite a few, are some of the most impressive I've ever seen.

The fight choreography alone is amazing, but when combined with the slow, then fast, then slow motion again technique used throughout the film creates a rhythm that is gripping to watch. And the way in which the battles are shown is completely different.

Gone are the wide shot battle scenes showing entire armies. 300 puts you straight into the action, usually following one soldier as he hacks his way through dozens of Persians. The way the blood is splattered, in slow-motion globules bursting from the speared enemies, is a fantastic touch to the rampant battle scenes.

In addition, the mythical creatures are done very satisfactorily, and Xerxes' voice is so jarring that if feels as if it's thundering through your chest.

The film also manages to work in scenes of eroticism in ways that are sometimes beautiful and others vulgar.

Sex immediately becomes the center of attention, no matter what is happening in the surrounding scenes. It steals the focus of the viewer for no apparent reason other than to show a sex scene, but I suppose this isn't such a serious complaint.

All of these elements combine to create one of the best movies of the year.

As long as you're not offended by excessive violence, make plans to go see this movie. It opens today at regular theaters and IMAX.