300 Prequel?

[Neil]

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/300-Sequel-Is-Officially-Happening-Probably-9346.html

Little bit lost on this one... Surely the whole premis of 300 was the battle of Thermopylae? Why would a prequel (or sequel) be of interest?

[EvilNed]

Especially considering the real one was craaaaaap. I hate it when people think you can substitute substance with style.

[Neil]

Especially considering the real one was craaaaaap. I hate it when people think you can substitute substance with style.

'Real one'?

[EvilNed]

Well, the film. 300.

[Legion2213]

The 300 movie was fracking awesome, I didn't expect a true account of the battle of Thermopylae, that was not the aim of the movie or the director...I expected insane over the top comic book violence and I got it in spades.

As for a prequal though....WTF? :rockbrow:

[Neil]

Well, the film. 300.
I think 300 is/was great!!!

[EvilNed]

The 300 movie was fracking awesome, I didn't expect a true account of the battle of Thermopylae, that was not the aim of the movie or the director...I expected insane over the top comic book violence and I got it in spades.

I expected a solid movie, dumb or not. I got something that had no substance and no soul.

You CAN'T just make a movie on pretty visuals, no matter how hard you try. It's fun the first 5 minutes, but the rest of the two hour running time you get nothing new.

Also, I am of course heavily biased since I like history, and this was an insult to all things historic. Ok, they didn't have to tell it truthfully. I really don't care, I just don't like the movie (but nobody is forcing me to watch it). But why the **** are the spartans yelling about protecting their freedom? That's just hollywood propaganda machine at it's work.

Oh, and all good guys were basicly Mengele's favourite pupils, and all the bad guys were guys that Mengele would have no problem chucking into a barn and setting on fire. Just a thought...

[Neil]

I expected a solid movie, dumb or not. I got something that had no substance and no soul.

You CAN'T just make a movie on pretty visuals, no matter how hard you try. It's fun the first 5 minutes, but the rest of the two hour running time you get nothing new.

Also, I am of course heavily biased since I like history, and this was an insult to all things historic. Ok, they didn't have to tell it truthfully. I really don't care, I just don't like it. But why the **** are the spartans yelling about protecting their freedom? That's just hollywood propaganda machine at it's work.
I found it quite moving in places... I certainly didn't find it devoid of substance and soul, for me at least...

My biggest dislike of it was David Wenham's voice over... His accent really bugged me :)

[Legion2213]

So it was a US/Nazi propaganda flick then? - I thought it was just an average kick back, turn off your brain and enjoy kind of affair.

The film delivered exactly what it promised and exactly what I expected. I enjoyed it a lot.

[Mike70]

it was all of the purple prose in 300 that lost me. while i really cannot stand the movie, it did had its diverting actiony moments.

[EvilNed]

So it was a US/Nazi propaganda flick then? - I thought it was just an average kick back, turn off your brain and enjoy kind of affair.

Well, maybe you don't react to oppressing spartans, who kept helots as slaves, standing around yelling about freedom. But I guess I do. It's just very silly, and very hollywood. Very preachy, and very propagandish.

The nazi analogy is more far fetched, but, unfortunetly, it fits perfectly.

[Legion2213]

Jesus Christ! It was a friggin pop corn flick, a few hours of mindless flashy fun...lot's of folks enjoyed it for what it was - Get over it. :rolleyes:

[Neil]

Well, maybe you don't react to oppressing spartans, who kept helots as slaves, standing around yelling about freedom. But I guess I do. It's just very silly, and very hollywood. Very preachy, and very propagandish.

The nazi analogy is more far fetched, but, unfortunetly, it fits perfectly.

I didn't see a problem with this... I'm sure what ever their social makeup, they weren't keen on seeing their friends and family thrown into slavery or killed etc...

On a side note, from my understanding, the Spartan's in some ways were quite advanced socially? Weren't their women not given many liberties and positions not seen elsewhere for example?

[bassman]

Jesus Christ! It was a friggin pop corn flick, a few hours of mindless flashy fun...lot's of folks enjoyed it for what it was - Get over it. :rolleyes:

Yeah, that's the way I look at it. Obviously they weren't trying to be "historically accurate" or make a thoughtful film, but it just amazes me how people seem to think it's the greatest film since Ben Hur.

I watched it once and really have no desire to see it again. I know some guys that watch it multiple times a week and have posters from the film all over their walls. I'm beginning to wonder if they have any homosexual blood running through their veins....:p

A sequel/prequel? No thanks.

