300 (2006) ♦Movie Reaction♦ First Time Watching!

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Hi you. How you doing? I'm Whimseree, and today we're going to be watching 300. Why? Because it's been a while since we watched something like this, like anything kind of rooted in history or whatever. I mean, there's like Gladiator, which was kind of similar in tone, I think. But, uh yeah, we usually just don't really watch movies like that. I don't know why. Um they tend to be long, they tend to be bloody, a lot of people die, and it's really sad. And I don't mind it so much when a lot of people die, and >> [laughter] >> and it didn't actually happen, but if it's even somewhat historically accurate or based on a true story, it's a little heavier, you know, it kind of weighs on me a little more. So, uh we'll see about this one. I think it's based on a comic book or a graphic novel or something, but then also, of course, the the actual event, which I'm not super certain on. I didn't read up on it or anything. If you're new here, usually I'll do that at the end.

[00:01:00]>> [laughter] >> But, I go into it blind, and later on I learn stuff about it, and so I'm not completely stupid by the end of it, but I might not be as knowledgeable as I'd like to. Going into this one, I I never formally learned about this event, I guess, if they usually teach that in schools. I know it's like Persia or um it's a certain battle that was fought against all odds, um whether or not they succeed. Small group of people against a big group of people, that's all that's the basis of what I what I know.

[00:01:31]Hopefully, uh you forgive me for not knowing. Um but, by the end of it, I will be I will be quite knowledgeable. I can tell you that.

[00:01:38]Uh so, anyway, I'm really excited for this one, y'all. Let's Let's do it.

[00:01:41]Let's watch the movie.

[00:01:46]Pretty dark-sounding music. I think people are going to die.

[00:01:56]Aw. Like all Spartans, he was inspected.

[00:01:59]If he'd been small, or sickly, he would have been discarded.

[00:02:04]Baptized in the fire of combat.

[00:02:09]Death on the battlefield, the greatest glory he could achieve in his life.

[00:02:15]At age seven, as is customary in Sparta, plunged into a world of violence.

[00:02:21]Taught to show no pain. Tossed into the wild. No shoes. He looks like a wild animal. He looks more like a wild animal than that thing does.

[00:02:34]Not fear the grip only a heightened sense of things. Wind-swept pines moving against the coming storm.

[00:02:42]Perfect. What a rough life. Oh my gosh.

[00:02:46]Answer the boy. RETURNS TO HIS PEOPLE, OUR KING LEONIDAS. OH. IN MORE than 30 years since the wolf, an army of slaves ready to devour a tiny Greece. King Leonidas who provoked it. This is really cool-looking. Like, look at that. That's so cool. Really unique.

[00:03:08]You look cool. Oh, jeez. What do you have? And why are you carrying that thing?

[00:03:16]It looks very threatening. Spartans drew strength from the warrior next to him.

[00:03:21]You fight with your head, then you fight with your heart.

[00:03:24]The Persian messenger awaits you.

[00:03:28]>> [laughter] >> Everyone's walking quickly away from them. I would, too. You see what he's carrying? Councilman Theron.

[00:03:33]>> My king and queen, I was just entertaining your guest.

[00:03:36]>> I'm sure.

[00:03:37]Everyone is held accountable for the words of his voice. Earth and water. Do not be coy or stupid, Persian.

[00:03:44]>> What makes this woman think she can speak among men?

[00:03:46]>> Only Spartan women give birth to real men.

[00:03:48]>> Xerxes conquers and controls everything.

[00:03:51]All the god king Xerxes requires a token of Sparta's submission to the will of Xerxes.

[00:03:57]Hm. The Athenians have already turned you down.

[00:04:01]>> be diplomatic.

[00:04:02]>> Choose your next words carefully, Leonidas. Oh my, this got really intense really really quickly.

[00:04:10]Yeah, what's he supposed to say to that?

[00:04:14]Madness. Earth and water.

[00:04:15]>> Plenty of both down there.

[00:04:17]>> No man threatens a messenger.

[00:04:18]>> You insult my queen. You threaten my people with slavery. Sparta, this is madness.

[00:04:29]Madness? THIS IS SPARTA!

[00:04:37]OH.

[00:04:41]What What even is that?

[00:04:52]Oh my. Woah.

[00:04:55]Why do you guys have that pit?

[00:04:57]>> Like a giant well to hell.

[00:04:59]>> I mean, he shouldn't have been standing so close to it. He shouldn't have been standing so close to it.

[00:05:04]I would never.

[00:05:12]Welcome, Leonidas.

