300 (2007) is a superhero film adapted from Dark Horse Comics, directed by Zack Snyder and starring Gerard Butler and Lena Headey. The film is part of the Dark Horse and was released by Warner Bros.. Runtime: 1h 57m. Rated R. Audience rating: 7.7/10.
What is 300 (2007) about?
King Leonidas leads 300 Spartans to battle the massive Persian army of Xerxes I at the pass of Thermopylae, in a stand that would define the course of Western civilization.
Released in 2007, 300 was directed by Zack Snyder and produced under the Warner Bros. banner. The film occupies a significant place within the Dark Horse — contributing to the ongoing narrative and mythology of that cinematic universe.
The film features lead performances from Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, among others, anchoring a story that adapts characters first brought to life in Dark Horse Comics. Its source material gives the film a foundation rooted in decades of published storytelling, which Snyder and the creative team interpret through a cinematic lens.
With an audience rating of 7.7, 300 is generally praised as a strong entry in the superhero genre — its strengths in storytelling, performance, and production design regularly cited by viewers.
What happens in 300 (2007)? — Full Plot
We open with narration from Dilios (David Wenham), a Spartan warrior who has lost his eye in battle. The film unfolds as Dilios's recounting of King Leonidas's resistance at Thermopylae to a war council. Dilios serves as the film's reliable-narrator throughout.
King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) is the king of Sparta — a militaristic Greek city-state that has trained its men since childhood as warriors. The Persian emperor Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) sends emissaries demanding Sparta's submission to his expanding empire. Leonidas kicks the emissary into a deep ceremonial pit.
Leonidas, unable to formally declare war without the Spartan Council's approval, leads 300 hand-picked Spartan warriors to confront Xerxes's million-soldier army at the narrow mountain pass of Thermopylae — a position where the numerical advantage would be neutralized by the geography.
The 300 Spartans engage Xerxes's army at Thermopylae. The film's visual style — slow-motion violence, hand-illustrated background tableau, deep contrast between Spartan red-cape against gold-armored Persians — defines the comic-book adaptation aesthetic.
The first day's battle goes well for the Spartans. They establish a defensive 'phalanx' formation that allows them to repel waves of Persian soldiers. The Persian army's elite Immortals attack on the second day; the Spartans kill all 300 of them.
Ephialtes (Andrew Tiernan) — a hunchbacked Spartan-born outcast — betrays Leonidas to Xerxes. He shows Xerxes a secret mountain path that allows the Persian army to flank the Spartan position. Ephialtes was once a hopeful Spartan recruit; his rejection turned him into the betrayer.
Leonidas faces the inevitable. He sends Dilios back to Sparta as a messenger. The remaining 300 prepare for their final stand. They die in a brutal final battle, mortally wounded but inflicting massive casualties on the Persian forces. Leonidas dies last, his body riddled with arrows.
The film closes with Dilios delivering the news to Sparta and rallying a 10,000-warrior army for the larger war against Persia. The Battle of Thermopylae was a tactical Persian victory but a strategic moral failure that ultimately led to Greek victory in the broader war. 300 grossed $456 million globally — strong commercial success and the film that established Zack Snyder's directorial reputation.
Who stars in 300 (2007)?
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What are some facts about 300 (2007)?
300 released in 2007, placing it within the 2000s era of comic book cinema — a decade that marked the modern superhero cinema revolution.
Directed by Zack Snyder, the film was produced by Warner Bros. and adapts source material from Dark Horse Comics.
The principal cast features Gerard Butler and Lena Headey, with key supporting roles played by David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro.
The film belongs to Dark Horse — a distinct corner of comic book cinema.
300 carries an audience rating of 7.7 — putting it in the solid-to-excellent tier of the genre.
The Dark Horse Comics source material for 300 has been in continuous publication for decades, giving filmmakers a rich well of storylines, character arcs, and iconography to draw upon.
Films from this era combined practical stunts with the rising CGI industry — many sequences would be impossible with either technology alone.
300 is catalogued on Movies on Comics among our collection of 162 comic book films spanning 48 years of cinema — from Richard Donner's 1978 Superman to the present day.