[Neil]

Yeah, that's the way I look at it. Obviously they weren't trying to be "historically accurate" or make a thoughtful film, but it just amazes me how people seem to think it's the greatest film since Ben Hur.

I watched it once and really have no desire to see it again. I know some guys that watch it multiple times a week and have posters from the film all over their walls. I'm beginning to wonder if they have any homosexual blood running through their veins....:p

A sequel/prequel? No thanks.

I didn't see it as a pop-corn flick myself. It was a bit more clever than that to me, at least artistically.. But also felt it had some 'depth' to it in the characters...

Now, it's certainly no Ben Hur... But it's still a damn good flick to me at least :)

[EvilNed]

Jesus Christ! It was a friggin pop corn flick, a few hours of mindless flashy fun...lot's of folks enjoyed it for what it was - Get over it. :rolleyes:

Do you know how much times goes into making a film? It's not as if Zack Snyder said "Ok, give me some bad guys, I don't care who they are or what they look like". There was a conscious choice making the bad guys the deformed, the foreign and the feminine. But I'm sure their goal was to make the audience think that this is just a dumb pop corn flick, but there's thousands of pop corn flicks out there that aren't as racist. I enjoy them. I couldn't enjoy this one, sorry.

And I am over it. Infact, I don't even care about it because it's a ****ty ass film made by an idiot. But this thread happened to BE about that film, so you know what? I just took for granted that I was allowed to voice my opinion on it. Sorry if that was too much!


I didn't see a problem with this... I'm sure what ever their social makeup, they weren't keen on seeing their friends and family thrown into slavery or killed etc...

On a side note, from my understanding, the Spartan's in some ways were quite advanced socially? Weren't their women not given many liberties and positions not seen elsewhere for example?

If by advanced you mean 90% of their population were slaves, then sure. Spartans had more un-free men than any other city state in Greece. Quite advanced! Surely, something "free" to fight for!

[Neil]

Do you know how much times goes into making a film? It's not as if Zack Snyder said "Ok, give me some bad guys, I don't care who they are or what they look like". There was a conscious choice making the bad guys the deformed, the foreign and the feminine. But I'm sure their goal was to make the audience think that this is just a dumb pop corn flick, but there's thousands of pop corn flicks out there that aren't as racist. I enjoy them. I couldn't enjoy this one, sorry.

And I am over it. Infact, I don't even care about it because it's a ****ty ass film made by an idiot. But this thread happened to BE about that film, so you know what? I just took for granted that I was allowed to voice my opinion on it. Sorry if that was too much!



If by advanced you mean 90% of their population were slaves, then sure. Spartans had more un-free men than any other city state in Greece. Quite advanced! Surely, something "free" to fight for!

No, in relation to their female population! I'm fairly sure they were more 'liberated' than most other regions... This was mainly due to necessity - As the men folk were basically soldiers, someone had to run the place :)

[EvilNed]

No, in relation to their female population! I'm fairly sure they were more 'liberated' than most other regions... This was mainly due to necessity - As the men folk were basically soldiers, someone had to run the place :)

Just because the small percentage of women who were married to spartiaties had more liberties than most other women of the day, doesn't make that society any more advanced considering that percentage was tiny, and Athens was still leagues ahead in other issues such as democracy and freedom of speech. Not saying Athens was any good. They also had tons of slaves, women had no rights but hey. At least the people had some kind of vote. They didn't in Sparta.

Spartans were mostly dumb brutes who liked to trash and kill. Sure, they were fine warriors. But as soon as people actually figured out that the spartans did the exact same thing on the battlefield every single time, it didn't take long for others to just continuously run them down with cavalry, archers or just longer spears.

[Neil]

Just because the small percentage of women who were married to spartiaties had more liberties than most other women of the day, doesn't make that society any more advanced considering that percentage was tiny, and Athens was still leagues ahead in other issues such as democracy and freedom of speech. Not saying Athens was any good. They also had tons of slaves, women had no rights but hey. At least the people had some kind of vote. They didn't in Sparta.

Spartans were mostly dumb brutes who liked to trash and kill. Sure, they were fine warriors. But as soon as people actually figured out that the spartans did the exact same thing on the battlefield every single time, it didn't take long for others to just continuously run them down with cavalry, archers or just longer spears.

Sorry, I've lost your point? You're annoyed that it suggested some of the Spartan warriors were fighting for 'freedom'?

But surely they were, even if they had a million slaves, or no slaves, they could still be fighting for THEIR freedom and continued way of life...?

[Mike70]

Sorry, I've lost your point? You're annoyed that it suggested some of the Spartan warriors were fighting for 'freedom'?

