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Quasi-cartoons based on comic books based on movies from the 60's based on ancient events may not be historically accurate?

Lawd al-MIGHTY!!! I knew this movie threw history out the window for the sake of entertainment the moment I saw the word "million". I don't think any modern scholar believes that there was a mil+ Persians involved at Thermopylae.

Edited, Mar 11th 2007 6:52pm by Jophiel

Went and watched it with the guys, was alright. The commercials pretty much contain all the awesome parts of the movie though. Overall probably the most solid sword, sandals & bewbs type flick since Conan the Barbarian. I wouldn't try to put it in the same category as Gladiator.

Less 'cartoony' than Sin City. There were no dragons Joph. My only real complaint was Xerxes, his voice threw me off. Could have been a better villain.

It definitely didn't suck. It wasn't mediocre. However it wasn't as kick *** as I hoped.

Holy %*&$!!!

McKean is doing movies now?!?!?!

He's one of my favorite artist. I'll definitely have to check out Mirrormask.

I liked it for what it was, a graphic novel brought onto the big screen. That's exactly what it is. I wasn't expecting anything different.

I wanted to go see it because I heart the artsy looking-flicks, but when Joph told me there was a lot of gore, I didn't care for it anymore. I might watch it on cable someday.

While I understand that the film is based on the graphic novel, and I'm generally all for that sort of stuff (expecially Frank Miller's stuff), I still get kind of an "Hrrrmmm" feeling when I see 300 (Ok. commercials for it, since I haven't actually seen it yet).

I have no problem with the style in principle. I just have this sort of rule about films. If you're writing something in an "over the top" style, it really should be an original work of fiction. Doing so with an actual historic event just tends to turn me off. I loved Sin City. Again though, that was an original work. The same thing just does not work for me as a film when it's about a real historical event.

Doesn't mean it's not a great looking film. I just think that it would have been just as great looking of a film if they'd decided to put it in a completely different setting, with different people in a different fictional location fighting against different foes. I guess I just don't understand why one feels they have to take the Battle of Thermopolae, change some major aspects of it, add demon creatues and other silly things, and otherwise present it in an overblown fashion.

It's that blending of history and fiction that just doesn't work for me. You want to tell a crazy story with monsters and magic and ridiculously overdone action sequences, why on earth not use just a tiny bit more imagination and actually make up your own setting? By placing it in a real historical context, you actually kinda cheapen the actual events and I don't even want to think about the kids who'll grow up thinking that the ancient persians really did have mutants fighting in their armies or something...

Did 300 have demon-y thingies? I saw a really angry looking rhino in the previews but that's about it for the supernatural.

Saw it on Saturday with the misses and even she enjoyed it.

I absolutely loved it. Pure entertainment.

Xerxes:Sagat comparison is spot on too heh, never thought about that. IIRC they even had a Vega in there.

Oh yeah, the circus freak orgy. Worth seeing for that alone. Almost enough to see why McCartney macked up Heather Mills.

The whole, "The story was told over the top so I don't want to see it," thing, while a valid point, is missing one thing.

The whole movie is a guy telling a story to a bunch of soldiers to get them psyched up. So yes, there was quite a bit of exaggeration. There was a guy with swords for hands. There was a Mortal-Kombat-esque Baraka looking guy with a big axe. There were elephants, there was a Rhino. The Immortals looked like zombies when their masks came off. It was way over the top.

It was also poignant at times. I'm not saying it was deep or anything, don't get me wrong. But it really does get you rooting for Sparta.

But yeah, there was a lot of blood and gore.

Well. More like mutant humans. While I'll admit to having only watched the previews and talked to a couple friends who saw it, my understanding is that there are a number of people in the film who are presented in a pretty "superhuman" manner. More monsterous then human.

Dunno. It's not like I have a direct aversion to having mutant humans running around slaughtering folks in a film. I just get turned off when the film is based on a real historical event.