300

I've done my rants about theaters, concessions, et al before, so I won't rehash them here. I took myself out to see 300 today, and found it a damn good Sunday afternoon popcorn muncher. It is based very closely on the graphic novel by Frank Miller.

Frank Miller is the genius who made Batman cool again with the Dark Knight graphic novels, and the man who penned Sin City. For those who don't do geekspeak, graphic novels are the term we use instead of comic books for the ones that rock.

Don't go see this looking for great performances or character development, this flick is all about the action. The story is solid, and follows history well enough. I would have liked a text screen epilogue, briefly recalling the naval victory that ultimately drove Xerxes back.

The movie does a very good job of recreating the impenetrable phalanx of the Spartans, and the choreography is tight and crisp. No movement is wasted, the shield and spear techniques are elegant and ruthlessly efficient. In another time, this movie may well have set the standard.

Unfortunately, it will be unfairly held up to the Lord of the Rings series, which set the bar for epic medieval battle scenes perhaps impossibly high. That said, it was a good time, and I think it will find a booming second market in DVD sales. The double X chromosome set and the alternate lifestylers might find all the beefcake too much to resist.

A quick postscript...as I write this, it looks like a $70million opening weekend...not bad for openers, the DVD will probably make a killing too. Christ, that was bad. Time to end this post.