the scenic route is long and winding

...but i am definitely not complaining.

there's something about 300 that immediately grabs you, right from the first frame. i think it's that the movie really suspends disbelief, making it easy for the audience to just get lost in what they're watching. i've always believed that this is what the best movies are supposed to do.

sure, gerard butler bellows his way through most of the movie. sure, 300 men can't be that strong against tens of thousands. sure, there are T&A shots galore (enough for both sexes). sure, goatmen that play musical instruments may raise an eyebrow or two. but you sort of think that these things are what makes an enduring myth, and myths are just supposed to be beautiful, not realistic.

truthfully, plot is not the strongest point of the movie. it is just a simple retelling of a story. but precisely because it is simple, there's so much room for the audience to get their spirits involved. i really did clap when it ended.

most of us know the story of sparta's "300", but it's great to see someone paint it so tenderly it is erotic. mr. zack snyder and mr. frank miller, i am speechless.

it is, undoubtedly, one of the most visually stunning films ever. there's so much muscle in the saturation of selected colors. it's really how stories like these have always looked like inside your head--a little otherworldly. in the awe-inspiring battle scenes, blood flowed like wine at a wedding, and it all looked glorious.

of course, casting is key, and they found the perfect spartan king in gerard butler. the former phantom of the opera is all roar and gritty authority as leonidas, yet butler also manages to imbue him with humanity. with butler, it's easy to understand how leonidas can be egotistical enough to take only 300 men to a great battle to protect his people's pride, yet listen to the advice of a woman. that woman is played be lena headey. as leonidas' queen gorgo, headey is strong and sensual, a woman who exudes the quiet power of someone who is sure in her convictions. with headey, it's easy to see why the king treats his queen an equal. every one else does his part, such as david wenham as dilios the narrator.

i came out of the theater thinking this is one of the sexiest movies i have ever seen. it's not just because of the sex (or the suggestion of such), nor the rippled male bodies on full display. it's mostly the assurance of the characters we're rooting for, an ancient assurance that is so completely realized it only needs physical conduits and no big hoopla or such (so unlike the misplaced confidence of those running this election season).

needless to say, i will be watching this again, and again. do. not. miss. 300. even if all your cool, anti-establishment friends say its overrated. trust your guts and not what other people say or don't say, like true manly men =)

the gushing ends here.