Film 300 is an American fantasy epic war film released in 2006.
This film is adapted from the comic series of the same title by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. This film tells the true story of the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan soldiers led by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) fought against a Persian army numbering hundreds of thousands under the command of King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro).
This film was directed by Zack Snyder, who is known for his dramatic and impressive visual style.
The film uses chromation techniques to create an effect similar to the original comic book.
The film also features a variety of fantastical creatures, such as giant elephants, ferocious wolves, and horned men, adding to the historical fantasy feel.
The film received mixed reviews, both positive and negative, from critics and audiences. Some praised the film as an admirable work of art, while others criticized the film as racist, sexist and nationalist propaganda. This film also caused controversy in Iran, because it was considered insulting to Persian history and culture.
Despite this, the film was a commercial success, grossing more than US$450 million against a budget of US$60 million. The film also received several awards and nominations, including three Oscar nominations for Best Makeup, Sound Editing, and Visual Effects.
This film has a sequel entitled 300: Rise of an Empire, which was released in 2014. This sequel tells the events before, during, and after the Battle of Thermopylae, focusing on the character Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton), an Athenian general who led the Greek troops against Persian fleet led by Artemisia (Eva Green).
The following is a synopsis of the film 300
The film begins with narration by Dilios (David Wenham), a Spartan soldier who witnesses the Battle of Thermopylae. He told how Leonidas, since childhood, had been trained to be a tough and brave soldier.
Leonidas angrily rejected these demands, and killed the Persian envoy and his bodyguard by throwing them into a well. Leonidas then asked permission from the Ephors, a group of old priests who had power over Sparta, to lead his army against the Persians.
However, the Ephors refused the request, because they had been bribed by Theron (Dominic West), a Spartan politician who was allied with Persia. They said that Sparta should not go to war during the Carneia festival, which was a time of peace for the Greeks.
Leonidas did not want to follow this prohibition, and decided to lead 300 selected Spartan soldiers, who were called his personal guard, to go to Thermopylae, a narrow pass between the mountains and the sea, which was a strategic point to confront the Persian troops.
He leaves behind his wife, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), who promises to support her husband and seeks help from the Spartan council. On the way, Leonidas meets Daxos (Andrew Pleavin), a general from other Greek cities, who is also bringing his troops to join Sparta.
They also meet Ephialtes (Andrew Tiernan), a disabled Spartan who wants to join the war, but is rejected by Leonidas because he is unable to form a shield formation that is important for Sparta’s defense. Meanwhile, Xerxes led his army of over a million men, including countless peoples and creatures, towards Greece.
He also had a large fleet of ships, led by Artemisia, a Persian woman who came from Greece and hated her own people because they had been raped by Greek soldiers.
The battle began at Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan soldiers managed to resist the attack of the Persian troops with their courage and skill.
They used a tight shield formation, known as a phalanx, to protect themselves from enemy arrows, spears, and swords. They also used narrow gaps to limit the number of enemies that could attack them.
Xerxes tried various ways to defeat Sparta, starting from sending ordinary infantry troops, special troops called Immortals, giant elephants, to horned humans called The Uber Immortal. However, all failed in the face of Spartan tenacity and ingenuity.
Xerxes even came down from his throne and offered Leonidas to join him as a vassal king, but Leonidas refused by throwing his spear at Xerxes, which grazed his cheek.
In Sparta, Gorgo attempts to convince the Spartan council to send aid for her husband, but she is thwarted by Theron, who incites the council against Leonidas.
Gorgo then surrenders herself to Theron, who claims to have evidence that could persuade the council. However, after Gorgo sleeps with him, Theron betrays him and accuses him of being a traitor.
Gorgo then stabs Theron with a knife, and takes evidence which turns out to be a Persian coin, proving that Theron is a Persian spy. Gorgo then uses this evidence to rouse the council to go to war against Persia.
Unfortunately, this help came too late, because Ephialtes had betrayed Sparta and told Xerxes about an alternative route that could be used to surround Sparta from behind. Xerxes then sent his troops to take the road, and attacked Sparta from two sides.
Leonidas realized that he was trapped, and ordered Dilios to return to Sparta and tell their story, in order to inspire the Greeks to fight against the Persians.
Leonidas then led his remaining soldiers to fight to the death, in the hope that their sacrifice would bring victory to the Greeks.
The film ends with the narration of Dilios, now the leader of a Greek army of 10,000 men, who prepares to face the Persian forces at the Battle of Plataea.
He said that the story of the 300 Spartan warriors had become a legend that moved the hearts of the entire Greek nation, and that they would honor their sacrifice by defeating the Persians once and for all.