Frank Miller’s “300” Departs from the Original, but it’s a Story no Stylizing can Diminish

The word “patriotism” was defined around 480 B.C. when a small but mighty force met overwhelming numbers head-on in a battle with no odds of winning. I originally read the book “Gates of Fire” by Steven Pressfield some years ago and have been in love with the story ever since. I was unfamiliar with Frank Miller’s graphic novel, “300” until now. The film was based upon the graphic novel – more so, perhaps, for its imagery and Frank Miller’s reputation rather than purely its story. The “300” blew away both me and my wife. I’ve ordered the Frank Miller graphic novel as a token of my respect and appreciation for such a well-made movie from such a well-told story. A more historically accurate version of this tale could be told, but in a way it deserves a near mythical telling. Despite the surreal spin the movie takes, it is an appreciable tangent with fantastic notions to better acquaint a modern audience to its alien premises. If you’re familiar with the original stories, it’s plain enough to see the deviations. The meaning however, is something that can’t be lost in any retelling of the Battle at Thermopylae – an ideal I believe Zack Snyder, the director of “300,” kept in his heart.

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