[00:05:15]We have been expecting you. Oh, you You're frightening, sir. The Ephors, priests to the old gods, inbred swine, more creature than man. And no Spartan king has gone to war without the Ephors' blessing. We face the most massive army ever assembled. What do you offer?

[00:05:40]The full moon approaches.

[00:05:44]We will block the Persian coastal assault. Now, in that narrow corridor, their numbers will count for nothing.

[00:05:50]>> Must consult the Oracle.

[00:05:53]>> Oh, no. Don't count them. Get that nasty thing out of my face. The Oracle.

[00:06:00]I don't I don't want to see the Oracle if that's what you look like.

[00:06:05]Mystics, remnants of a senseless tradition. We must respect word of the Ephors. That is the law.

[00:06:12]What now?

[00:06:16]Okay, that's That's not so bad.

[00:06:18]>> The old wretches have the needs of men.

[00:06:21]Oh, no.

[00:06:25]Sparta will fall.

[00:06:28]What did you lick her though? What's the point of that? Trust not Oh, I don't like him.

[00:06:36]I don't like him. Pompous inbred swine.

[00:06:40]Rotten. I'll say. I like this narrator.

[00:06:43]Tells it like it is. When Sparta burns, fresh oracles shall be delivered daily.

[00:06:48]Ew. So, they can lick them? That's such a waste. Ew.

[00:06:55]Okay, that's better, I guess.

[00:07:00]>> [laughter] >> Keeps going from something hideous to a naked person. It's just like I don't I can't. I It's just I'm getting whiplash here. This is such a disturbing movie already. Does the Oracle rub you of your desires well?

[00:07:12]>> And we take more than the words of a drunken adolescent girl.

[00:07:16]Adolescent? I hate those things.

[00:07:19]What should a free man do? What happens if he does it anyway? I mean, cuz there's obviously corruption that those other guys, they have more money, right?

[00:07:28]As you ordered. 300. What, 300?

[00:07:31]>> All with born sons to carry on their name. Aw.

[00:07:36]Oh, you poor things.

[00:07:38]WE ARE WITH YOU, SIRE, TO THE DEATH.

[00:07:41]HERE IS YOUR SON. He is too young. I have others to replace him. No younger than we were the first time >> captain there is none.

[00:07:49]My good king That must be no march. The Spartan army must not go to war.

[00:07:53]>> I'm here, just taking a stroll, stretching my legs.

[00:07:57]>> [laughter] >> 300 men are my personal bodyguard.

[00:08:01]What should we do?

[00:08:02]>> What can we do? What can you do?

[00:08:05]He's going to do it.

[00:08:06]>> Sparta will meet sons. This is so bleak.

[00:08:10]I hate thinking about it. Any realistic aspect to it, the way that people used to have to live their lives. Such a brief time some of them. This just makes me so sad. He's next. This little guy already getting ready.

[00:08:26]Spartan!

[00:08:32]Come back with your shield or on it. Can you imagine being either one of them?

[00:08:38]>> [sighs] >> What is this?

[00:08:42]They wear very interesting clothes.

[00:08:45]Like, that can't be accurate, you know, because I feel like that's so dangerous.

[00:08:49]This whole exposed.

[00:08:51]>> This morning's full of surprises, Leonidas. This is a surprise.

[00:08:54]>> Silence.

[00:08:56]We were eager to join forces. This handful of soldiers against Xerxes? Do you have more?

[00:09:00]>> You, there. I'm a potter.

[00:09:03]Aw. Sculptor, sir.

[00:09:06]Blacksmith. WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?

[00:09:09]YOU MADE YOUR POINT. OKAY.

[00:09:11]>> I brought more soldiers than you did.

[00:09:13]He's got more than 300 potters and sculptors.

[00:09:16]No sleep tonight.

[00:09:19]Who is this?

[00:09:21]Is this one of them things?

[00:09:23]We're being followed. Yeah, go Go check him out. I think he's one of them things.

[00:09:27]>> It has followed us since Sparta. It.

[00:09:29]>> [laughter] >> Oh.

[00:09:31]>> My king!

[00:09:32]Oh, wow, that's so pretty.

[00:09:34]>> What?

[00:09:34]Oh, no.

[00:09:36]No. What happened here?

[00:09:37]>> [music] >> Where are all the people? Persians.

[00:09:40]Scouting party.

[00:09:45]Oh my.

[00:09:46]What is it What are you What Child.

[00:09:49]Oh.

[00:09:50]Beautiful blackness. They crave that.

[00:09:58]Well, that sounds absolutely terrifying. The villagers I don't want to see I don't >> [laughter] >> want it.

[00:10:05]Oh, no. I don't want to see any any of this.

