I’m planning on going to see the film ‘300’ tomorrow, in all its IMAX glory.

This despite Scott Holleran’s quite critical review that calls the film “history hijacked by horror,” and says that “The script is filled with words—tyranny, freedom, reason—that pletely unsupported and have no meaning. The Spartans, portrayed as snarling animals seeking hostility for its own sake, claim superiority over mysticism, but cartoonish mystics inflict real damage, thereby negating the power of reason over faith.”

He also can’t help but draw parisons to the US government’s place in the contemporary global political situation. These are allusions the movie’s director has called “unavoidable,” but has also said, “The point is only that there can be nobility in sacrifice. That is a real thing.”

G4’s Attack of the Show provides a nice and short introduction to the film-making philosophy behind bringing a graphic novel to the big screen:

For some background resources on the battle of Thermopylae, especially on teaching the history of the war, check out these items from Professor Plum’s page on designing instruction on the Persian Wars. See especially this PowerPoint and this strategy page.