300 (movie)

[Elok]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
1. Criticism of a movie you haven't seen makes you look like a moron.

2. Please Mr. Cruise, come out of the closet...

1. The previews were enough. I haven't read "Left Behind" either, but I know it sucks. Giving $8.50 or so to a movie just to confirm your strong suspicion that it sucks is truly moronic.

2.

[MarkG]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
It's not a historical documentary. It's a comic book adaptation. Anyone going to the movie expecting a history lesson should have their head examined.

QFT

[MarkG]

btw, anyone thinking holywood executives are history buffs whose first thought was "let's make a movie about spartans, their history and values and war tactics they used in thermopylae" should also have their head examined. the intention was to make another "sin city", and they did just that, end of story...

[mactbone]

Oy, instead of wading through and trying to explain things to people (like how the spartans only wore cloaks, helms and shields in the comic - the movie actually covered them up) I'll just post what I thought of the movie.

Leonidas slipped into a Scottish brogue every so often and since he kept yelling about freedom, all I could think was "You'll never take away our freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom!"

They kept a huge explanation of Spartan tactics... and then let them run willy-nilly. That was dumb.

The queen stuff and the constant, CONSTANT mentions of Spartan freedom were irritating.

Why didn't Ephialtes throw himself off the cliff? Why did they cut scenes on the way to the battle (Spartan dude tripping and King sleeping on his soldiers' shields)?

Despite this, it was pretty good and looked nice on a big screen.

[Elok]

Originally posted by MarkG
btw, anyone thinking holywood executives are history buffs whose first thought was "let's make a movie about spartans, their history and values and war tactics they used in thermopylae" should also have their head examined. the intention was to make another "sin city", and they did just that, end of story...

I didn't think they were history buffs, yadda yadda yadda. That's the whole damned problem! The fact that they meant to make a crappy movie, and that they based it on an apparently equally crappy comic, does not make it any less of a crappy movie. That they meant to make a crappy movie (as opposed to trying for a good movie and failing due to woeful incompetence) may actually make it worse, depending on how you look at it.

To use an analogy: Taco Bell does not try to make gourmet food. They're the sphincter of the fast-food world. It is part of their corporate strategy to reliably produce disgusting rubbish they can sell for even less than their competitors sell actual food for, and I understand that. But if somebody tries to tell me Taco Bell is delicious, I reserve the right to laugh in their face and say that, on the contrary, it's disgusting rubbish, and a waste of otherwise-edible ingredients. Same story here.

[MarkG]

i could be wrong, but i dont think 300 was marketed as the greatest epic movie of all time. it was obvious from the trailer that all you're going to get is a technically very good adaptation of a comic book with a rather short storyline. expecting more is more or less unfair to the creators...

[korn469]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
It's not a historical documentary. It's a comic book adaptation. Anyone going to the movie expecting a history lesson should have their head examined.

Originally posted by Darius871
I know this has already been said about five times, but since it obviously still hasn't sunk in I figured what the hell:

300 is >not< a historical film, nor was it ever intended to be. Rather, it is a comic book adaptation. If you watch it (or, for that matter, read about its contents without bothering to watch it) with the expectation of a history lesson, Tommy will come back there and hit you over the head with a tackhammer because you're a ******.

QFT x2

[Elok]

How is it unfair? They chose to do a panel-by-panel adaptation of a meathead comic and wound up with a meathead movie. If I'd said they could have come up with a better plot while simultaneously condemning them for departures from the comic book's story, that might be unfair. They did exactly what they set out to do, maybe, but since what they set out to do was make garbage, they wound up with garbage. You can't sell a crap product and shield yourself from criticism by making it quite clear that it's meant to be crap.

[MRT144]

Originally posted by Elok
How is it unfair? They chose to do a panel-by-panel adaptation of a meathead comic and wound up with a meathead movie. If I'd said they could have come up with a better plot while simultaneously condemning them for departures from the comic book's story, that might be unfair. They did exactly what they set out to do, maybe, but since what they set out to do was make garbage, they wound up with garbage. You can't sell a crap product and shield yourself from criticism by making it quite clear that it's meant to be crap.

pish posh! mel brooks space balls?

[Drake Tungsten]

I don't know why any of you are even arguing with Elok; he hasn't even seen 300...

[DinoDoc]

I don't even think he's read 300.

[Sprayber]

For a movie that he doesn't like and has not seen and will refuse to se in the future, he seems to spend a lot of time and effort attacking it.

Saw the movie tonight and it was exactly what I thought it would be. It was nothing like the History channel show on the same topic just last week and somehow I enjoyed both. Listening to Elok I thought I might want to bring some mace to fend off all the homesexuals flocking to see it but the threat never materialized.

[Dinner]

I just got back from watching this movie and I was bored most of the time. It wasn't very well done.

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
I don't even think he's read 300.

People can only talk about stuff they experienced personally?

That could make most debates here at poly a bit difficult....

[Elok]

Originally posted by MRT144
pish posh! mel brooks space balls?

...was a comedy. I assume we are supposed to take the Last Stand of the Angry Pool Boys somewhat seriously.