[00:10:10]We are doomed. I'm looking up. I don't like this. They cannot be killed or defeated.

[00:10:15]What? Immortals.

[00:10:20]Oh. Oh. Oh.

[00:10:25]Into the hot gates we march.

[00:10:31]Into that narrow corridor we march.

[00:10:33]>> Persians!

[00:10:36]And they're Why are they excited to see him?

[00:10:39]Oh.

[00:10:40]Zeus stamps the sky with thunderbolts, with hurricane wind.

[00:10:45]That's very lucky.

[00:10:49]Only one among us keeps his Spartan reserve.

[00:10:53]>> [laughter] >> And you can arrange for me to speak to the council. I'm in your debt.

[00:10:56]>> No, you're not. This is my king.

[00:11:00]Oh my. We saw but a fraction of the monsters.

[00:11:03]>> all those ships though? How many people has he got? Why do you smile?

[00:11:06]>> I've never met an adversary who could offer me a beautiful death. Can you explain what that is? You look crazy. He looks crazy. He's crazy person.

[00:11:14]No!

[00:11:16]I am the emissary, the god of gods.

[00:11:21]To you. Someone show me your commander.

[00:11:24]Okay, Chiron. Oh my gosh, you just got to hear. Chill. Pathetic walls. Dry leaves in the face.

[00:11:33]Your Persian scouts supplied THE MORTAR.

[00:11:35]BARBARISM!

[00:11:38]YOU'RE ONE TO TALK.

[00:11:40]Oh my. Yeah, these people don't wear shoes. They're insane.

[00:11:44]My eyes Run along and tell your Xerxes >> By noon this day you will be dead men.

[00:11:50]Our arrows will blot out the sun. Then we will fight in the shade. Captain, have the men found any route through the hills?

[00:11:57]>> None, sire. Nah. Just past that western ridge.

[00:12:01]The Persians could use it to outflank us. I know, right?

[00:12:05]>> I'll skewer you where you stand.

[00:12:08]>> [laughter] >> Skewer it. Oh, he's so frightening. Is he nice though? Cuz I feel really bad now. He's just so snarly. I know what I look like. Oh. The LT's, born of Sparta, I will earn my father's armor AND BY SERVING YOU.

[00:12:27]FINE THRUST.

[00:12:29]I will kill many Persians.

[00:12:31]I've never heard that sentence. Raise your shield as high as you can.

[00:12:35]Every single weak spot >> The phalanx shatters.

[00:12:39]>> We are the battlefield of the dead.

[00:12:41]10,000 dead. Oh, I cannot use you to die for me. That's so so so sad. You are wrong. That's sad. He would have been useful. He'll scare a lot of people.

[00:12:55]Oh, hell no. LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS!

[00:13:00]DO YOU really think that's going to work? All right, yeah, okay. After all that.

[00:13:06]COME AND GET THEM.

[00:13:09]OH MY. How are they going to pull this off? They know it's crazy. Give them nothing, but take FROM THEM EVERYTHING.

[00:13:19]>> [screaming] >> IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?

[00:13:27]>> [screaming] >> I MEAN, IF YOU HAVE A RATIO LIKE THAT, you'll be okay.

[00:13:47]How are they doing all this? I guess all that practice since they were kids.

[00:13:53]THEY LOOK THIRSTY. WELL, LET'S GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO DRINK. TO THE CLIFFS!

[00:14:00]OH.

[00:14:03]HELL of a good start.

[00:14:06]Oh. OH. PERSIAN COWARDS.

[00:14:14]FIGHT IN THE SHADE. RECOVER!

[00:14:18]What a waste of arrows. Like that seems like a really poorly timed tactic. Like come on, they have shields. I wonder how much they knew about what they would have, what they'd be up against. I mean, they sent people ahead of time to check.

[00:14:34]At least four horses. Horses make those guys so much more threatening though.

[00:14:39]Can you imagine like you got a hundreds of extra pounds just sprinting at you? It'd be so scary.

[00:14:49]Ah, there's your mother.

[00:14:51]You should keep a better eye on him if he's to be king one day. You mind your business. Unfortunate if anything were to happen to him, or to his beautiful mother. Weird thing to say. I don't like him.

[00:15:00]Leonidas I'll leave you in charge. They assassinate me, all of Sparta goes to war.

[00:15:06]>> He said so casually. What if they assassinate me?

[00:15:10]What do you know?

[00:15:12]There's no reason we can't be civil.

[00:15:17]>> [laughter] >> I think we're a little past that part.

[00:15:19]What with the wall of corpses and all.

