‘300′: The Other Effect on Pop-Culture

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on March 28, 2007

Now that 300 has officially become the “next big thing”, it is only a matter of time before the film becomes the catalyst of mind numbing social trends. Napoleon Dynamite is one of the worst culprits in this situation. For quite some time after the film’s DVD release, people were walking around aimlessly quoting John Heder with reckless abandon. I’m afraid that 300 has already started a trend.  A quote from the film has risen above the film’s hype, and even its criticisms. The quote is from Gerard Butler playing Leonidas, in which he exclaims “This is Sparta!”

Now this scene is innocent enough, but it has already become a pop culture reference. Hundreds of threads on numerous message boards on the internet have stories based on this quote. WTFSRSLY.com has excerpts of these stories:

Such as this one by SmithX on the IGN boards:

“Well i found out someone i know is in alot of trouble today, he was drunk in a club and there was a girl dancing by some stairs so he went up to her…………………… Kicked her down the stairs shouting this is SPARTA”

Or this one from an anonymous poster commenting on a blog:

“We had all lined up in front of the theater for about 30 minutes, and then they brought us in. I had to stand right beside these two fat, horse-faced lesbians eating each other tongues like they were making a political statement or something. So, like 30 minutes later, we end up shuffling in the theater and these bitches start bitching about having to wait when the movie is about to start and it turns out they were going to see that Jim Carrey movie 23 and they were missing it. So, the ugliest of the two just exclaims like there’s nobody there “This is the wrong fucking movie!”. I just had to do what I did next. I shouted at the top of my lungs “This is SPARTA” and kicked her in the chest, causing her to fall down about 8 steps to the floor. Most were shocked but about 80% of the theater started to cheer as I was forcibly thrown out by 2 officers. Charges are going to be pressed against me apparently, but it was worth it.”

While the political fire surrounding this film burns hotter each day, know that people everywhere are laughing. People are not only laughing at the hordes of Iranians who feel that the film is the evil offspring of Zach Snyder and Frank Miller. On that note, let me quote Zach Snyder, the director of the film, on his view of the historical accuracy of 300:

“The depiction of violence in 300 is not going to be realistic. 300 is Frank Miller’s comic brought to life., his visual aesthetic realized through a fusion of photographed reality and highly stylized visual effects. It’s the depiction of an actual historical event, but it is more fantasy than fact. 300 is like twenty dozen Frank Frazetta illustrations made real, edited into an anti-anti-war film, where battle, death and sacrifice are things to be celebrated. Every slash, impalement, and decapitation should be rendered as a thing of beauty. It’s war transformed into art.”

Still, while people keep voicing their anger over the film, fans have transformed 300 images into their own art.

Read more articles by Brian C. Gibson