In case you missed the battle epic on TV: you can currently stream one of the most powerful comic blockbusters of the 21st century on Netflix – with Gerard Butler in the lead role.
Zack Snyder has long since established himself as one of the defining voices of contemporary blockbuster cinema. His films have an unmistakable visual language and often revolve around similar themes. He is best known for his comic book adaptations, most notably Watchmen and the adventures of the Justice League.
Before he ventured into the DC universe, Snyder astounded us with another comic book adaptation, 300. Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller, we are plunged into the year 480 BC and experience a legendary battle from the history books in highly stylized images
Ruthless war action on TV: 300 with Gerard Butler tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae
The story begins with a power-hungry tyrant who wants to conquer the whole of Greece: the Persian king Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) stands at the gates of Sparta and wants to subjugate the country. King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) is confronted with an indescribable superiority. But the fighter refuses to give up.
Here you can watch the trailer for 300:
With 300 warriors, he makes his way to Thermopylae, a bottleneck between the mountains and the sea. In this place, Xerxes’ huge army is useless. What follows is a battle scene like no other. Snyder strings together one bloodthirsty battle after another and films the muscle-bound warriors in slow motion.
300 is as controversial as it is influential. Even at its premiere, the film was confronted with accusations that it made use of fascist ideas and glorified them without reflection in its martial images. At the same time, Snyder created one of the most uncompromising blockbusters of the 2000s with 300.
Although the comic book adaptation is based on true events, it avoids any claim to realism. It comes across as an exaggerated mixture of ultra-brutal action, fantasy and historical film – equipped with the possibilities of digital cinema, which creates absolutely unreal, boundless images.
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As controversial as 300 is, it is difficult to ignore its influence on cinema and pop culture. Few films have been more formative for blockbuster cinema from an aesthetic point of view. The influence of 300 can still be felt on the big screen today. A loose sequel even followed in 2014 with 300: Rise Of An Empire.
