(no subject)
Last night I saw 300 on the IMAX. I hadn't made any plans to see it, but when Wendy called yesterday and mentioned that she, David, and Dan were going to the 12:45 am showing it seemed like a good idea. We met at D&B 1st for drinks, then headed over to get in line w/ the rest of the crazies. The 12:45 showing was sold out. That's crazy. We were some of the oldest there :-P
So anyway, these are things I learned from the movie.
Ugly people are not to be trusted.
The high priests on the hill are hideous. Of course this means they have been bribed by the Persians, promised gold and young women to fuck if they'll withhold their 'blessing' so Leonidas can't legally go to war.
The Spartans, we are told early in the movie, make a habit of throwing all non-perfect babies off a cliff. They make bad warriors you see, and this is all that matters. One of the families that bears such a child runs away so their kid won't be killed. The parents lovingly raise the child on their own, the father teaches the kid all he knows, and the child (Ephialtes) later returns to offer his services to Sparta. He is rejected of course...he can't raise his shield high enough to protect the man next to him! (This maneuver is employed a total of 2 times in the days of fighting.) Ephialtes runs away from the "perfect" Spartans, only to find acceptance under the somewhat delusion God-king. Really, only a god could love someone with birth defects.
Your comrades are there for you! Until they're not.
They make a really big deal about being a single unit, everyone fighting together, only being as strong as the person next to you, that sort of thing. A couple times they do regroup and stand w/ their shields together, which looks neat and works well. Then they break apart and the guy beside you no longer has your back. So faith in your fellow man is a beautiful, wonderful, treasured thing above all else; just don't expect any help when things get really rough.
Professional soldiers are vastly preferable to weekend warriors.
People who have other jobs aside from waging war can't *really* be counted on in battle. Better to let the professionals do it. Throw in the blacksmiths and such as a diversion, but the real fighting will be done by the big boys.
A small group making a stand gets nowhere. Come back with a bigger army.
The famous 300 of the title get killed. How sad. The movie then ends with a MASSIVE Spartan force preparing to take on the Persian army. So what did the 300 do? They rebelled against the traditional order of things, headed off on their own to fight during a religious holiday, and ended up dead as a result. The larger army then amassed to take on the Persians. So a small group trying to change the world is admirable, but what you REALLY need is a lot more people on your side. How then are we supposed to feel about the go-it-aloners who got themselves killed by showing up to the fight early?
Islamic fundamentalists may have a point.
A small group of people who are not afraid to die protecting their homeland can inflict serious losses on a much larger enemy. When that enemy's leader thinks he has some sort of religious significance, even better. Obviously the people fighting for their own way of life against an encroaching force supporting the spiritual way of thinking of a delusional leader are right to fight and die for their beliefs. What parallels might this have in modern life?
OK, I know this is just a silly movie loosely based on a crazy famous battle. (Yes, historically the stand against the Persian army allowed time for the bigger army to prepare, but this wasn't discussed in the movie.) Of course 300 is not meant to have any message at all, other than "badass mofos stand up against huge-ass army." I just couldn't help thinking about some of the messages a person could walk away from the movie with, if they weren't thinking about it critically.
So anyway, these are things I learned from the movie.
Ugly people are not to be trusted.
The high priests on the hill are hideous. Of course this means they have been bribed by the Persians, promised gold and young women to fuck if they'll withhold their 'blessing' so Leonidas can't legally go to war.
The Spartans, we are told early in the movie, make a habit of throwing all non-perfect babies off a cliff. They make bad warriors you see, and this is all that matters. One of the families that bears such a child runs away so their kid won't be killed. The parents lovingly raise the child on their own, the father teaches the kid all he knows, and the child (Ephialtes) later returns to offer his services to Sparta. He is rejected of course...he can't raise his shield high enough to protect the man next to him! (This maneuver is employed a total of 2 times in the days of fighting.) Ephialtes runs away from the "perfect" Spartans, only to find acceptance under the somewhat delusion God-king. Really, only a god could love someone with birth defects.
Your comrades are there for you! Until they're not.
They make a really big deal about being a single unit, everyone fighting together, only being as strong as the person next to you, that sort of thing. A couple times they do regroup and stand w/ their shields together, which looks neat and works well. Then they break apart and the guy beside you no longer has your back. So faith in your fellow man is a beautiful, wonderful, treasured thing above all else; just don't expect any help when things get really rough.
Professional soldiers are vastly preferable to weekend warriors.
People who have other jobs aside from waging war can't *really* be counted on in battle. Better to let the professionals do it. Throw in the blacksmiths and such as a diversion, but the real fighting will be done by the big boys.
A small group making a stand gets nowhere. Come back with a bigger army.
The famous 300 of the title get killed. How sad. The movie then ends with a MASSIVE Spartan force preparing to take on the Persian army. So what did the 300 do? They rebelled against the traditional order of things, headed off on their own to fight during a religious holiday, and ended up dead as a result. The larger army then amassed to take on the Persians. So a small group trying to change the world is admirable, but what you REALLY need is a lot more people on your side. How then are we supposed to feel about the go-it-aloners who got themselves killed by showing up to the fight early?
Islamic fundamentalists may have a point.
A small group of people who are not afraid to die protecting their homeland can inflict serious losses on a much larger enemy. When that enemy's leader thinks he has some sort of religious significance, even better. Obviously the people fighting for their own way of life against an encroaching force supporting the spiritual way of thinking of a delusional leader are right to fight and die for their beliefs. What parallels might this have in modern life?
OK, I know this is just a silly movie loosely based on a crazy famous battle. (Yes, historically the stand against the Persian army allowed time for the bigger army to prepare, but this wasn't discussed in the movie.) Of course 300 is not meant to have any message at all, other than "badass mofos stand up against huge-ass army." I just couldn't help thinking about some of the messages a person could walk away from the movie with, if they weren't thinking about it critically.