I managed to attend the premiere of "300" last Monday, a gala affair at Grauman's (or is it Mann's?) Chinese Theater and, afterward, the Hotel Roosevelt across the street.
First, a review of the movie. I liked it. Wildly stylized, it felt like every line was bellowed as opposed to spoken, but hey, we're talking Spartans here. Gerard Butler as the King was very good, but the star of this show was definitely the CGI and the "look." I'm not usually that impressed with showy FX shots, but "300" really pushes into some impressive territory. There's a shot of a storm lashing an armada of enemy ships that is truly mind-boggling in complexity. And I can't help suspecting there was a little CG augmentation involved in the physiques of the cast... either that, or someone went through a half dozen crunch machines to nail down those six pack abs.
Now, the review of the premiere itself. Again, I liked it! ***1/2. I sat behind Mr. Fantastic (the actor from the FF movies) and a couple seats down from Hellboy. The projection was great, the sound was screamingly loud, there was free popcorn, all was good. The after-party also gets a thumbs up. Criteria? Free hard liquor? Check. Tasty buffet? Check. Decorations in the spirit of the film? Check. Did I mention free hard liquor? Check, check and double check!
Funniest line heard at the party: in the film, the 300 Spartans seem to be alone in their war against the Persians and bring nothing but swords, shields, capes and leather briefs to the fight. In other words, you never see anyone lugging crates of food or water or ANY supplies. However, at one point the King is munching on an apple as he exhorts his troops. The line: "So where do you think he kept that apple all that time?"
1 comment:
The film had a lot of flaws, but its sheer awesomeness made me overlook them. It was a visual treat, and I went in knowing what I was going to get and didn't leave disappointed. It was a lot of fun to watch.
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