'300' DVD cover: King Leonidas strikes a telling pose as leader of the vicious Spartan army.

MOVIE TITLE: 300

RATING:(A+ entertainment)

RUNNING TIME: 117 minutes

BONUS FEATURES: Commentary of director Zack Snyder, screenwriter Kurt Johnstad and director of photography Larry Fong. Subtitled in English, French and Spanish.

WHO'S IN IT: Gerard Butler (Wes Craven's Dracula 2000, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life) as King Leonidas; Lena Headey (Waterland, The Brothers Grimm) the Queen; Dominic West (Hannibal Rising, Chicago); David Wenham (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Van Helsing).

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: This fantastic spectacle recounts the tale of the Battle of Thermopyle in 480 BC as told by Sin City creator Frank Miller. The story recounts the heroic and tragic tale of madness and bravery as 300 Spartans, led by their king, Leonidas, engage in a ferocious battle with the massive Persian Army and King Xerxes.

Miller's fascination with blood and gore is explored with stunning visual effects. The battle scenes are brutal and poetic, the cinematography breathtaking. Indeed, there are many breathtaking elements of the film, the scenery taking second place only to the magnificent bodies of the Spartan warriors.

The story itself lacks a cohesive plot, but there are movies that succeed despite this and 300 is one such. The movie is thrilling from start to end, with elements like the lovemaking scene between Leonidas and Queen being thrown in just for the heck of it.

Most entertaining, however, is the dialogue of the Spartans as they journey to battle and during the actual war. "Immortals, we'll put their names to the test," Leonidas says about the 'Persian Ghosts' as the general of the Arcadian army cower at the prospect of facing them.

No frailty

The Spartans show no such frailty. In fact, their only weakness is their unrelenting will. Their mantra is no retreat, no surrender and they take no prisoners. A fight with a Spartan is a fight to the death. The training regime of Spartan boys would no doubt be deemed child abuse in today's society. It is this which counts for their chilling brutality in battle.

The Persian emissary boasts about the might of his army that "our arrows will blot out the sun." And the Spartan warrior replies "then we will fight in the shade." It is the kind of madness that will send a chill down the spine of Xerxes and immortalise the Spartans.

LONG STORY SHORT: There is no shortage of action; groundbreaking visual effects and witty dialogue, which make this tale of gore and glory a must-see.

THE REEL LOW-DOWN: If you liked Sin City, The Matrix, you'll love this.

- Alicia Roache

Action

War Drama

Ratings:

★ Save your money