300

I just saw 300. Wow. Big wow. This is a film based off of the graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City was the last and first of these). Since Frank Miller is really picky about having his work filmed, it's shot exactly as the graphic novel is drawn. As a result, it's visually stunning, with remarkably little work on the director's part. It's about the 300 Spartans that stood against the might of Xerxes' Persian army, roughly a million in number. This actually did happen, probably not quite in the way the movie portrays.

In any case, there's no question that this is a really violent movie, but some of the reviews I read used terms along the lines of "bloodbath." I wouldn't use terms like that, as it's so visually arresting and so artistic, that it doesn't really register as violence and gore. Saving Private Ryan was a violent movie, in part because it was so gritty and realistic. In 300, it was more like a ballet of steel and bodies. This really is a less violent movie than any one of the Lord of the Rings movies.

There's not really a lot to say about this movie, other than that I recommend it. It's a good story and a work of visual poetry. Here endeth the review.