[00:15:22]Is this Oh.

[00:15:24]You must be Xerxes. You are fancy.

[00:15:29]Is that necessary? Come, Leonidas. There is much our cultures could share.

[00:15:34]>> We've been sharing our culture with you all morning.

[00:15:39]>> [laughter] >> I would gladly kill half of my own men.

[00:15:42]>> And I would die for any one of mine.

[00:15:44]>> Consider the fate of your women.

[00:15:46]>> Clearly, you don't know our women. But I'm a generous god. Your Athenian rivals will kneel at your feet if you will but kneel at mine.

[00:15:55]The idea of kneeling Theirs is a cramp in my legs.

[00:16:02]>> He's about to have a seizure. Every Greek historian the world would never know you existed at all. Few stood against many.

[00:16:12]>> [laughter] >> I like the timing How those Persians eye We're in for one wild night.

[00:16:18]Yeah, you pissed him off really bad.

[00:16:21]He's He's about to have an anger seizure. I've never seen something like that. What would you What would you What would would you put him? What did you do with him? You didn't kill him cuz he's he's a god and stuff. He's divine. He can't die, right? I mean, he's pretty, but he's not that pretty. Oh, no. What are yous? The personal guard to King Xerxes himself.

[00:16:41]Oh, no.

[00:16:43]Oh. The Immortals.

[00:16:46]Can you imagine? SPARTANS! PUSH!

[00:16:49][screaming] OH MY. But it's just one. You should have waited till they all came up.

[00:16:56]Imagine he's suffocated by dead bodies.

[00:17:00]That's rough.

[00:17:04]>> [groaning] >> You can leave those on.

[00:17:11]So, these guys are not immortal.

[00:17:18]They're just ugly.

[00:17:28]Yo, can someone can you This guy is huge.

[00:17:35]Ah, it's the worst weapon yet. Drool all over his face. Okay, well, that's that might be worse.

[00:17:47]>> [gasps] >> Where did they find that guy? I kind of felt bad for him. He's just like in chains. They just drag him around.

[00:17:58]Brave amateurs. They do that part.

[00:18:01]The man who fancies himself a god.

[00:18:05]>> [laughter] >> Hey narrator, you got to be careful.

[00:18:07]He'll hear you. Start seizing up again out of anger.

[00:18:11]>> [screaming] >> There's nothing that CAN STOP US NOW.

[00:18:14]YEAH, you guys are insane.

[00:18:20]Oh, what is that What What Who Our eyes bear witness. Huh? Coughed forth from the darkest corner of Coughed forth?

[00:18:31]Oh, well, we You should just let him keep running.

[00:18:36]Just kill the rider. Oh, there's no There's no rider. It's just a really evil rhino. That sucks.

[00:18:45]100 nations descend upon us. And numbers count for nothing. We send the severed bodies back to Xerxes' feet.

[00:18:54]Oh, what Who is this? And why? It disciplines them.

[00:19:00]Nah. Oh.

[00:19:04]That's the last thing that you got to see. That hideous pierced nipples. Wait, did you see that? I don't know what what these things are. It's going to haunt my dreams.

[00:19:14]>> They're clumsy beasts.

[00:19:17]See, that's kind of sad. That's That's a little sad. You still here? Somebody's got to watch your back.

[00:19:28]My son!

[00:19:31]He's like, wow.

[00:19:33]You killed You just killed so many people.

[00:19:36]Oh my. No, no, no, no.

[00:19:37]No.

[00:19:40]Oh, right in front of him. He was so proud of him like 2 seconds ago.

[00:19:46]We lose few. And upon seeing the headless body, the captain breaks rank.

[00:19:52]Huh?

[00:19:56]Oh. Takes three men to restrain him and bring him back to our own.

[00:20:04]Oh, what now? That was so sad. He had to be watching at that moment.

[00:20:16]The Spartans too are cruel to reject you.

[00:20:20]I mean, that was pretty sad. Every happiness you can imagine I will grant you. Lead my soldiers through the hidden path.

[00:20:29]I want it all.

[00:20:32]Done.

[00:20:36]Man, that is a lot of weirdness going on in that room. Just like weird threatening place. I don't know.

[00:20:43]It didn't entice me very much.

[00:20:45]>> I did not ask you here for small talk, darling.

[00:20:48]I'm told it's been arranged for you to go before the council. I know your kind too well. You send men to slaughter for your own gain.

[00:20:54]>> All men are not created equal, my little queen.

[00:20:57]I think he liked that. I admire your passion. Dang it. But don't think that you can walk into the council and sway the minds of men. Your words will fall on deaf ears. What do you have to offer in return for my word that I'll help you send our army north? I think you know.

