Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bloody, fanboyish retelling of an ancient battle.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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300
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 24 parent reviews
Based on 95 kid reviews
Kids say this film is an epic depiction of a historical battle filled with intense and stylized violence, featuring numerous graphic scenes of bloodshed and some nudity, making it suitable for mature audiences only. While many appreciate its artistic elements and educational value in relation to ancient history, others criticize the excessive gore and sexual content that may not be appropriate for younger viewers.
- graphic violence
- stylized action
- educational value
- mature audience
- excessive nudity
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Adapting Frank Miller's graphic novel 300, Snyder takes a hyperstylized visual approach to depicting the famed Battle of Thermopylae, where King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his 300 elite personal guards defied their Oracle and the odds to wage war against Xerxes' huge, unrelenting Persian army. Faced with the choice of submitting to Xerxes (Brazilian Lost regular Rodrigo Santoro, rendered nearly unrecognizable in earrings and eye makeup) or waging war, Leonidas makes the only choice a warrior-king can: fight. Leonidas and his personal detachment, led by his captain (fine character actor Vincent Regan) and Dilios (David Wenham), discover that although they're grossly outnumbered, they can funnel the enemy into the Hot Gates (the literal translation of "Thermopylae"), a narrow pass where the Spartans' special-forces skills will crush wave after wave of the Persians. And, oh, how they crush. It's impressive and disarming to see the 300 delight in the "glory" of warfare. The Spartans, so drunk on warlust that they dismember, skewer, decapitate, and spear the enemy -- whether it's human, animal, or something in between -- are brave, but also a bit mad. What the Spartans want (unlike the Arcadians, a group of fellow Greeks that joins them) is not to survive but to "die a beautiful death" in battle.
Is It Any Good?
At times engrossing and at times laughably over-the-top, 300 is entertaining as an extended war sequence. However, the film falls short of reaching the revolutionary Matrix-like status that the film's creators claim. The whole segment in Xerxes' lair, with its hedonistic sensuality, smacks of stereotypical Orientalism, not to mention some of the grossly depicted Persian soldiers and the disfigured hunchback who plays a central role.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the Spartans' upbringing and values. Why are 7-year-olds forced to fight each other -- and adults?
Xerxes offers Leonidas what sounds like a sweet deal; why does the king, facing certain death, turn it down?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 8, 2007
- On DVD or streaming : July 31, 2007
- Cast : David Wenham , Gerard Butler , Lena Headey
- Director : Zack Snyder
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Warner Bros.
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 117 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity.
- Last updated : January 29, 2026
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