Just last night I had the chance to see the new movie 300, based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel interpretation of the battle of Thermopylae. All I can say is, wow. 300 is a two hour romp through cinematography, special effect, and action heaven. That’s what it was made to be, and it was done so to an amazing level of quality. Some may realize that a deep plot and involving twists and turns are not present. You would be right. But every once in a while a movie comes along that decides to cast these things out the window, and focus on the things central to the story; action and violence. This is one of those movies, and it is not for the faint of heart. Blood and gore abound, and a good majority of the movie is pure battle. A while ago I heard a complaint that the movie wasn’t historically accurate, and that it did no justice to the actual events that took place, nor to the armor, weaponry, and clothing of the time period. The thing is, this movie takes the form of a myth. It isn’t meant to be historical, it is meant to portray the feelings of glory, pride, chaos, and war that may have taken place during this battle. These feelings may be purely fictitious, but that is the point of myth in a way, to portray the idealized emotions, actions, and character of a people, whether or not they are accurate. We don’t look to the myths of the ancients only for historic truths, but also for deeper truths, truths about how they felt and idealized their cultures. The 300 Spartans, and Sparta itself, are raised up in this movie to a mythical level, no matter how historically inaccurate their portrayal is.