Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Prismark10 With the release of the enormously popular 300 which was based on a graphic novel attention focused on this 1962 version which some people said was superior.In 480 BC King Xerxes of Persia is expanding his empire to the independent Greek islands then the only free part of the known world.King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans have to hold off Xerxes men until further Greek help arrives.This is a starch B movie, filmed on location in Greece with several British thespians giving it some class but its very slow with a lot of talking, an uninspiring plot and some lacklustre action scenes. Some of the acting is a bit on the hammy side, the end death scene was rather laughable.The problem is comparing it with the more recent stylised CGI heavy version, The 300 Spartans gets a KO in the first round.The Spartans from 300 look like battle hardened soldiers with tactical sophistication. The fighting is bloody and visceral. There is more plot and more camp, just look at the state of the Persian King who looks like he got dressed by Liberace.The 300 Spartans just feels like an inferior product by comparison.

bkoganbing Ancient history's Alamo was the Spartan guard of King Leonidas who held the Persian army at Thermopylae, 300 men against the army of King Xerxes which numbered in the thousands. It's the oldest last stand story in recorded history and an inspiration for all that followed. The plot in fact is remarkably similar to John Wayne's version of The Alamo and a little bit of Fort Apache thrown in as well. Richard Egan as the Spartan King and a bit more of a modern constitutional monarch in the film than he was in real life. The Greek city states prize their precious independence so much so that they cannot unite in the face of overwhelming danger. Egan is similarly boxed in when he tries to mobilize Spartan opinion as it conflicts with some religious festival. Only the 300 men of his personal guard can he command and off he goes to save Greece itself knowing full well they all might die.Doing his best to help is Themistocles of Athens played by the erudite Ralph Richardson. He shares Egan's view of a united Greece, but who's to do the uniting, always a problem in these situations.You could not make a film today that is such an embrace of the Spartan militaristic culture as The 300 Spartans. Still this was the society this particular city/state developed. Director Rudolph Mate an old hand at action films staged the battle scenes impressively. I would also like to single out David Farrar as King Xerxes, a single minded adventure/conqueror as the world ever has seen.The 300 Spartans, a rousing tribute to some very brave men in the ancient Greek world.

DICK STEEL Zack Snyder's 300 based on Frank Miller's graphic novel may perhaps be the interpretation that's etched on the modern moviegoer's mind, with its slow motion, stylized battle sequences leaping out from the panels of the comic, and plenty of wailing WWE style with Gerard Butler leading the charge as King Leonidas of Sparta, his troops severely outnumbered against the mighty Persian army in the Battle of Thermopylae, but morale running high nonetheless for being able to fulfill a warrior's calling of an honourable death on the battlefield while defending their homeland from foreign invaders.Naturally the 1962 film version directed by Rudolph Mate will be dated, but the spirit and scheme of things remain on the agenda, with the story given a more holistic coverage of the same battle with its sea component mentioned, a pity that it wasn't filmed. In my opinion when I look back with nostalgia, Swords and Sandals epics in the 60s were always about grandeur with its scale and countless number of extras suited up with equipment and logistics to portray an era long past, without resorting to modern day trickery with computer programs to make up the numbers. Logistics, I can imagine, could be quite the nightmare.For a tale that's been told since 480 BC, you can bet that interpretations will defer depending on the source, and if compared with 300, there are some aspects here in the story that held more potential. For instance, it would have been great if the sea battles made it to the film, and Leonidas (Richard Egan) conducted a daring raid of the Persian camp with a handful of merry men, which made them go on the offensive instead of just depending the narrow pass at Thermopylae, for a reason none other than to spread chaos and panic, and also to buy the Greeks time to set up their defences.More importantly, this film doesn't over romanticize the Spartan warriors. Yes they are great in their fighting prowess and their fearsome reputation is legendary, but The 300 Spartans take time off to dwell on the need for unity amongst the squabbling Greek contingents, where unity is strength should everyone stand up and be counted when faced with a collective aggressor. Superstition and religion also played a key role in the methods of the Spartans, as with the key turning point of their betrayal which turned the tides for them. Battle sequences aren't as stylized, and some of the strategies were quite weakly executed to have imagined the Persian army led by Xerxes (David Farrar) himself, also beefed up with his Invincibles troops, couldn't outfight the Spartans since almost all fights are close quartered mêlées.Dialogue is slanted 60s styled, so don't expect pompous lines screamed across the screen by any character wanting to rouse their troops. Even Richard Egan's Leonidas wears an optimistic smile now and then, and seemed relatively more friendly than the Gerard Butler version who looks like a murderous butcher eager to shove his spear into the rear of his enemies. For all the lean and meanness of Butler's very toned and muscular Leonidas and his Spartan troops, the lack of physique gets camouflaged here through the use of battle armour, and while 300 was essentially a King Leonidas story, this one somehow had a romantic subplot spun between the characters of Ellas (Diane Baker) and Phylon (Barry Coe), with the former persuading her beau to abandon duty for romance and the quieter life.Still for those who prefer a break from the flashy, exaggerated treatment gladiator style of Snyder's 300, this version may be the more accurate account given its mention and time devoted to the sea component and other Greek troops joining the Spartans, and also without making Xerxes look androgynous. But if you're more of an action junkie, then stick to Snyder's stylized version as the battle sequences here couldn't withstand the test of time compared to what's on offer by filmmakers today.

Gunn We saw this back in 1962 and never forgot it. The Battle of Thermopylae is one of most stunning events in the history of the world. It is so fascinating; not only the battle but the Spartan lifestyle. King Leonidas of Sparta (Richard Egan in his best role) and his honor guard of the finest 300 warriors of Sparta, held off the entire Persian Empire led by the conquering Persian King Xerxes, until the other Greek City States observed religious rites during a holy festival. Thus Greece was saved and became closer to becoming a nation. The only slight drawback to this low-budget film was inferior special effects. The cast also included Sir Ralph Richardson, Diane Baker, Kieron Moore as Ephialtes, Laurence Naismith and David Farrar as Xerxes. Credit must be given director Ruldolph Mate' and veteran cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth who filmed it on location in Greece. One of the greatest low-budget films ever!