300: Limited Collector’s Edition – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Dec 5, 2008, 14:51 GMT

The epic graphic novel by Frank Miller ("Sin City") assaults the screen with the blood, thunder and awe of its ferocious visual style faithfully recreated in an intense blend of live-action and CGI animation. Retelling the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, it depicts the titanic clash in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his massive Persian army. Experience history at ...more

Just in time for the holidays a new edition of 300 arrives so you can gift your favorite Spartan.  The set features the two disc special edition and adds a third disc of new features as well as some swag housed in a collectible box.  

The Persian king Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) sends messengers to Sparta to demand their fidelity and subservience.  Instead of succumbing to those demands, King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) drops the messengers down a well. 

This action basically guarantees war.  However, the priests will not allow Leonidas to have the full Spartan army battle during a religious festival.  To get around the orders of the priests, Leonidas decides to go on a stroll and take 300 of his “bodyguards” with him.  His plan is to take the 300 to an area known as the “Hot Gates,” a narrow pass that the Persians will have to pass through to attack Sparta. 

Meanwhile back in Sparta, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) has to convince the Spartan senate to send reinforcements to keep this small force from being slaughtered.  

300 is a stylized rendition of the graphic novel by Frank Miller that uses its computer generated imagery to great effect.  A two-disc special edition was released in 2007 and this new edition adds a small bit to that edition, but basically replicates that edition.  It does add some real items and a new documentary. 

For those interested in such you also get a digital copy so that you can take the film with you wherever you go.  I think that only your most die-hard 300 fan will want the upgrade unless the swag in the oversized box interests you. 

The box is a bit cumbersome in trying to fit it into your collection, but it has to be big enough to house all the goodies therein.  

300 is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  Disc one contains a commentary by director Zack Snyder, screenwriter Kurt Johnstad, and director of photography Larry Fong. 

Disc two includes the 24 minute “The 300: Fact or Fiction?” that explores the history behind the story.  The 4 minute “Who were the Spartans?: The Warriors of 300” examines how the Spartans are portrayed.  The 14-minute “Frank Miller Tapes” is unfiltered conversations with Miller and his friends. 

The 5 minute “Making of 300” has some behind the scenes footage and interviews about the making of the film.  The 3-minute “Making 300 in Images” gathers lots of on set photographs together. 

There are also 3 minutes of deleted scenes with introductions by director Snyder.  Finally there are 38 minutes of “Webisodes” that delve into the production of the film.  The new disc three adds the new 30 minute “To the Hot Gates: A Legend Retold” documentary and a digital copy for your PC or portable device. 

It’s all housed in an oversized box that contains a 52-page book, 6 photo cards, and a Lucite motion display with an image from the film.  

The box is impressive, but only die-hard fans need apply.  I’m going to rate it highly because it is such a nice set, but you’ll have to plan to purchase if your budget can handle the load.  

300: Limited Collector’s Edition is now available at Amazon. As of yet, this version of the DVD is not available in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.