[00:21:14]Ew. I'm not watching this.

[00:21:17]>> [groaning] >> Okay, good. That's Do I even want to see that? Man, that is a nasty dude. He's like, I think you know. I can't wait till he dies. I trust that scratch hasn't made you useless. Scratch? Gods saw fit to grace me with a spear.

[00:21:34]The hunchback traitor has led Xerxes' immortals. This battle is over, Leonidas. The hot GATES WILL FALL.

[00:21:39]SPARTANS NEVER RETREAT. My men will leave with me. No retreat. He's got kind of a crazy look in his eye.

[00:21:46]>> Stand and fight and die.

[00:21:50]I never told him that I loved him the most, that he was all that was best in me.

[00:21:58]While others broken for your loss, I have filled my heart with hate.

[00:22:04]Good.

[00:22:06]That is brutal.

[00:22:08]Tell them my story. Yes, my lord.

[00:22:12]Oh, is he the Is Is he the narrator?

[00:22:15]That's so creative.

[00:22:21]Wife of Leonidas and queen of Sparta.

[00:22:24]She's the only woman there. We must send the entire Spartan army to aid our king.

[00:22:28]Your choices today reflect their bravery. [music] Moving.

[00:22:34]Your husband has brought war.

[00:22:36]>> Xerxes brought it forth. Right. You speak of honor, but what of adultery?

[00:22:41]>> How dare you? But you offered yourself to me. Did you not receive a similar payment, my little [ __ ] queen?

[00:22:49]Remove her from this chamber before she infects us with her inglorious and shabby self.

[00:22:57]You will not enjoy this.

[00:22:59]>> [snorts] >> Ooh, what you got there?

[00:23:03]>> [sighs] >> Traitor!

[00:23:06]Xerxes is a rapist. You don't get any worse than that. Now he's dead.

[00:23:10]Hopefully that convinced them.

[00:23:12]>> Despite your insufferable arrogance, the god king has come to admire Spartans.

[00:23:16]His arrogance? You will make a mighty ally to the one true master of the world if you but lay down your arms and kneel. Really?

[00:23:27]This guy, I cannot take this guy seriously. He's such a brat. I don't see him doing this.

[00:23:34]It's not fear that grips him. Heightened sense of things.

[00:23:38]Dull's coin as they feast on the thousands of floating dead, ready to die.

[00:23:46]Don't do it. Look at Xerxes again all excited over there. Weird dude.

[00:23:52]Leonidas, what are you doing?

[00:23:55]Ephialtes, may he live forever.

[00:23:58]I don't know if he wants to.

[00:24:01]Oh man, he's so weird.

[00:24:05]Why? Why is he kneeling to him?

[00:24:11]Stelios!

[00:24:17]Slaughter them! [screaming] The shield was heavy.

[00:24:21]If this target is far away, Oh, he is going to freak. He is He's so vain. Can't mess with his face. His pretty face.

[00:24:32]Get blood all over it.

[00:24:37]Oh, no.

[00:24:40]He's still going.

[00:24:42]>> [screaming] >> His roar is long and loud.

[00:24:52]It's an honor to die at your side. It's an honor to live at yours.

[00:24:58]My queen!

[00:25:00]My love.

[00:25:14]Oh, he [singing and music] knows. Oh.

[00:25:17]That's all you have of his. He can't even say anything. He just Remember us.

[00:25:24]>> [gasps] >> Remember us.

[00:25:27]That was his hope.

[00:25:29]Looks like a painting. Bold Leonidas and his 300 laid down their lives. Just there the barbarians huddle. Today stand now AT 10,000 SPARTANS, 30,000 free Greeks. THREE TO ONE. Good odds FOR ANY GREEK. VICTORY!

[00:25:46]>> [screaming] >> WOW, THAT WAS CRAZY. That went by so fast. That was not what I was expecting it to be. That was very very beautiful, but also it was very very violent. I mean, that I was expecting [clears throat] that, yes, but like it's not like I was expecting them to win. I mean, those odds were terrible. But I guess that was a happy ending. I don't know. I don't know what I'm saying. Anyway, that was a cool movie. If you're new to my channel, usually what I'll do is rewatch the movie a few times, learn about it, and then I come back to you with my outro.

[00:26:21]Okay, let's start with some awards. The award for best dancer goes to Leonidas for this groovy little jig here. This particular move I've always referred to as baby's first dance move because it's often seen in the wild used by humans under two years of age due to their limited coordination abilities and or intelligence. Look at him go. Just kidding. I like Leonidas. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have anyone to rile up all these fancy bad guys such as our recipient for our next award for most Karen-like behavior. Someone show me your commander. This is the closest ancient Persian translation of I want to talk to your manager.

