King See I watched this movies and i was amazed. Really amazed, how could so many people found this as a great movie? historically it is twisted, reality? no place in here, and then I got the answer. Just because a semi-European gang defeated a whole lot of Asian army, that's the thing, oh my God! Racism, like it or not, this is the truth

Artless_Dodger The Battle of Thermopylae represents one of the greatest moments of heroism and courage in history. In 480BC, 300 Spartans, lead by King Leonidas and supported by 6,000 soldiers from other Greek cities held the pass for seven days against 100,000+ Persians under King Xerxes.This Hollywood retelling remains the best film version we have of this extraordinary event. It's cheesy in the extreme but still manages to convey something of the courage and bravery of Leonidas and his men. Richard Egan does well as Leonidas, being fortunate to have the best lines at his disposal. David Farrar (Xerxes) and Donald Houston (Hydarnes) ham it up as unmercifully as their lines merit, as the baddies of the piece.Most of the subplots are superfluous. A ridiculous love story simply doesn't fit. Sparta is given a Hollywood gloss far removed from the harsh reality of a martial people for whom war, hardship, and death meant almost everything. However, the story of Thermopylae deserves telling and this is the best movie we have of it, so it's very worth watching.Hopefully a brilliant film of this extraordinary event will one day get made. Until then, make the most of the best we have.

david-sarkies While I thought that the movie 300 with cinematrographically dazzling, this film, to me, is the more historically accurate (as much as a Hollywood film is accurate). The movie is based on one of the most famous battles in the ancient world (though there is probably still a lot of debate as to what the greatest battle was though). This battle, to me, is famous, because it is not only a battle where the protagonists were defending their freedom, but also because Leonidas, one of the Spartan Kings, went against the wishes of his people to go and lay down his life for all of the Greeks. It is also a tragedy, because not only was he fighting against incredible odds, but also because in the end he was betrayed.This movie does a very good job in painting the background and explaining to us who the major characters are. While a movie based on the events in the 2nd World War need little explaining, most events in the ancient world are unknown by a majority of the populace. While we may have all heard of Alexander the Great and Julius Ceaser, very few of us can say who Themistocles, Leonidas, and Xerxes the Great were (Themistocles was an Athenian Admiral, while Xerxes was the Persian king who desired to complete what his father was unable to do, and that is conquer Greece - he failed).As mentioned, while the special effects in 300 are impressive, in the end it comes down to being able to replay the events close to the actual events, and to give the audience enough background so that they are not scratching their heads wondering what is happening and why it is happening. This movie does both of these things quite well.One should mention the story behind the movie, and that is the battle of Thermopylae. Around the 5th and 6th Centuries BC, Persia had risen to become a world superpower under the king Cyrus the Great. During the reign of his son Darius, a section of the empire, along the Anatolian coast (the Aegean seaboard of Turkey, known as the Ionian citystates) revolted against Persian rule with the help of the Greeks. Angered at their meddling, Darius raised an army to attempt to crush the Greeks. His first foray met with disaster when his navy was destroyed by a freak storm in the Aegean, and his second foray met with disaster when his troops were defeated at the battle of Marathon. However, Darius died before he could mount a third expedition, and this was taken up by his son Xerxes. Thus Xerxes raised the biggest army that the world had ever seen (according to the historian Herodotus) and made his way to Greece. However, he was temporarily halted at the pass of Thermopylae by a small force of 300 Spartans (King Leonidas and his personal bodyguards) for about a week, however when Leonidas was betrayed, in that Xerxes was told of a goat track around to their rear, their brave and valiant effort came to naught.While this movie only retells a famous historical battle, the event itself shows how people are willing to risk all to protect their desire to be free. Many historians have explored this event and speculated on how the world would have turned out if the Greeks had lost. This, in the end, is irrelevant, because the won. Still, counter-factual history to assist us in understanding the relevance of the event and how this event impacted upon the world in which we live.

barbarellaa All in all, it's not a bad movie. But if you like Ancient History and have seen or read anything related to one of the most heroic and important moments of world's history (Persian Wars/Thermopylae), you'll probably feel that this movie has tried, but not really made the mark.My main feeling is the movie has lacked serious proper research. To start, the costumes are not even from the Greek period (V cent. BC) but actually later Roman (!) It is not just the acting pointing to the 60s but the superficial approach of the script (and direction) towards the motivations and personality of characters such as Leonidas, the Spartan King. Leonidas was brave but he did not take that lightly the battle and the decision to sacrifice himself and his army. He was the most respected king of Greece and Sparta the most powerful army. He knew his decision was going to shake Greece as an earthquake.A bit of research would have avoided the inconsequent laughs and silly smiles without sacrificing the story, adding key elements to give the audience the source of power of both kings (Leonidas = democracy/individual freedom; Xerxes = autocracy/submission fear) and the clash of civilisations that was about to happen.The romantic sub-plots are useless and do not help tell the story. Again, the historical sources are filled with interesting elements that could had add a lot more drama, and based on facts (as far we can tell).Although I don't want to, it is impossible not to compare with '300' from Frank Miller. Even discounting the highly graphical impact, that version has, undeniably, far better consistency in the historical elements. "The 300 Spartans" can be seen as entertainment but if you really love Ancient Greece, get Miller's 300 and then do yourself a favour and google Thermopylae. You will learn the facts having some fantastic visuals to match. Time travel guaranteed!