300 (1 Disc Edition)

300 Review

Prepare for battle as director Zack Snyder breathes ambitious life into Frank Miller's cult graphic novel. The action centres on the legendary last stand of Spartan King Leonidas (a powerful Gerard Butler) and 300 of his best men as they tried to defend their lands from the ever-expanding empire of Persian ruler Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). But anyone whose read Miller's work will know that a "300" movie would be hard pressed to successfully transfer his 2D world to the big screen. Fortunately Snyder is a fan and has poured blood, sweat and tears in this project, producing quite an extraordinary film in the process.

Featuring some of the most eye-popping action and stylised settings in years, "300" is one fine looking movie. Ok, so it may not be 100% historically accurate (we doubt Xerxes was nine feet tall or that Leonidas had a Scottish accent) but that's part of its beauty - CGI technology has allowed Snyder to fully explore Miller's fertile imagination without compromise. As such epics battles and sweeping vistas are the order of the day.

Given that the "300" novel is just 88 pages long - and most of those are battle scenes - Snyder and co-writer Kurt Johnstad have been forced to flesh out the story extensively, adding a new plot where Leonidas's Queen (Lena Headey) is trying to convince the Spartan leaders to send more troops to help her husband. But the good news is that this feels like a natural addition and in no way compromises the film's integrity.

Combining cult appeal and blockbuster action, "300" gets the thumbs up from us. Who says history has to be boring?