300 (2006, USA, Canada, Bulgaria)

Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West
Running Time: 117 mins.

One year after the visually stunning Sin City, another Frank Miller comic book was brought to life and it also became an incredible visual spectacle. 300 is eye candy of the best sort; filled with spear thrusts, pierced bodies, beheadings, mounting horses, rainfalls of arrows – all shot through beautiful filters in terrific slow motion. There isn’t much of a story to be told; this is just pure macho shit. A bunch (300) of muscular Spartan warriors refuse to be overruled by Persian God king Xerxes, so they march to war, commanded by their stout king Leonidas (Gerard Butler in his breakthrough role) and supported by his formidable queen (played by a pre-Game of Thrones Lena Headey). What follows is bloodletting on a grand scale. The custom design, make-up, camerawork and editing/post production are all top notch. What has happened to this visual style since then? Zack Snyder has since made quite a few successful superhero epics, like Justice League and Men of Steel, but 300 remains his most accomplished work.