300

I went and saw 300 last night. That is one naked movie. It took a little for me to get into the drama of the movie because I laughed out loud the first time I saw the Spartan uniform (an invention of Frank Miller's, not historically accurate). A red cloak, leather briefs and boots! How is that not funny? After commenting on it afterwards, my friends seemed to be under the impression that I was excited about so much male skin showing, but nothing could be farther from the truth. There were a lot of nice-looking men with great bodies on display, but those leather briefs, well, to me they were almost as silly looking as speedos! Of course, male skin was not the only thing showing - there were plenty of breasts on display, too. If nudity in movies offends you, this movie is not for you.

This is not a gritty historical drama. It is a grand, theatrical bardic tale. The heroes are Heroes and the villains are Villains. Frank Miller is lucky - so far, the people responsible for bringing his graphic novels to the screen have succeeded in turning them into cinematic art. Stylistically, 300 is very different from Sin City, but equally impressive.

I can see how this movie will appeal to a wide range of audiences - just about anyone can watch the movie and apply it to the context of their own life and personal beliefs. A democrat might watch it and see the Spartans as the insurgents in Iraq fighting against the tyranny of President Bush, while the Republican sitting next to her sees it as the fight between Western democracy and Islamic terrorism, while the Constitutionalist sitting in front of him will see it as the downtrodden citizen versus the corrupt and powerful government. The atheist will see it as science versus religion, the socialist as the poor workers versus the rich businessmen, the feminist will rant about the oppressive patriarchy and how wars would never happen if women were in charge, then go home and pull out her favorite toy while thinking of all the firm, sweaty man-muscles on display.

Certain elements of the film lead me to believe that either the film-makers or Frank Miller are biased towards the science vs religion application of the story; I am not familiar enough with the historic information to know if it was already a part of the story or if it was added in. Stripping away any political agendas and statements which may or may not be present in the movie, at its core, it is a true story of three hundred men who willingly went to their deaths to protect their country and their families from slavery or worse. Their courage and their sacrifice are something that should be admired in any age.