300 (2006) MOVIE REACTION - THIS IS EPIC! - First Time Watching - Review

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So many people miss that this is literally a cinematic camp fire story. The entire thing is framed around Dilios hyping up the men. Which is why the Persians are all exaggerated monstrous things. The movie is a great adaptation of the graphic novel, which is in turn inspired by a classic "The 300 Spartans" which is in turn inspired by historical events. Its not setting out to be a "historical drama." Indeed, its meta narrative is almost exactly like how Ancient Greek and Rome would tell their tall tales. Hercules, Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite. All of those mythical stories. This is cut from the same cloth. The enemy is a billion strong and ten feet tall. This is honestly one of my favorite 2000s films. It's one of the few examples of a "modern" 80s action movie in so many ways... and a lot of that does come back to the historical truth. There were 300 Spartans, they did hold the hot gates, and the killed many. They also were renown for their epic one-liners. Well told to lay down their weapons Leonaidas did litrally say "Persians, come and get them!" Probably the first known example of someone saying "Come get some!"

When Leonidas told Ephialtes "May you live forever", that was actually the worst possible curse a person can hurl at a Spartan. For Spartans, their greatest joy is to die in glorious battle, and Leonidas was basically telling Ephialtes, may you NEVER share that joy till the end of times.

Fan fact! The traitor’s actions were considered so vile and horrendous that his name Ephialtes, had become and still is in Greek the word for nightmares

Over 2000 years later we still honor the 300 Spartans. They're death was NOT for nothing.

FYI, Dilios, the narrator is based on a Spartan named Aristodemus. When he returned to Sparta, he was ostracized by his people as a coward for leaving his king and his brothers-in-arms on the battle field. EVEN though he was ordered by Leonidas to leave. It wasn't until the battle of Plataea, when Aristodemus fought the Persians with such fury and charged the Persians in a berserker-like fashion, dying in the battle, that his fellow Spartans regarded him as having redeemed himself. So when King Leonidas is asking him to leave, to tell the tale of their sacrifice, he KNOWS what he is asking one of his fellow countrymen. He died at the Battle of Plataea, the battle at the end of the movie.

Leonidas didnt miss his final throw. It was always intended to wound, not kill, just as he promised. Leonidas knew that killing Xerxes wouldnt cut it, it could be covered up, hidden and another would take his place. By wounding him he showed the entire empire that he was not a god, but flesh and blood, scarred for all his days and the remainder of his rule, he would always be tainted by doubt form his empire.

"Stelios - It's an honor to die at your side. Leonidas - It's an honor to have lived at yours." Gets me every time. 😔💔

I went to the movie theater 4 times to watch this movie. I took my best friends, my brother and sister-in-law, I went by myself twice. This movie got me because I learned about them when I was a kid, back in 1985. And I always thought about the Thermopilas battle. It is my dream battle to see since I was a kid.

A fun fact among the other kinda/sorta historical facts being noted here by others, Ephialtes/Efialtis was an actual person (apparently a farmer who lived near the 'Hot Gates') who did indeed betray the allied Greeks by showing the Persians a hidden trail that allowed the Persian army to move some of their men around behind the Spartan position and break the defensive stalemate that the '300' had created in taking a cliffside location. It was later considered SUCH a betrayal of the Greek peoples that his name would eventually come to mean "nightmare/a demon who comes in the night to deliver nightmares". So Ephialtes did indeed live forever in the worst way possible.

From what I've read: 300 spartans, supported by a couple thousand other Greeks, really did face 1,000,000 Persians at Thermopylae. A lot of stuff for the movie is ripped from Greek accounts of the battle; they didn't lose a single Spartan the first day, etc. A lot of the lines are pulles from texts as well. Dudes were legitimate super heroes.

Killing Xerxes was never the goal. If he did kill him, Xerxes subordinates would've claimed he ascended to full Godhood and made him a martyr that would've lead to Geece being decimated. By making Xerxes bleed, even if they tried to silence all witnesses, Xerexes people would see he is not a God king. Making Xerxes bleed over straight up killing him did way more damage.

most of the famous quotes in this movie are actual spartan words, recorded in history.. they add some more but mostly they are on the same level. Most famous spartan quote was: Philip II of Macedon(father of Alexander the Great) : "When I am coming to Sparta, will I come as friend or a foe" Sparta : "Neither" Later message, "If I invade you, should I show mercy" (paraphrasing, doesn't really translate to english) Sparta: "If" They are originators of Laconic Phrase or Laconisms.. which, like in the movie results in true words "Enemy has so large of an army their arrows plot out the sun" "Good, then we will fight in the shade"-- or the fact when spartan king was shown a great city, "look at my walls, nobody can invade me" "Looks like fine, womens quarters" "Where is your wall then?" "*points to his soldiers*".. There's also the great story about how spartans seem weak.. they get their hair done before battle...... yes they did.. because they wanted their hair to look good in a funeral, not like they just want to look good randomly, they were prepared to die. (Also, Sparta is the earliest female led society, it wasn't because they wanted females to lead, it was because men cannot inherit, they earn their place in army.. so all rich ppl were females.)

This movie came out my first year of college. Loved it so much that I decided to take some ancient Greek history classes. Decided to change my major to history, graduated with a history degree, and have been teaching high school history ever since. Despite all its historical inaccuracies, I still love the movie and appreciate that it got me wanting to learn more about the actual history.

The Persian army was called 'the immortals' because they all dressed the same and when one died the man behind him would take his place so it looked like he didn't die.

I'm Greek and i can assure you that besides a few inaccuracies the General Story, the Strategic decision to defend them selfs on a bottle neck location and the Words of Spartans like their answer "COME AND GET THEM"to Persian order "Throw down your weapons"... are 100% Historical Facts!!! Loved your reaction and greetings from Greece!

When I went to see this movie as a teenager I left feeling emboldened, and full of bravado. When I watch it now at 32, and watch reactors watching it, I still feel all of that but now I also tear up.

If you liked the visuals in this, you should watch Sin City(2005), which is also based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller.

The training for this film was pretty brutal. Gerard Butler worked out like mad, ended up hurting himself and with a dependence on pain pills (to get through filming) that took a while to shake. While some actors abs were famously air-brushed on, his weren't. I remember him saying he got in the best shape of his life, not realizing how it would end up harming his health.

Facts: 1. King Leonidas was around 60 years old when he fought this battle..!! 🔥⚔ 2. Efialtis (Εφιάλτης) (The traitor who told Persians the secret passage), actually means "Nightmare" in Greek 3. The phrases below, were actually told by Spartans in that battle a) Get back with your shield, or on it. (᾿Ή τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς) b) Then we will fight in the shade. c) Come and get them. (Μολὼν λαβέ)