Archive for March, 2007
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2007
It’s been awhile since I’ve gone to a film in the theaters. Well I guess relative to my norm it’s been awhile, but for most a couple weeks is hardly “awhile”, but anyway. I waited around for this one because I thought it’d be visually fantastic. As it was based on a comic I doubted highly of it’s historical merit or if the story would be heavily involved, but I did have relatively high expectations. From what I can tell off IMDB [[ linked in this post’s title ]] I’m in the minority.
I agree that the film gave an epic impression of the struggle between three hundred men and a vast Persian empire; that it would illuminate the history of the great Spartans; or just that it would be gory as all hell and make fifteen-year-olds wince. It was all of these. But only the most ignorant clods would go in the theater thinking it would be accurate. The best way of going about it was to walk in with a clear mind and watch a visually spectacular movie. You won’t find poetic dialog, romance, or a clear vision of good over evil [[ we are talking about a people who glorified violence and wore above all else ]]. All you’ll find here is an action flick. And it’s wicked fun.
There are those who believe this is a thinly veiled representation of the current political climate. Even on Colbert last night he mentioned something along those lines. Bush is Leonidas, Xerxes is the Iranian president, and the Spartans are the outnumbered American forces against the [Persian] Muslim throngs. Sure there are similarities, but you have to be borderline socially-retarded in order to go deeper than this. There a few small details that make it less likely. 1] The graphic novel that the film is based was published in 1998; 2] the graphic novel was based on a film from 1962; and 3] these events [[ while nowhere near as dramatically ]] happened centuries ago. Oh, and the Spartans were notorious for their love of man-on-man action; not all that conservative in values. The only relationship between the movie and current militaristic foreign policy is the laughable ability for history to repeat itself.
So the story is a bit lacking. It doesn’t have the depth of Sin city, but that doesn’t seem to be the point here. It’s raw and undeveloped, but very easy to follow. Those who know history already know the basics of how things pan out. The relationships are immature. The acting is dry and unimpressive. With that said, this is how Troy should have been. The material is based on legend. Legends are exaggerated and fantastic [[ see Paul Bunyan ]] so it’s to be expected.
The visuals only add to this immersion in a fantasy world. The imagery is incredible. The effects used are at first distracting, but as the film develops they become less intrusive. It creates a larger-than-life setting where these characters [[ we never really relate to ]] can interact. The slow-action is used too much, but it’s still effective in emphasizing aspects of battles. Some sequences are pieced together between fades to black similar to a montage. Creatures are created that live up to the legend.
It’s a good film and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but i wouldn’t recommend it to someone who detests gore, laughs like a five-year-old at breasts, or even someone who wants join up the military to kill some folk, because the point will be completely lost. It’s a visual masterpiece, but the directing [[ meaning specifically the angles and what nots ]] is weak. There are plots that emerge during the film no matter how lame the story is: sacrifice for the many over the self, feminine strength, defiance instead of submission, and other such things. I’ll have to downplay all that because the makers of the film did it for me. Instead I recommend it for those that just want a visual ride. It’s worth seeing in the theater, but I’d recommend a matinée or second run because it won’t be for everyone.
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