I wanted to see if it was channelling Herodotus's myth, but it was only channeling Frank Miller cheese. Fun with the visuals, but basically unendurable. ( )

While the film did adapt several of the big important fight scenes and chose actors that emphasized the bravery and prowess that Kind Leonidas and the Spartans exuberated in the comic, what distracts the film from reaching the same potential and worth of the comic is the choice of color tones. Granted that the color palette in the comic is similar, with dusty gold hues, seeing the action and scenes taking place in the film do not live up to the potential of the comic. I will say that the only scene that outdoes the comic is the popular and well-known kick scene. Nevertheless, I did not have the same sense of respect towards Leonidas on film as I did for the King in the comic. The comic has several illustrations that focus on the sharp eyes of Leonidas and his stern gaze, while the movie is fast paced action. The last stance, with the many arrows raining upon the warriors, seeing that illustration as Leonidas continues to stand tall despite his wounds is both heart wrenching and inspiring. As for the movie, the impact is not the same. Honestly, the sandy gold hues were a distraction. ( )

Spartans defend a pass against the entire Persian empire.

Boring. It feels like more running time is spent on patriotic speeches than action scenes. And the action scenes are mostly just men holding spears out while people run into them in slow-motion. Extra slow slow-motion.

Concept: A
Story: C
Characters: D
Dialog: D
Pacing: D
Cinematography: F
Special effects/design: D
Acting: C
Music: D

Enjoyment: D

GPA: 1.4/4 ( )

Gerard Butler, Lena Heady, David Wenham, Dominic West, Rodrigo Santoro

116 min