[00:27:01]Next, the sound effect award goes to By the way, it's called the sound effect award because I couldn't decide if it was the best sound or the worst sound.

[00:27:12]Let's screw it. Let's just call it the juiciest sound effect.

[00:27:17]There were a bunch in this movie, but the best comeback award goes to Leonidas for his response to Xerxes' proposal here. There's much our cultures could share. I don't think I was actually expecting him to consider it, but I certainly wasn't prepared for extra spicy Leonidas to answer.

[00:27:36]>> Haven't you noticed we've been sharing our culture with you all morning?

[00:27:40]Award for person whose name is way uglier than their face goes to Queen Gorgo. Y'all, did you know her name was Gorgo? I don't remember that ever being said out loud at any point, and there's a reason for that. It certainly wasn't said during the, you know, naked kissing scene cuz that would have completely killed the moment. It's like, really?

[00:28:02]Ooh, Leonidas, stand over there and do that little dance I love so much.

[00:28:08]Baby's first dance move? Haven't you seen it enough? Impossible. Now, put on that cape and dance for me, darling.

[00:28:18]Sure thing.

[00:28:20]Gorgo, it's just not a cute name. Award for face I hated the most goes to Ephialtes. And yeah, maybe that's not very nice, but maybe he's not very nice.

[00:28:30]I'm not even referring to his face in general. He wins this one because of one very specific facial expression that I did not happen to find very conducive to an attractive aesthetic. Okay, when he does this, he looks horrible. He looks horrible and I hate it. You know what I thought was really funny though? I noticed when I was editing this, this is the only time I noticed my kitten watching the movie.

[00:28:57]And she looks just as upset as I am to be seeing what she's seeing.

[00:29:03]So, I realized very early on in this movie that in order to enjoy it fully, I better not take it too seriously. I may not know much about this period or these early civilizations, but I sort of get this fantasy vibe right off the bat.

[00:29:18]Story being told to entertain rather than to educate. Based on what they're wearing alone, uh makes me a little bit hesitant to critique it in any sort of serious way like I would anything that's supposed to be, you know, historically accurate. So, it's based on a comic book by Frank Miller who created Sin City and The Dark Knight Returns among others. It's told through an extremely biased narrator, a Spartan soldier who of course holds his leader Leonidas up to the light at all times, thereby casting a shadow on anyone who doesn't fight alongside him.

[00:29:52]It's a clear line and it's easy to become immersed in the story of good Greek city-states like Sparta and Athens versus evil, the Persian Empire, traitors, and some select rhinoceros. To add to the fancifulness of 300, it was shot almost entirely indoors in front of a green screen, or rather a blue screen.

[00:30:14]They wanted to stay closely in line with the source material while keeping the visuals realistic enough to captivate a modern audience. It's kind of funny to imagine all these actors on a stage just surrounded by nothing. You know, no sky, no grass, no trees made of dead bodies. So, other than acting, a lot of what you see on the screen is just really involved editing. I can hardly imagine what went into that process and I spend a lot of time editing myself, so it's just so much. From the replication of the artwork from the comic book series to the stylized fast, slow, fast, slow battle scenes with a nice thick splatter of digitally produced blood. After a year of visual effects and finishing touches, the grueling process would reflect some of the most unique and coolest-looking graphics people had ever seen. Though over 500 costumes were made for the hordes of performers who would be battling it out throughout the movie.

[00:31:16]There's only a handful of characters who are distinguishable from the masses.

[00:31:19]There's Leonidas who Leonidas. There's Leonidas who is shown as a young child played by director Zack Snyder's own son, Eli, later shown as a teenager, and later played the adult version by Gerard Butler who, I'm not going to lie, I was half expecting would just finally break out into song. Like I said in the beginning, um a couple years prior he had played the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera and he was pretty darn good.

[00:31:52]expecting him to show off his singing skills, but he did not.

[00:31:56]He never did.

[00:31:58]He's got this big, energetic, gruff of a voice. You know, it's very fitting because you know, he Leonidas is this lion-like fi- Leonidas, I wonder if that has I actually didn't look up his name.

[00:32:11]It sounds like lion, doesn't it? But he's like this lion-like figure in that he goes from growling to roaring depending on what is threatening him and his people. Of course, we only see the positive elements to Leonidas because it's told through Dilios who idolizes him. Gerard Butler was able to work in such a non-traditional setting, but still found it to be restrictive at times, specifically having to adhere to the structure of the source material.