But surely they were, even if they had a million slaves, or no slaves, they could still be fighting for THEIR freedom and continued way of life...?

for all that we owe sparta for her service in the war against persia since at thermopylae and later at plataea (where the full might of sparta smashed any further persian thoughts of messing with greece) they basically saved western civ, sparta itself was a nightmarish, apartheid state that we need to be very careful about romanticizing.

at anytime there were only about 10,000 homoioi (full male spartan citizens) that held a couple of hundred thousand helots (who were low as whale poop in spartan eyes) in conditions of horrible servitude. the spartans had an institution called the crypteia (a part of a spartan boy's agoge) whose basic reason for existing was to terrorize the helots into submission through acts of murder and theft.

[EvilNed]

Sorry, I've lost your point? You're annoyed that it suggested some of the Spartan warriors were fighting for 'freedom'?

But surely they were, even if they had a million slaves, or no slaves, they could still be fighting for THEIR freedom and continued way of life...?

They speak in the film of a "free greece". Anyone who doesn't groan and roll their eyes at a spartan yelling "Freedom!!" must not get that it's a hugely ironic thing for a spartan to say. Spartans didn't give a damn about Greece. They only gave a damn about themselves. I'm sorry, this is just hollywood propaganda at it's most obvious (and least suitable location in time).

[Mike70]

Spartans didn't give a damn about Greece.

hehe. true. after athens was burned to the ground the spartans were busy building a wall across the isthmus of corinth to keep the persians out of laconia. it took a couple of athenian delegations (the athenians had evacuated their entire population to the island of salamis and a few other islands and were being offered rather generous peace terms by the persians, which to their credit, they refused) and delegations from tegea and plataea to get them back into the fight. ultimately they were worried that athens was going to make a separate peace with the persians. that is why they came out with their entire military force and turned plataea into a giant persian bloodbath.

[Legion2213]

Ned, have you read the graphic novel the film was based on? Is the film any different from it? Or is it a fairly faithful rendition of the novel.

I still think your reaction to this "racist/nazi" movie is hilarious. :D

[Danny]

couldn't be worse than "305" http://www.watch-movies.net/movies/305/

[Neil]

They speak in the film of a "free greece". Anyone who doesn't groan and roll their eyes at a spartan yelling "Freedom!!" must not get that it's a hugely ironic thing for a spartan to say. Spartans didn't give a damn about Greece. They only gave a damn about themselves. I'm sorry, this is just hollywood propaganda at it's most obvious (and least suitable location in time).

*** INCOMING NEWS FLASH ***
It wasn't suppose to be historically accurate!

For example, I guarantee Xerxes wasn't a ten foot tall effeminate giant :)



It's no different to Braveheart really... History was just used as a backdrop for a story... Personally I don't really care if it's historically correct or not, as long as the film is good. I've paid to have a cinematic, enjoyable spell binding experience, not a history lesson :)

[Danny]

*pokes head through the door*

braveheart is the ****

*leaves again*

[Legion2213]

couldn't be worse than "305" http://www.watch-movies.net/movies/305/

:lol: Got through the first part, very stupid indeed! :D

[Mike70]

a movie about the battle of marathon would be a nice companion piece to 300.

get some buff action star to play miltiades, grease the athenians and plataeans up in loincloths and what not. it all adds up to box office.

[clanglee]

Dammit Scip!!! That's what I was gonna say!! :p

[Mike70]

Dammit Scip!!! That's what I was gonna say!! :p

great minds and all that...

i'd seriously like to see a modern action movie about marathon. i would hope it would be at least moderately historically accurate since what really happened there is heroic enough already and really needs no embellishment. i mean, a stand by about 11,000 athenians and plataeans against a force at least 3 to 4 times their size really needs nothing else added to it. i think that is one of my main beefs with 300. what happened at thermopylae on the days on and around 11 aug 480 bc was epic and gripping enough and really didn't need all the added on stuff.

oh and the spartans would not look good in the marathon flick. since they basically dragged ass because of a religous festival (sound familiar) and arrived after the athenians and plataeans had already done the knife work.

oh and on further and very cool point. the helmet miltiades wore in the battle at marathon was found at the ruins of the temple of zeus at olympia. it has an inscription on it that reads "miltiades dedicates this zeus"

here is a pic:

http://www.livius.org/a/1/greeks/miltiades_helmet.jpg

[MikePizzoff]

*** INCOMING NEWS FLASH ***
It wasn't suppose to be historically accurate!

For example, I guarantee Xerxes wasn't a ten foot tall effeminate giant :)


Don't forget about the AWESOME giant monster thing... and the thirty-foot tall elephants... and the weird god-things on the top of that mountain...

