I have to admit, I went in with very low expectations (I didn't particularly care for Sin City) but WOWIE KAZOWIE. I really enjoyed it, and highly recommend it as well! Just don't expect any sort of semblance to authentic historical record, which I think is silly to do in the first place but some critics seem to be on a purity of history kick. A Ken Burns Documentary this ain't.
I found this movie to be super ridiculous in a good way. There were many times when it was almost too ridiculous, but it stayed out of that territory. The only thing I didn't really enjoy was the heavy handed political message, but fortunately, most of the movie was about random Persian monsters.
I'm still trying to convince people that this movie is worth watching. Everybody thinks it is weird and doesn't want to see it! I need better friends. I may have to go to this movie alone. I was all about this movie for months.
I have to admit, I went in with very low expectations (I didn't particularly care for Sin City) but WOWIE KAZOWIE. I really enjoyed it, and highly recommend it as well! Just don't expect any sort of semblance to authentic historical record, which I think is silly to do in the first place but some critics seem to be on a purity of history kick. A Ken Burns Documentary this ain't.
The movie more resembles how one would retell it, I heard a rather interesting piece on NPR about how the Greeks themselves would have retold the story on stage and soforth.
The thing is, at the beginning when they were actually using phalanx tactics, while that was historically accurate, an hour and a half of two blocks of dudes smashing together, getting pushed back and stabbed, and smashing together again like that would not a good movie make. So of course they'd have to break rank.
The lack of armor was for the ladies. That movie was positively filled with six-packs.
*shrug* it was gorgeous, lookin', I'll say that. Course the plot makes your average Vin Diesel movie look like a Mark Z Danielewski novel, but it was real shiny. and there's a lot of blood. and "chuck a spear" is my new favorite euphemism. and that oracle thing tripped me the hell out. And I think the movie could've used a couple more shots in slow motion. maybe that's where the name came from, 300 slow motion shots per scene.
The movie more resembles how one would retell it, I heard a rather interesting piece on NPR about how the Greeks themselves would have retold the story on stage and soforth.
The thing is, at the beginning when they were actually using phalanx tactics, while that was historically accurate, an hour and a half of two blocks of dudes smashing together, getting pushed back and stabbed, and smashing together again like that would not a good movie make. So of course they'd have to break rank.
The lack of armor was for the ladies. That movie was positively filled with six-packs.
Still haven't seen the movie, but on the terms of historical accuracy and battle tactics....
The Spartans had to break off their phalanx tactic in the last day of the battle, as the they had been approached from behind by Persians that had found a small pass around the Spartan's position.
Now, as for why this movie didn't mention any of the man on man sex, is beside me. Seems like a pretty important part of ancient Greek culture to me.
Still haven't seen the movie, but on the terms of historical accuracy and battle tactics....
The Spartans had to break off their phalanx tactic in the last day of the battle, as the they had been approached from behind by Persians that had found a small pass around the Spartan's position.
Yeah, and that part does indeed happen. But before that they also break rank a number of times to have cooler fight scenes. Not exactly historic, but still fairly cool.
There was also a giant with blades for arms. So arguing about the Spartan's battle tactics seems silly to me.
I can't speak for Amoeba Boy, but the whole "EVERYONE MUST BE WILLING TO DIE FOR FREEDOM AT THE DROP OF A HAT" sounded a little too War on Terror propaganda-y for my liking.
Macjake's right! There seemed to be a big "support the troops" moral throughout the whole thing. Sure is a good thing that corpse walls and the world's first hand grenades outweighed it all.
Who needs man-on-man love when you have Persian harem transvestites and mutants? But if it's really that important, just pretend the two younger soldiers who keep picking on and competing with each other (I've forgotten their names) are doing so because that's what lovers do.
The guy with the blade arms was the only place where I cringed from the over-the-top-ness. I went into it knowing it was a "comic book movie" by the same guy as Sin City, so that left me free to just sit there open-jawed at the prettiness and the sheer fighting discipline of the Spartans.
But if it's really that important, just pretend the two younger soldiers who keep picking on and competing with each other (I've forgotten their names) are doing so because that's what lovers do.
I don't care if this what the movie meant to portray or not I still thought of it when I went to sleep that night
I watched this movie last night (finally!). I dare say it blew my mind. To use a phrase, it was like 10 gallons of kick-ass in a 5 gallon bucket. It will be the new benchmark of "awesome" against which I will pit all other things. What I'm trying to say is I liked it. The talk of being over-the-top or having political messages is bunk! It's not over the top! It may be 10 gallons, but it still fits in the 5 gallon bucket. And the only political message I got out of it is "SPARTAAAAAA!"
I saw it this afternoon, and must say I was expecting the spear to go into Xerxes' mouth and out the back of his head, considering thats one of the few ways that someone didn't die. On a side note, during the sex scenes, I kept thinking "I wonder why that guy in front of me brought his ten-year old to see this?"
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But seriously, it looks like a fun enough movie, I just don't have any particular need to see it on the big screen versus renting it on DVD later.
The thing is, at the beginning when they were actually using phalanx tactics, while that was historically accurate, an hour and a half of two blocks of dudes smashing together, getting pushed back and stabbed, and smashing together again like that would not a good movie make. So of course they'd have to break rank.
The lack of armor was for the ladies. That movie was positively filled with six-packs.
This movie is going to change how action is portrayed on film. Kind of like what the matrix did with bullet time and stuff, except not.
Still haven't seen the movie, but on the terms of historical accuracy and battle tactics....
The Spartans had to break off their phalanx tactic in the last day of the battle, as the they had been approached from behind by Persians that had found a small pass around the Spartan's position.
Now, as for why this movie didn't mention any of the man on man sex, is beside me. Seems like a pretty important part of ancient Greek culture to me.
Yeah, and that part does indeed happen. But before that they also break rank a number of times to have cooler fight scenes. Not exactly historic, but still fairly cool.
There was also a giant with blades for arms. So arguing about the Spartan's battle tactics seems silly to me.
What kind of political messages?
You do if you believe those anti-piracy ads we have in the UK. "Cinema. It's the experience that matters"
I can't speak for Amoeba Boy, but the whole "EVERYONE MUST BE WILLING TO DIE FOR FREEDOM AT THE DROP OF A HAT" sounded a little too War on Terror propaganda-y for my liking.
The guy with the blade arms was the only place where I cringed from the over-the-top-ness. I went into it knowing it was a "comic book movie" by the same guy as Sin City, so that left me free to just sit there open-jawed at the prettiness and the sheer fighting discipline of the Spartans.
This bothered me more than the giant crab man. The Llama-headed man playing a sitar, on the other hand, really grounded the film for me.
I don't care if this what the movie meant to portray or not I still thought of it when I went to sleep that night
That is all.
In Latin.
"In umbra igitur pugnabimus!"
Also, they wrote poems about it.