THE NURMSTER'S REVIEW: "300"

Epic. Phantasmagoric. Cool. Sexy. And bloody violent.

These are some of the words which came to mind while watching Zach Snyder's "300". Suffice to say, "300" isn't a movie for those with weak tickers.

In some ways, "300" -- which like "Sin City" is based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller -- reminds quite a lot of the aforementioned comic book adaptation. Despite the fact that the legend of 300 Spartans of Thermopylae is a known historical incident (maybe the most famous of all historical battles?), director Zach Snyder isn't exactly striving for historical accuracy.

It's hardly the point here, either. Among others, "300" features larger-than-life Big Bad Wolves, huge chained Berserker freaks, a hunchback warrior and even an obese human abomination with swords for arms! However, you need to use a little of that famous phrase 'suspension of disbelief' here.

"300" is one of the ultimate movies for fanboys. And fangals too, for that matter. There's certainly plenty of tight and taut male flesh here for the women to feast their eyes upon. All the Spartan warriors (not just the charismatic Gerard Butler as Leonidas) look like they only spend time in the gym and chopping off heads in the battlefield, not making love to their women. Rippling sixpacks and flexing pecs rule here, and will surely send countless male viewers with flabby bellies home depressed, just dreaming to look like these bloodthirsty warriors.

Some of my North American colleagues have criticized "300" for being too much of an exercise of style over substance. It's very true in a sense. Despite a stilted narrative (by a snarling David Wenham) running throughout the storyline and some heavily stylized battle and landscape imagery (you could even call them theatrical, in a good way), this isn't an exercise in masterful storytelling.

However, it's a launch of a masterful directorial talent named Zach Snyder. He uses 'ultra slo-mo' combat sequences in such a savagely stylish fashion, that it will surely make Sam Peckinpah smile in his grave. After Snyder's lauded directorial debut, "Dawn of the Dead" (which was, admittedly, a very promising horror remake), I wouldn't be surprised if Warner Bros. is now 150 percent behind its young filmmaker.

"300" made over $70 million in the North American boxoffice this past weekend. The budget of "300" was only $60 million. Shooting the movie entirely in a Canadian green screen studio brought down the production costs considerably. Even better, this kind of financial success now enables Zach Snyder to go ahead with the ultimate fanboy comic book adaptation: Alan Moore's "Watchmen".

More of this dystopian masterpiece in a separate post.

Meanwhile, "300" earns a rating of FOUR STARS OUT OF FIVE in The Nurmster Blog Rating. For sheer dynamic momentum and visual orgasms.