Regulars know I previously posted on a movie called 300 Spartans a few weeks back. I was highly impressed with the story of King Leonidas and his bravery in leading 300 of his personal retainer against more than a million men intent upon destroying Greece. I was not overly impressed with the movie itself as it was old and not very well written or acted.
I logged into MySpace today and lo and behold, I see a new version of this same true story. This one titled simply "300." Hollywood being what it is today, 300 has plenty of special effects and what looks like some unnecessary additions and what appears to be a few monstrosities. Not quite orcs, but not exactly human either.
It looks like Hollywood in its efforts to outdue itself may well have gone too far astray (yeah, imagine that) from a story line that is already incredibly heroic and cannot really be made more-so. What the producers/directors/writers don't quite comprehend is that sometimes you simply cannot tell a more stirring story than a true one from history. These tales often do not need embellishment. Hollywood, please stop trying! Tell the tale faithfully and let the deeds of the men and women who have shaped this world stir our blood.
Some examples of movies that stayed faithful to the tale (Yes some things have to be changed, no one except Dune fans want to see the hours of nothing)
The Patriot.
Braveheart.
Black Hawk Down.
We Were Soldiers.
The Great Raid.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Fantasy, yes. But faithful to the tale.
Brave tales simply tell themselves. No need to add to it. 300 comes out in March so I will have to wait until then to see how good or bad it is.