300 movie

I thought this was pretty lame - in fact I think the 1962 original 300 Spartans was actually more historically accurate. The villains in the current version look nothing like ancient Persians - more like Lord of the Rings Orks or possibly samurai - and Xerxes? Did he really look like an s&m gimp in a jock strap and facial piercings? I think not. Also they completely avoided the issue of Spartan sexuality - there is an off-handed remark about Athenians liking boys but if memory serves me correctly the cornerstone of this Spartan military society was the total relegation of women to vessels of breeding purposes only. As a film it was dull anyway - too many speeches, only one female character and a stagey look that didn't really give an indication of the epic nature of this battle. The above linked review pretty much sums it up in my opinion. Why was it so popular? It certainly has been a talked about movie - so full marks for getting ancient civilizations discussed in pubs - and full marks for a fleeting armoured rhino - the rest I wouldn't bother with. Wiki on Spartan pederasty