[00:32:42]Director Zack Snyder, who also wrote much of the screenplay, didn't want to stray too far from the comic books. He would look at the illustrations and plan how to bring it to life. So, it wasn't exactly one of those times where the actors felt this complete freedom to you know, improvise and get creative with their roles. No, they had to kind of stick to this this end result that, you know, the director kind of was looking for. I will say though, even though his character is this rigid protagonist, like he never strays from this hero archetype, you know, he he's he's just got to be this, you know, this decent leader or whatever. I will say, Butler found ways to bring humor to Leonidas and there moments where he's unexpectedly sarcastic and and sharp.

[00:33:32]Not to mention, there's this specific expression he does that's just super intense and also just hilarious to me. This face. This face right here. It's so funny. I'm pretty sure that Queen Gorgo was not a huge part of the comic book series. I think that Zack Snyder kind of added her whole sub plot, her storyline in order to appeal to a broader audience, you know, bring in more of the ladies and also add that, you know, romantic aspect to it cuz a lot of people, you know, they don't see it as a full story if it doesn't have some sort of love and all that stuff. I mean, they I feel like they had enough of it with simply the >> [music] >> Xerxes/Ephialtes in their little dungeon thingy. What I mean, was that not enough? Man, that scene. More about that later.

[00:34:26]See, also, I was just joking about her name, you know, being terrible. I think it's based on the word Gorgon, which, you know, I don't know a whole lot about mythology, but I'm pretty sure that's what Medusa was and her whole thing was that she was super hideous. So, it's not a bad at all. It's cute. I wish my name was Gorgo. Not really, not really. I was bullied enough in high school.

[00:34:53]Side note, on top of this side note, uh apparently, Queen Gorgo is one of the leaders in Civilization VI, which is a game if you don't know. If if you're nerdy like me, you know.

[00:35:07]Civilization VI is I actually haven't played after Civ V because I'm old and crotchety, stuck in my ways, and I am like, "It doesn't get any better than Civ IV and V." So, I never I never played VI. I bought it. I have it and I don't play it. So, I think this might be the call to play [music] as Queen Gorgo and finally play Civ VI because everyone says it's really good.

[00:35:35]And I'm so stubborn and I just I don't like learning new games. It takes really long time and this slow s- foggy brain. It takes the It takes everything to just get up in the morning for me right now.

[00:35:52]So, I don't want to Anyway, that's I'm not going to make a depressing thing out of it.

[00:35:57]If you know what I'm talking about, by the way, you nerd. Nerd. Another actor who is pretty new to me is Dominic West who played nasty gross Theron. His performance was great and I was so happy when he died.

[00:36:12]Then we have our other villain with no redeeming qualities. However, unlike nasty gross Theron, Xerxes, to me at least, is awesome. Like, just look at him. I'm pretty sure you can purchase that at Victoria's Secret, but he is ruthless, says he'd gladly kill any of his own men for victory. I would not like hearing that from an opponent. The moment we finally meet this rich and powerful rival might be my favorite part of the movie. You can just see how taken aback I was at his appearance and stance. He can't just hop out of his uh you know, what I'm actually entirely at a loss for what to call this um vehicle he's traveling aboard. No, no, he can't do that. He just has to dismount by stepping on all these random people with his bedazzled flip-flops.

[00:37:02]And then he speaks. Come, Leonidas.

[00:37:05]And I about lost my eyebrows.

[00:37:07][clears throat] Actor Rodrigo Santoro spent a lot of time working with a voice coach to perfect this shockingly low, dense vocal register that fits Xerxes so well. His makeup, his jewelry, the amount of X's he uses to spell his name, everything about this guy is just so distinctively over the top. The actor is already excessively tall at 6'2" or 188 cm, but in the finished edit, Xerxes is at the very least 7 ft tall or 213 cm.

[00:37:37]He is an absolute giant. Then we have the music. Though I did love the emotion that the choir brought to scenes like, you know, the last one in the field.

[00:37:48]That's so beautiful. The score might not necessarily be a favorite of mine, especially once I found out that the composer, Tyler Bates, who did the music for the John Wick series, among others, was discovered to have borrowed uh {slash} copied from other themes like James Horner's work in Troy and Elliot Goldenthal's soundtrack for the 1999 historical drama Titus. Not a good look.

[00:38:12]Whether intentional or not, the score's potential was tainted, though Warner Brothers smoothed out any further controversy by crediting Goldenthal as the inspiration for 300's soundtrack.

