A Triumph of Greek Tragedy

300 returns to Blu-ray with extras to rival the armies of Xerxes

300 purport to recount the story of the 300 Spartans who stood up to the might of the Persian Empire. By taking his cues from Frank Miller's hyper-macho comic books, director Zack Snyder's film deals less with history and more with oiled-up muscle men slicing each other up while shouting melodramatic platitudes. A triumph of violent style over substance but, good, silly and fun.

It's grainy and de-saturated, but that's exactly what the filmmaker wanted. What's important here is that this VC-12.40:1 encodes looks identical to the previous disc. As such it’s a technically flawless presentation of the source and merits the same level of praise all over again.

300 is a blisteringly good example of audiovisual synergy. Tyler Bates' dramatic, stomping score is a perfect match for Snyder's Miller-inspired visuals. It riffs like a metal band, with Greco-roman choral themes raising the hackles on the back of your neck. Its 5.1 Dolby TrueHD mix is a thrilling example of hi-rez Sonics. It plays like a series of bombastic demos with highlights toppling like those pesky Persians. The LFE channel is drafted into the front-line, and attacks with wave after wave of bass brutality. Every hack and slash is toe-tappingly choreographed. The intensity is exhilarating.

Arriving in book-style packaging (albeit with a thin cardboard sleeve with a Digital Copy disc stuck to the back), this new Blu-ray edition Lives up to its "Complete Collection' tag. The audio commentary, featurettes and deleted scenes, documentaries and webisodes from previous releases are present, plus the previously HD DVD-exclusive PiP blue screen mode. But the best addition is The Complete300 viewing mode, which offers three extra tracks of PiP content, trivia boxes and Focus Point featurettes; the latter dealing with creator Frank Miller, the making of the movie and the historical events behind the story.

As such it’s a technically flawless presentation of the source and merits the same level of praise all over again.
300 is a blisteringly good example of audiovisual synergy. Tyler Bates' dramatic, stomping score is a perfect match for Snyder's Miller-inspired visuals. It riffs like a metal band, with Greco-roman choral themes raising the hackles on the back of your neck. Its 5.1 Dolby TrueHD mix is a thrilling example of hi-rez Sonics. It plays like a series of bombastic demos with highlights toppling like those pesky Persians. The LFE channel is drafted into the front-line, and attacks with wave after wave of bass brutality. By taking his cues from Frank Miller's hyper-macho comic books, director Zack Snyder's film deals less with history and more with oiled-up muscle men slicing each other up while shouting melodramatic platitudes. A triumph of violent style over substance but, good, silly and fun.
It's grainy and de-saturated, but that's exactly what the filmmaker wanted. What's important here is that this VC-12.40:1 encodes looks identical to the previous disc. As such it’s a technically flawless presentation of the source and merits the same level of praise all over again.


By: Francis David


Francis helps people understand the DISH TV Network and knows all of the DISH Network local deals for new customers. He has an in-depth knowledge of DISH Network HD services.