Dvd Review:
I enjoyed 300 in theaters, but noticed there were things that seemed to drag or perhaps the bloodshed got a little repetitive after a little while, but as a movie designed around purely entertaining an audience for an hour and 57 minutes it succeeds beyond expectation and at home it is even better. Then translate that into on HD DVD at home it is fantastic!
I first received the two-disc special edition DVD and wasn't sure if the HD DVD was going to arrive in time so I managed to get my repeat viewing out of the way on DVD and then a listen to the audio commentary. However, as I was watching I noticed that the film was a bit grittier than I remembered. The picture quality didn't seem exactly up to par, especially considering I was watching it on my HD DVD player which meant it was getting the up-rez treatment. I wondered if the HD DVD would be the same... It isn't...
This HD DVD looks and sounds fantastic. While 300 is still gritty on HD DVD it doesn't look as dirty as the DVD looked. Equipped with your choice of Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD you are sure to be pleased with the audio and the features are outstanding for the most part. Let's take a look at them.
Bluescreen Picture-in-Picture Version - It is nice to once again say it is well worth spending the extra money on an HD DVD version of a film as this feature is honestly amazing. A bluescreen and untreated version of the film plays in a bloody border in the lower left hand have your television right in line with the released version behind it. Zack Snyder comments throughout the feature and goes into great detail concerning everything you are seeing. It is quite shocking to see how much changes due to color treatment and how many additional details show up once everything is "crushed" as it is referred to. This is definitely reason enough to buy the HD DVD version over the DVD.
12 Webisodes - These, as their name implies, were already featured online and you can get most of them right here. They are hardly a reason to get excited.
Three Deleted Scenes (3:23) - These three deleted scenes are not great, but they are interesting. The first two focus on the hunchbacked Ephialtes (Andrew Tiernan). The first clip shows him throwing himself off the cliff after Leonidas denies him when he asks to join his army. The second clip shows that he lived, a little something that would have played into the whole theme of Spartan glory dying on the battle field. The third clip features an enemy cut from the film involving giants with midget archers on their backs. It is sort of cool but it was right to cut it as none of it was necessary.
The 300 - Fact or Fiction? (24:34) - Based on the several comments in our user comments for this film this will be the most interesting feature for most people. You get to listen to several historians, filmmakers, Frank Miller and several others as they talk about how real or fictional the film is. A lot of it boils down to the fact that a lot of it is fictional storytelling built around a factual event.
Who Were the Spartans? (4:32) - This is a short and simple look at how the filmmakers and actors took the real customs of the Spartans into account when creating the characters and performances.
Preparing for Battle: The Original Test Footage (6:42) - This actually has two separate examples of test footage Snyder and his folk used to try and convince Warner Bros. to make the movie. The first is when they took the pages of Frank Miller's novel and scanned them into the computer, Photoshopped out the text and word bubbles and put together a video. Warner stilled balked but gave them some money to make a live-action version, which turned out pretty kick ass. It starts off with the WB logo spinning in as it is stabbed with a spear, which is them morphed into a live-action 365-degree look as one of the 300 Spartans takes on several opponents. It is bloody and it is good.
Frank Miller Tapes (14:42) - This is a short look at the life and work of Frank Miller.
Making of 300 (5:50) - A generic making of featurette that is pretty much unnecessary when taking into consideration the picture-in-picture feature.
Making 300 in Images (3:39) - I am never impressed by looking at still images on my TV so I skipped this one.
Audio commentary with Zack Snyder, writer Kurt Johnstad and director of photography Larry Fong (located on the DVD side) - When compared to the picture-in-picture feature this is hardly a blip on the radar and Snyder does repeat a couple of things. however with Johnstad and Fong included on this one you do get a few extra tidbits.
300 has been one of RopeofSilicon's most popular movies all year and I don't see it slowing one bit and it is great proof that comic books will continue to be a great source for great movies. Granted only 61% of critics gave this one a passing grade, but rest assured I don't think there are going to be many people out there that will be unsatisfied once the credits role.
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/homevideo.php?id=1410&vid_id=3685&type=hd
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