[00:38:22]The other thing I was not expecting with the score was, you know, during the battle scenes, this sort of modern-day rock music comes on. I was not I was not quite expecting that. Though, to be fair, I think it's more fitting of the year 2006 than looking at it through this 2026 lens. Wow. Lens isn't a word?

[00:38:42]Did y'all know it's spelled lens? L E N S. No E.

[00:38:48]Since when?

[00:38:50]I'm typing this out. I write basically a couple thousand words long essay before I film these outros, if you didn't know my process, and I'm writing lens and it's auto-correcting me. Like, am I dumb? Am I actually dumb? Looks like the internet agrees with me. I know, right?

[00:39:07]You get it. Another one. Mhm. Mhm.

[00:39:08]>> [laughter] >> Yep. Mhm. You are smart and gorgeous. Or should I say gorgeous? Who knows anymore? Good day, sir. You are correct.

[00:39:17]Uh you can go to hell. Anyways, this movie has been out for 20 years, so I won't pretend to know what it was like, especially going to the theater to see it. The opening weekend was record-breaking in North America and it continued to do well and is currently number 31 on the list of highest-grossing R-rated films behind The Matrix, Pretty Woman, and Gladiator.

[00:39:36]There's a Gladiator II? Did I know that?

[00:39:38]I don't remember knowing that. But maybe I did and it slipped out of my limited ram. I got a small drive. Very very teensy tiny.

[00:39:47]Very small.

[00:39:48]Didn't even know how to spell the word lens. The recurring theme I see is leaving a mark on the world even if you're only in it for a short time.

[00:39:55]There's this emphasis on being remembered, making sure their stories are known. I know that for a lot of people the scariest part of dying is being forgotten and I'm sure it's even worse for them because they like train their since they're little kids, they train their whole lives to die. Fighting and dying is their inescapable future and they're proud to do so it seems but I think the prospect of being the hero of a story maybe takes some of the dread away of you know bleeding out slowly from an arrow wound or worse. You saw some of the ways that these guys go out.

[00:40:26]I mean there's not a whole lot you can say to someone to get them super pumped to go out into that mess especially being so outnumbered. 300 not only did financially well but it also received mostly positive reviews. The criticism it did receive was due to its historical inaccuracies and negative portrayals of Persia and its people. I really don't blame those who were offended. I mean it's true these guys are absolute monsters. Atrocity after atrocity especially when you compare them to this innocent good moral shining Sparta you know who kills babies if their toes are too long or curly or something. I don't know.

[00:41:07]There's What was that in the beginning about? Throwing babies off a mountain?

[00:41:11]That's just horrifying. And you're the good guys?

[00:41:14]But anyways now you know what I'm saying.

[00:41:16]You know. You know. Not to mention lest we forget lest we forget the den of thrusting effeminate is [music] just frothing at the mouth here.

[00:41:28]I was offended by it. Well I didn't notice that it's not just strictly female performers or whatever and male customers like what you typically see it's much more fluid in this layer. So that's another thing that people uh a lot of people didn't love that. Like very diverse but also very creepy and weird. It's like the manly characters are good but feminine ones like Xerxes who wears makeup is bad I guess.

[00:41:53]I don't know. Also the country of Iran which I forgot is present day Persia really didn't appreciate the depiction.

[00:42:00]Some going as far as theorizing that the film was propaganda to get the Americans super pumped to go to war against the Iranians someday. What a mess.

[00:42:11]Like I wonder if Zack Snyder knew going into it what what type of like criticism he would be facing. Like he'd be on the hot seat for a while over let's be fair an adaptation. Would he still have done it? Hmm. I don't know. Nevertheless 300 propelled his career despite it being only his second film after having mostly directed only commercials and music videos. He was only 40 at the time so he has since had plenty of time to direct similarly unique and successful films like Watchmen and Justice League. Very interesting movie especially the visuals and I'll never forget that I would call it an unforgettable scene where Leonidas apparently never having received the memo don't shoot the messenger he kicks the guy down that unfathomably gigantic well. Y'all why do you even have that? That's a that's a that's a hazard.

[00:43:01]I wonder if that's where they eject those ugly babies.

[00:43:05]If they don't want to climb all the way up to the mountain to do it like some sort of satanic ritualized reversed Lion King scene you know like they were talking about in the beginning? Throwing down the well. Just kick them down like he did with that messenger who was kind he I mean he was kind of rude anyway so I wasn't too upset. And then they play this sound this creepy sound. Uh Absolutely bone-chilling. Anyway super entertaining recommendation. Thank you so so much patrons and to everyone who watched till the end. I appreciate y'all. I had fun. Hope you had fun and I'll see you next time. Bye.