[Mike70]

after dusting this off and giving it a spin, there are some things at least somewhat historically accurate about it:

a. the spartans really did throw the persian messengers down a well after being asked to give earth and water as symbols of submission.

b. leonidas did order the greek army to offer no mercy and no quarter to the persians.

c. as king, leonidas would've been fighting up in the front, leading and inspiring his men.

d. when called upon to surrender their arms to persians, leonidas' reply was "come and get them" what he really said was Μολὼν λαβέ, translated to english as come and get them.

e. the hoplon (the greek shield) was an excellent piece of defensive kit.

f. the spartans did wear long red cloaks into battle and used shields that were all adorned with a large "lambda" for laconia (lacedaemonia in greek) , the spartan homeland.

g. the spartans would've all been pretty incredible physical specimens. each and everyone would've been at peak fitness.

[Neil]

after dusting this off and giving it a spin, there are some things at least somewhat historically accurate about it:

a. the spartans really did throw the persian messengers down a well after being asked to give earth and water as symbols of submission.

b. leonidas did order the greek army to offer no mercy and no quarter to the persians.

c. as king, leonidas would've been fighting up in the front, leading and inspiring his men.

d. when called upon to surrender their arms to persians, leonidas' reply was "come and get them" what he really said was Μολὼν λαβέ, translated to english as come and get them.

e. the hoplon (the greek shield) was an excellent piece of defensive kit.

f. the spartans did wear long red cloaks into battle and used shields that were all adorned with a large "lambda" for laconia (lacedaemonia in greek) , the spartan homeland.

g. the spartans would've all been pretty incredible physical specimens. each and everyone would've been at peak fitness.
And supposedly the phrase, '...then we shall fight in the shade' is reported historically as well...

Would Xerces have been a 10 foot effeminate beef cake nancy boy?

[MinionZombie]

Would Xerces have been a 10 foot effeminate beef cake nancy boy?

I can't stop thinking of the South Park episode that spoofed 300 now.

Aside from the fighting, I thought 300 was pretty stupid. I remember someone once said it was the 'gayest homophobic movie ever', which I thought was pretty funny ... or maybe it's the gayest movie that homophobes watch ... something along those lines, which is still funny.

I had a rant about it a year ago or so...I covered my thoughts there really.

[Neil]

I can't stop thinking of the South Park episode that spoofed 300 now.

Aside from the fighting, I thought 300 was pretty stupid. I remember someone once said it was the 'gayest homophobic movie ever', which I thought was pretty funny ... or maybe it's the gayest movie that homophobes watch ... something along those lines, which is still funny.

I had a rant about it a year ago or so...I covered my thoughts there really.

All I can say is 300 is a film can happily watch any time... And I certainly don't see it as a flat action/pop-corn flick, if only because of the artistic elements to it too...

[AcesandEights]

300? I've seen better product flung from the monkey cage at the Bronx zoo. But by all means, if you like your homo erotic, ahistorical romps designed for 13 year olds with underdeveloped genitalia to be on the farcical side, then, yes, this movie may just be for you. :D

But honestly, it was trash. ZS did a good job with his intended visual goals, but...bleccch...to the product as a whole.

[bassman]

But honestly, it was trash. ZS did a good job with his intended visual goals, but...bleccch...to the product as a whole.


That's the way I see it. He did a decent job of giving the okay to designs that the CG artists had created and that's about it. The film falls short everywhere else.

But damn....if you say that you think it sucks to some of the "men" around my town, they're likely to hit you.

Or say "this is sparta!". dar. freaking. har.:|

[Neil]

*la la la... Not listening! LA LA LA*

Seriously I love the film :)

As I've said, I will happily watch it over and over... The visuals/style are quite unique. The acting is good. The story is simple but engaging, and for me moving in a couple of places.

I'd suggest there are loads of other films that deserver this distain well before picking 300...

It was aimed at being a highly styalized graphic comic book adaptation, and in my opinion fullfilled that goal very well!

[Legion2213]

*la la la... Not listening! LA LA LA*

Seriously I love the film :)

As I've said, I will happily watch it over and over... The visuals/style are quite unique. The acting is good. The story is simple but engaging, and for me moving in a couple of places.

I'd suggest there are loads of other films, which had far higher budgets that deserver this distain well before picking 300...

Testify! I've only watched it two or three times since buying the DVD (which is more than I have watched "Land of the Dead" BTW), but I will watch it again, I think visually, it's a great movie. I enjoyed it for the entertainment piece that it was.

