If you’re unfamiliar with history, the following post may contain spoilers.

It made $70,000,000 last weekend and is now ranked as the 156th best film ever made at IMDb, but I found myself comparing 300 directly to Braveheart and Gladiator as I watched it. That’s usually a terrible sign, and could arguably underline how emulative 300 actually feels.

Ultimately, I found that it wasn’t even nearly equivalent to either of those films. Unlike the fictionalized Battle of Sterling that was depicted in Braveheart, there wasn’t anything emotional about it. Once the Battle of Thermopylae began and the bodies started to pile up, it felt completely like a video game. While it was obvious that these 300 Spartans enjoyed a very special bond, the director of the film never allowed the viewer to feel it. For a film whose very signature was gore, 300 was remarkably sterile.

Of course, the scenery was often very beautiful. On the other hand, seeing as the film was created almost exclusively in a virtual environment, how couldn’t it have been? The final scene, oddly enough, felt predictable and slightly ridiculous. I thought that the film should have ended with the arrows falling on the Spartans, as that particular scene was much more compelling than what followed it.

Despite those criticisms, 300 was a watchable film, and it would probably make a highly impressive video game. However, I didn’t love it, and I will be strongly disappointed if 300 is remembered as one of the best films of 2007. While it is full of stunning (and often grotesque) technical achievements, it simply doesn’t deliver as a genre piece.