Category Archives: 300

300

I first heard of 300 online, found it interesting, and forgot about it.
Then, during one of my frequent trips to the movies, managed to see the trailer for the movie version, and got hooked to it.
300 is based on events that happened around The Battle of Thermopylae, fought in 480 BC between Persia and Greek states led by Sparta. It is a remarkable event in history, as the vastly outnumbered Greeks inflicted very heavy damages on the Persians, with the casualty ratio is estimated at between 1:15 to 1:50. That means, for every dead Greek, between 15-50 Persians died. And it could’ve been still higher, had not the traitor Ephialtes helped the Persians.
The Persians of course won the war, but their morale took a heavy beating, while it was a huge morale booster for the Greeks. In two later battles, Battle of Salamis (naval) and Battle of Plataea, they suffered heavy defeats, thus marking an end to their conquest.
The graphic novel itself, is intense. It will get you so engrossed, that you’ll hear the battlecries and feel the characters come out alive. We’ve already seen Frank Miller’s genius before. This is even better. All graphics are two page spreads, and they’re all fabulous. In fact, the movie is said to have used the same scenes from the novel in several frames. The use of dialogue is minimal, with maximum effect. And the Spartan sense of humour is simply great!