I never expected historical accuracy or a 5 hour Ridly Scott epic, that wasn't the aim of the makers, it was a comic book turned into a movie (and how many film makers get that right? You can count those on one hand, and you would have to include 300 in that count, so props to ZS).

This is for the haters...:p
http://www.empireonline.com/images/image_index/hw800/14973.jpg

[bassman]

Wow. An average looking middle aged woman. That makes it a great movie.:rockbrow:

[Legion2213]

It was the "you will not enjoy this" tag line I was getting at...:rolleyes:

[bassman]

It was the "you will not enjoy this" tag line I was getting at...:rolleyes:

Ah. I see. My mistake. I've had alot of people give the argument that "Headey(I think that's her name) is hoooot. And we see her nipples in slo-mo. ALRIGHT!!":|

[Legion2213]

Fair do's Bass. As women go she is a nice lookin' bird, nothing amazing, but certainly not an ugger IMO.

[Neil]

Wow. An average looking middle aged woman. That makes it a great movie.:rockbrow:

I think she suited the part/role very well... Of course I guess they could have put in your typical stupid unrealistic Hollywood bimbo if that would have suited you better :rockbrow:

And of course how attractive a female character is such an important part of the overall film... Oh sorry, are we talking about 'Wanted' again? :)

[bassman]

No no no. She was fine for the role and she's an okay looking woman. You guys are just misunderstanding me. Alot of guys that love 300 ALWAYS make the same stupid argument that she's hot and get's naked for a slo-mo sex scene.

I'll say that there's really no substance to the film and that the plot is paper thin, etc etc and they'll come back saying that you see her nipples.:rolleyes:

You know....the typical Zack Snyder, "oh if they have sex it means they care" scene. Either that or "this will put teenagers into theater seats" scene.

[MinionZombie]

highly styalized graphic comic book adaptation

So you don't mind that in 300 - which is apparently based on actual history - but you sh*t your ass over Wanted, which you've not even seen yet.


are we talking about 'Wanted' again?

Lena got her tatties out in 300 (one of the better parts I have to say, because yes, if given the opportunity I would put my penis in her vagina and perform a rapid "in, out, in, out" motion till I was finished being happy), whereas Jolie gets her arse out once for about three seconds in the entirety of Wanted, which goes on for about two hours.

Otherwise, there is a fair lack of Jolie body exposure, or even lechery, in all of Wanted ... meanwhile in 300, there are nipples everywhere - and I mean everywhere. If they're not flapping around on the chest of Lena, they're all covered in bronze oil and being reflected in a bunch of butch swords getting flung about by dudes in leather pants and red capes ... now that I speak of it in such a way, 300 sounds proper daft. :lol:

[Neil]

So you don't mind that in 300 - which is apparently based on actual history - but you sh*t your ass over Wanted, which you've not even seen yet.

Hey! I've said over and over again I'm only judging Wanted on the clips I've seen thus far, and I could well be wrong about it...

As for 300, as 'stylized' as it was, it had it's feet far more on the ground in terms of general reality and believabilty than what I've seen of 'Wanted', even if it it does feature a 10ft muscle man lady boy! :)

But hey! Maybe I'll see 'Wanted' and dig it... And all the utter lack of any attempt at any form of 'rules' and believability won't bug me as just being a lazy attempt to throw CGI thrills on the screen :sneaky:

[AcesandEights]

Maybe I'll see 'Wanted' and dig it... And all the utter lack of any attempt at any form of 'rules' and believability won't bug me as just being a lazy attempt to throw CGI thrills on the screen :sneaky:

Hey, if it didn't bother you with 300, you've probably got a pretty good shot of swallowing whatever gets served up to you, providing it has a side of that greasy, glitzy CGI. :p

[clanglee]

Well I'm with Neil. I liked the movie a lot. I realise that most of you guys are just bitter at Zach for Dawn. .but get over it. Theat was a good movie too. I would like to know where exactly these flimsy plot points are that you speak of. It's a comic book movie for God's sake. The plot seemed pretty strong to me. It was a movie about bad guys comming, we have to stop them. :rolleyes:

[bassman]

I actually like 300 more than the Dawn remake, so obviously it's got nothing to do with the director or his past films.

It's just a throw away popcorn flick. That's what they meant it to be, I know, but I had literally forgotten most of it by the time I was walking through the theater parking lot. It looks great but really has no staying power.

[AcesandEights]

Most people know I like DotD 04. :)

[Danny]

Most people know I like DotD 04. :)


..................

[clanglee]

Most people know I like DotD 04. :)

Sorry , forgot