Mirabile Visu – 300

There is a latin saying "mirabile visu" which means wonderful to behold.  It’s the perfect phrase to describe the recent movie 300 which is based on a Frank  Miller’s graphic novel of the battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. King Leonidas of Sparta leads a group of 300 soldiers against a force of 100,000 Persian invaders led by King Xerxes. Since the movie is called 300 and Greece didn’t fall to Persians you might be able to predict the outcome of this movie. You can read a complete review of 300, complete with spoilers, here. Other women bloggers I read have reviewed it here (for fitness inspiration) and here (for epic story telling).

For all of its historical inaccuracies, this movie was incredible to behold. While some scenes caused heads to fly (literally) and were almost comical with their slow motion head spinning, blood spraying action, other scenes crept into your vision and were almost more horrible as you began to discern individual shapes. For example, the Spartans built a massive wall to divert the Persians into their trap. It was only as King Xerxes approached that the viewer learned, with Xerxes, that this wall was held together with the bodies of thousands of Persian soldiers used as mortar.  300 is simply visually stunning. It must be seen on the big screen to be appreciated. It is grand, glorious, and incredibly gory.