Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-11-26
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Colour, PAL, Subtitled, Surround Sound
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Icelandic
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 116 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Like Sin City before it, 300 brings Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's graphic novel vividly to life. Gerard Butler (Beowulf and Grendel, The Phantom of the Opera) radiates pure power and charisma as Leonidas, the Grecian king who leads 300 of his fellow Spartans (including David Wenham of The Lord of the Rings, Michael Fassbender, and Andrew Pleavin) into a battle against the overwhelming force of Persian invaders. Their only hope is to neutralise the numerical advantage by confronting the Persians, led by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), at the narrow strait of Thermopylae.

More engaging than Troy, the tepid and somewhat similar epic of ancient Greece, 300 is also comparable to Sin City in that the actors were shot on green screen, then added to digitally created backgrounds. The effort pays off in a strikingly stylised look and huge, sweeping battle scenes. However, it's not as to-the-letter faithful to Miller's source material as Sin City was. The plot is the same, and many of the book's images are represented just about perfectly. But some extra material has been added, including new villains (who would be considered "bosses" if this were a video game, and it often feels like one) and a political subplot involving new characters and a significantly expanded role for the Queen of Sparta (Lena Headey). While this subplot by director Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead) and his fellow co-writers does break up the violence, most fans would probably dismiss it as filler if it didn't involve the sexy Headey. Other viewers, of course, will be turned off by the waves of spurting blood, flying body parts, and surging testosterone. (The six-pack abs are also relentless, and the movie has more and less nudity--more female, less male--than the graphic novel.) Still, as a representation of Miller's work and as an ancient-themed action flick with a modern edge, 300 delivers. --David Horiuchi

DVD Description
Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, 300 takes over the screen like an invading horde. With all the gushing blood of a horror movie and the scope of a classic epic, the second film from Zack Snyder (who helmed the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead) is an impressive visual spectacle. In 300, Gerard Butler (PS I Love You) plays Leonidas, the king of ancient Sparta. The city is famous for its warrior philosophy and Leonidas won't kneel to the demands of Persia's King, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro, Lost). Instead, Leonidas leads his 300-strong army against Xerxes's army of millions. Meanwhile, his wife (Lena Headey, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) campaigns in Sparta for the city to send reinforcements, as she butts heads with the treacherous Theron (Dominic West, The Wire).

Synopsis
Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, 300 takes over the screen like an invading horde. With all the gushing blood of a horror movie and the scope of a classic epic, the second film from Zack Snyder (who helmed the 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead") is an impressive visual spectacle. In 300, Gerard Butler ("The Phantom of the Opera") plays Leonidas, the king of ancient Sparta. The city is famous for its warrior philosophy and Leonidas won't kneel to the demands of Persia's King, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro, "Lost"). Instead, Leonidas leads his 300-strong army against Xerxes's army of millions. Meanwhile, his wife (Lena Headey, "The Brothers Grimm") campaigns in Sparta for the city to send reinforcements, as she butts heads with the treacherous Theron (Dominic West, "The Wire").

Customer Reviews

Brilliant
My personal opinion is that this movie is simply brilliant!!!!!Could anyone have made this movie better?I think not!The effects, the story, the way it was made really took my breath away!!!!!People have their own opinions but as far as i'm concerned this movie is a 300Plus!!!!

Bare, minimalist action flick
Battle sequences way too contrived. This wasnt a movie it viewed like reading a graphic novel. In other words imho it was a failure as a movie. Very little story as it focuses primarily on the battle against Xeres and his Persian army.

I was expecting an epic film the likes of.. "Rorkes Drift" or "The Alamo" except in ancient times. Boy was i sorely mistaken.

Massive disappointment considering the hype this movie received.

MACHO MACHO MAN.....!!!!!!
Well this film certainly rivals Top Gun for sheer camp carry on!

A few people seem to get a bit hot under the collar about historical accuracy - can you show me one film in the history of cinema that was factualy correct in every way? Nope. But so what, we don't go to the cinema to be educated - we go to be entertained! And 300 is, well... somewhat entertaining. The fast, slooowwww, fast, slooowww, cut of the fight scenes is effective, but sadly a bit overdone throughout - and tends to come across as lots of individual scraps rather than a more panoramic view of the battlefield - and the film is pretty much one big battle! We are distracted from this only by the somewhat marginalised sub-plot of the spartan queen back home fending off the advances of the typecast sneaky cad (forgot his name already), etc...

The script on the whole is poor - suffering from weak attempts at comedy one minute, followed by hollow proclamation of honour the next (made up mostly of Gerry Butler, sporting a full set, shouting SPARTA!!! and hugging his beefy chums).

The whole thing really is quite camp; 300 beefy, shiny, suspiciously good looking men (most soldiers are ugly and hairy) who are suitably oiled up and practically naked! (I tend to cover up when fighting hordes of angry persians). As for Xerxes - the baddie - well he is certainly scary! When he isn't chilling out in his freaky mutant sex parlour, he sort of stands on a really big throne being all God-like - but actually looking more like the only gay in village.

Visually - good but could have been better.
Script - a bit of naughty boy stealing from another well known sword and sandals methinks (starring Russell Crowe). Otherwise very poor.
Sound - nothing impressive here, the grunge/rock electric guitar eating, drum thumping with the beefy boys in slow motion just added to the comic value.

Overall - makes you want to go to the gym in speedos and shout SPARTA!!!! whilst flexing one pecs in the nearest mirror, but otherwise not much cinematic breakthrough here.

Worth buying? No.