Well, I took my son to see 300 at the local Empire multiplex on Wednesday to see for myself what all the hype was about. I have to admit that it was far better than I had imagined. As long as you watch it  as a fantasy rendition of a true life event, then you see a stunning piece of cinematography and special effects.

At the centre of the film are two strong performances by Gerard Butler (Leonidas) and Lena Headey as his queen. My prayers for some back story and a bit of political intrigue in the plot were answered although it was never going to score highly in these. Why? Because its focus is the battle itself. The scenes in Sparta are merely pauses for you to get your breath back after what are incredible and adrenalin-laced set pieces.

The film revels in war and mayhem. The action scenes are balletic in their choreography and the sense of overwhelming force is always in the background of the shots.  There is even a bit of grim humour as Leonidas, eating an apple, and his captain carry on an everyday conversation whilst wounded Persians are being speared to death around them after the battle. No prisoners. They are Spartans.

The final scenes where Leonidas and his men are slaughtered by arrows is realized in spectacular fashion although surprisingly you don’t feel the emotional pull of, say, “Gladiator”. The sense of a doomed enterprise is overridden by the battle lust. The only hint of vulnerability is when the captain’s son is killed in front of this eyes and he goes mad for a while.

The enemy, Xerxes the god king of Persia, is portrayed as an exotic, exaggerated, charming devil who uses persuasion and seduction to get what he wants. If all else fails he falls back on barbaric cruelty. He looks and feels like a monster, almost other-worldly. I guess this was done to contrast starkly against the heroic and human Leonidas.

All in all, 300 is a roller coaster of an action movie with a look and feel that we have never really seen before in epic movies. Well done Zack Snyder again. A pretty staggering follow up to “Dawn of the Dead”. Even my son loved it.