FIL M RE VIE W

GRADE: B+ COURTESY PHOTO FLORIDA WEEKLY Gerald Butler as King Leonidas
Running time: 117 minutes
MPAA rating: R
First off, let's get out of the way all the things "300" ISN'T: It's not a history lesson. It's not a film to be taken seriously, like "Schindler's List." It's based on a comic book, and as such, don't expect too much in the way of great writing or character development.

"300" is nearly two hours of dudes in sandals whompin' the bejabbers out of each other.

Cool. The film is based on an actual historical event, the Battle of Thermopylae, which took place in 480 B.C., where for several days, 300 Spartans led by King Leonidas held back an invasion of a bajillion invading Persians (led by self-proclaimed god, Xerxes) at that narrow pass on the coast of Greece.

The movie is basically nothing but the battle. There's no real backstory to speak of, and maybe 20 minutes of subplot involving a traitor in the Spartan Senate.

Other than that, "300" is a non-stop adrenaline rush as you watch wave after wave of Persian warriors, rhinos, monsters and ninjas (YES!) get clobbered, filleted, decapitated, shish kabobed and ground into chutney by the plucky band of Greek warriors.

The CGI in this movie is top-notch. The battle scenes are so incredibly stylized, they rank right up there with films like "Braveheart," "Lawrence of Arabia" and the "Lord of the Rings" saga. If you have a chance to watch "300" at an IMAX theater, I highly recommend it. n

(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.