“Violence. Gore. Bloodshed. Honor. Battle. Dining in hell. Facing unbeatable odds in the name of your country. Subtly convincing others that declaring war against Iran is justifiable to defend our own country. All of these things, save one, are encompassed in the new movie 300, based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel and distributed by Warner Brothers.”
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Violence. Gore. Bloodshed. Honor. Battle. Dining in hell. Facing unbeatable odds in the name of your country. Subtly convincing others that declaring war against Iran is justifiable to defend our own country.

All of these things, save one, are encompassed in the new movie 300, based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel and distributed by Warner Brothers.

If you haven’t seen the movie, 300 is about the ancient battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 Spartans, led by King Leonidas, stood against the invading Persian army of more than a million soldiers led by King Xerxes, knowing full well that the battle would likely be their last.

Meanwhile, Leonidas’ wife, Queen Gorgo, attempts to gather support from the Greeks to support her husband. Battle ensues.

Critics are split on 300. Some criticize the plotline (or lack thereof) and historical accuracy of the movie, claiming that the producers opted for visualization over characterization. Others praise the dramatic acting, great soundtrack and stunning visuals.

I don’t care what the critics say, 300 was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. The only problem I had with the movie was that there was entirely too much slow motion. Aside from that, the movie both looked and sounded amazing, and it kept me interested the entire two hours.

And who didn’t laugh at smart-aleck remarks such as, There’s no reason we can’t be civil, as the Spartan soldiers repeatedly stabbed the mounds of barely still alive Persian soldiers?

300 made me feel inadequate as a man; as if I should be doing something more heroic and then leave my girlfriend so she could find a good Spartan warrior. It also made me want to grab my shield and broadsword and go to battle.

What it didn’t make me want to do is declare war on Iran. It didn’t even give me a negative opinion of Iran. In fact, how does that issue even relate to the movie at all?

Yet articles repeatedly claim that 300 is propaganda attempting to get people to equate Iranians with Persians and sway public opinion of Iran.

The ultimate goal of the movie, such articles are claiming, is to negatively portray Iranians so the American public will support its government in justifiably declaring war on Iran. There are even Facebook groups about it.

We’re not talking about the way it portrays the Spartans or the Persians or even the historical accuracy of the movie. This is claiming that a genuinely entertaining movie is a Hollywood-sponsored government propaganda campaign. Does that sound ridiculous to anyone else?

Not everything has to be construed as a government message. That’s like saying Reign Over Me is really an attempt to rekindle post-Sept. 11 anti-terrorist feelings so the public will continue to support the war in Iraq. Or like saying the Harry Potter movies are attempting to undermine the tenets of Christianity.

Ask anyone to point out where Persia is on a map. Chances are, they won’t even point to where it used to be, let alone know that Persia, as an empire, does not exist anymore. No one is going to draw a parallel between Persia in 300 and today’s Iran, nor will their opinion of Iran be altered.

Seriously, America, can’t we just sit down and enjoy a good movie?

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