I saw the movie "300" on the movie channel while I was on hols. It's the story of the 300 Spartans who held up the mighty Persian army of Xerxes in 480 BC at Thermopylae. There was another movie made about that a long time ago called "300 Spartans" if memory serves.
You'd expect to see a bit of historical background and maybe an attempt to portray the occasion with a bit of fidelity. But no. Hollywood almost never fails to disappoint. I should know that by now. This movie takes CGI to new depths of turgid incredibility. It looked like a computer game. The characters, loosely based on historical persons, looked, sounded and acted like they stepped out of a computer game. It had all the appeal of watching someone else play a computer game.
Minus 5 stars from me.
I hope this gamy genre doesn't catch on.
.... and its entire direction was to look and feel like a comic.
It was never meant to be "historical" just visually stunning, which I thought it was.
Best review of 300 ever:
www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=8516&IBLOCK_ID=35
Oh, and I thought it was just another 'Rocky' sequel.....(we'd nearly be up to 300 by now?!?)
The characters weren't cgi. Well the 300 weren't. They were all ripped like that for the movie.
I liked that movie, a great story of an actual event that took place in history (even if it wasn't 100% accurate) it was meant to look like a bit like a comic book, by the same dude who did 'Sin City' I think.
Where the actors got in shape:
www.gymjones.com/knowledge/articles
If CGI enhanced homo-erotica is your thing then you will dig 300.
If you are lookin for a film with the barest of plot/characters/originality then 90% of hollywood is not gonna do it for ya.
The Cohen Bros do break the formulae though.. check out No country for old men, for one intense and brilliant flick.
