300

Wow! - the Battle of Thermopylae has never looked so good. I've just watched the film adaptation of Frank Miller's 300, itself based on the 1962 film The 300 Spartans. I've been struggling a bit with how to describe it - the critics are divided, is it a 21st century masterpiece or a shallow array of action set-pieces? What about the plot, they ask, what about the characterisations? But that's a bit like complaining that Michelangelo's David is a bit drab, that War and Peace lacks pictures, or that the Mona Lisa is a bit small. In short - it completely misses the point.

300 is not a narrative film - it's not supposed to be. 300 is a film of simple emotions, raw physicality and beautiful, beautiful imagery. Damn it, if the basic plot line bores you then put your fingers in your ears and just watch the pictures. I promise you that it would still be more enjoyable than staring for two hours at this oil painting of the same story by Jacques-Louis David - and he was a famous artist don't you know.

Of course you might also take exception to the one-sided perversion of history, xenophobia, homophobia, testosterone soaked fascism, misogyny and eugenics - but then again nothing is perfect.

In all senses of the word 300 is bloody good fun.