For awhile there, epic battlefield mayhem was all the rage in Hollywood as CGI technology made adding soldiers to the count simpler every day. By the time Peter Jackson got around to making his Lord of the Rings trilogy, audiences were already well settled in to seeing thousands upon thousands of men sweeping in from boths sides of the screen only to clash in glorious combat. Not to be outdone, director Zack Snyder upped the ante with his sophomore effort 300, a sword and loincloth war movie based on the Frank Miller graphic novel of the same that pushed the number to one million, pitting the mighty Persian army against three hundred sturdy Spartan fighters. It’s a heavily stylized experience with a meaty story and a feast of visual bedazzelments. Still haven’t seen it? Here’s 5 reasons why it’s time you finally watched.
5 That Moment When Spartans Fight In The Shade
So there’s this place called the Hot Gates, where King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his three hundred make their first stand in battle against Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), a self-proclaimed god-king vowing to crush the Greeks. It’s a narrow passage along the coast and a perfect spot to bottleneck the Persian enemy. Good plan. It leads to an initial success where they are then met by an emissary (Tyrone Benskin) with a long whip and an ominous threat. He warns the Spartans that if they do not back down, the arrows of Xerxes’ army will blot out the Sun, to which one energetic Spartan named Stelios (Michael Fassbender) – thirsty for a good death – offers a counter: “Then we will fight in the shade.” That’s a good line. And not long after, once through a spectacular fighting sequence that features Leonidas in slow motion stabby action, in come the arrows. Sure enough … they blot out the Sun. Maybe it’s not entirely an original image (arrows in the air were a trendy thing in battle movies for awhile) but the sheer number and how Snyder finds ways – like everything in the film – to make it so visually arresting, makes this a genuinely jaw-dropping bit.
4 That Moment When Sparta Will Need Sons
War is inescapable, despite orders from powers that tell Leonidas he must bow to the approaching Persians. Finding a loophole of sorts, the king assembles three hundred men, who by their very lot in Spartan society, are soldiers. And good ones at that so we learn. However, this gathering of fighters is not the full Spartan army, the king telling those who question his actions that he is merely taking a walk, guarded by three hundred escorts (wink, wink); the army remains unused. That said, his intentions are clear, and the councilmen and politicians watching him prepare are unable to sway him, believing he is marching straight into death. Seemingly knowing it true himself – and as the men begin their journey to the setting sun – Leonidas tells the elders, “Sparta will need sons,” an allusion to the great loss coming and the warning that soon others must take their place. That’s what it means to be Spartan. And it’s friggin’ hardcore.
3 That Moment When The King Gets The Nod
The movie begins a year after the titular fight, with a soldier telling the story of King Leonidas from birth and beyond as motivation, at one point early in the tale, speaking of a messenger of King Xerxes, who arrives in Sparta with some choice words. Xerxes is a Persian conqueror demanding the Spartans – like all who have faced him before – submit to his rule, which, considering the imbalance of fighters would seem more than appropriate. But Leonidas doesn’t flinch. His people are born to be warriors, ruthlessly preparing their citizens for battle. He backs the messenger (Peter Mensah) to the rim of a deep well and then threatens him with his blade, accusing him of great injustice, which we think will surely lead the king to slay the man right there. However, he pauses, lowers his sword and then looks back over his shoulder, over to his queen (Lena Headey), who with ferocity in her eyes, simply nods. It’s all Leonidas needs and it sets off the escalating chain of violence to follow. It’s great how the king never loses any power in the glance, the nod from the queen more a gesture of unity, but one with some real weight behind it. That’s some real Spartan teamwork, right there.
2 That Moment When Leonidas Meets Xerxes
King Leonidas is a brash and confident leader, but he’s also fiercely proud of his country and its people. He’s an honored man, believes in freedom and will fight to the death to prevent those he rules to become slaves – or worse – under the threatened reign of Xerxes. After his small band of warriors cause significant ruin to the Persian king’s army, a meeting is planned where the two men meet on a battlefield, Xerxes hoping to turn Leonidas once and for all. To this point, 300 has been about the action, Snyder’s approach one of slick style layered over a simple but worthy story. Here though, it’s all about the words, and while the film is peppered with memorable quotes in the heat of the fight, the verbal jousting between the Spartan King and the Persian ruler is a smart detour off the regular path giving these bigger-than-life characters a chance to fill out beyond their broad stroke borders. Leonidas shows he has no fear and slowly pokes the bear so to speak, refusing to bend to the larger man’s weak attempts at lulling the fighter to a submissive peace. This is where Leonidas, apart from all those who fell before him, shows that while a blade can cut deep, the right words slice far deeper.
1 That Moment When Queen Gorgo Gives It Back
Back in Sparta, the Queen struggles with a government torn between keeping with the law delivered by the Oracle and the need to support Leonidas’ fight. That rests with a shifty politician named Theron (Dominic West), who has – of course – his own agenda, working to push her out and lure the riches of the Persian King to his side. She is given one chance to speak to the council, through various channel, to urge for their agreement in sending the Spartan army but beforehand is visited by Theron. Their meeting is toxic, left for you to discover, but is made all the more troubling hours later when she at last addresses the council, some in attendance who see it unfit for a woman to be present. She presses on and yet her inspiring appeal is met with a sudden rebuttal and it seems all efforts to dismiss her and shut out Leonidas will fall into place. But don’t be so sure. Some words, heard earlier, come back, spoken from different lips and soaked in bitter satisfaction. This is how to give it back.