300
300 has topped the box office charts for this weekend, pulling in a whopping $70 million. That is bigger than the top opening of 2006 (Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, $68 million) and places it as the third highest opening weekend for a R-rated movie.
300 is based on the graphic comic by Frank Miller (Sin City) which in turn was “inspired” by the battle of Thermopalye, where 300 Spartans blocked the advance of a million-man Persian invasion army. Needless to say, since the movie is based more on the comic than the actual events, artistic liberties abound.
If you have seen the trailer, it’s pretty obvious why it was so successful. If you haven’t, you need to right now (click on the link above). The movie looks absolutely fantastic. It was shot in a similar way to Sin City, where nearly all of it was shot in front of a blue screen, making it feel like the comic has come to life. Everything is absolutely over the top – from the hypermasculine Spartan soldiers to the massive battle scenes. Words can’t do it justice. Watch the trailer and judge it for yourself.
Rated R for all sorts of bad things. In theaters now.
Spartans drive the Persians off a cliff. Visually stunning.