The reason why there are elements of heightened reality as far as the creatures go is because this is a story being told by the narrator. His audience is picturing in their mind what he is talking about.
Yes, exactly! And you'll notice that Dilios, the narrator, suffers an eye injury and wears a patch over his eye, indicating his vision/perspective is tainted. It's a detail that was in Frank Miller's original graphic novel and smartly kept in the movie adaptation.
They are describing rhinos and elephants as "monsters" because , unless you were a traveler , most greeks have never seen one in those times . Imagine how shocked you would be... Notice how they call bombs "magic" because chemical reactions was completely obscure at the time
Yes. The historians of that age described the creatures as "monsters" because they had never seen them again. In Greece, they had never seen an elephant or a rhino so it was weird for them.
The Battle of Thermopylae did result in lopsided casualties against the Persians, and even though the Spartans and other Greeks lost, the Persians took tens of thousands of dead. The naval battle at Artemesium took place simultaneously and the Persians took disproportionate casualties there too. The Persians had taken disproportionate casualties ten years earlier at Marathon. At the end is the battle of Plataea, where modern historians estimate 80,000 Greeks crushed a comparably sized Persian army. The result was that both Persian invasions ended in defeat. A couple generations later, Alexander of Macedon would lead all the Greeks (except Sparta, ironically) on an invasion of Persia and conquer the Persian Empire over the course of just four years.
@@Robertz1986 No kidding about disproportionate casualties. Nowhere was this more evident than at Marathon. 30k Persians versus 11k Greeks, yet the Persians absolutely got the crap kicked out of them. They lost a fifth of their army, whereas the Greeks lost just a little less than two hundred men.
“May you live forever” is a curse because he has a miserable existence, and Spartans arent afraid of death, and so they dont value existing for its own sake, but would rather die with honor than live as a traitor.
@@EricSarahReact The only ones in Sparta who got gravestones were men who died in battle and women who died in child birth. Their test into manhood was not some test out in the wild it was to sneak out a night and strangle slave to death an not getting caught. The Gods help you if you did.
Accuracy: *A lot of the stuff they showed you about the Spartan culture was true. A few of the lines are from history. Xerxes did indeed send an emissary that asked for earth and water and was tossed in a well as Leonidas told him "You'll find plenty down there." "Come back with your shield or on it" was the traditional Spartan farewell for soldiers going to war. They were threatened with "arrows that will blot out the sun" and did respond with "Then we will fight in the shade" and he did indeed say ""Eat a hearty breakfast for tonight we dine in (Hades)" *They did NOT go into battle mostly naked. Their armor was in fact super-high tech for the ancient world, providing significant protection and mobility. When Frank Miller, the creator of the graphic novel this movie is based on, visited the site of battle for research and inspiration, he saw a statue of Leonidas that was nude, except the cape, helmet, spear and shoes. Miller found it such an evocative image that he cheated that part and made them all shirtless like fantasy heroes. And the whole thing with "Spartans NEVER retreat! Spartans NEVER surrender!" - Spartans WIN. Spartans fight SMART. They have no problems running, hiding, resorting to hit-and-run guerrilla tactics when necessary. Any decent tactician knows that sometimes retreat is necessary. He SPECIFICALLY didn't retreat on that day but not for any macho grandstanding, he did it to cover the retreat of everyone else. *The scale of the Persian army is not exaggerated by the movie - The main source was the Greek historian Herodotus who claimed that the actual strength of Xerxes' invading force was a million men. The historian Simonides puts at THREE million. Modern scholars put it at around 100,000 *Xerxes did not however have elephants, rhinoceros, and whatever human monster things they showed us. They had cavalry but part of the reason Leonidas chose that spot is because they couldn't get horses up there. Also Xerxes didn't look a giant super-twink with fetish piercings, he was a guy with a much more impressive beard than Leonidas. *ALL the Greek city-states sent small contingents - it was not just the Spartans and Arcadians holding the gates. Leonidas had between 4000-7000 men total under his command. *The whole subplot about bribing the monks was made up - Leonidas was religious and superstitious like everyone in the ancient world and believed like everyone else that 300 guys was all he could take. As brave as their actions were, going to war with such a tiny force was because of their own ancient-world superstitious religious beliefs. *The subplot with his wife and the traitor was just for the movie and wasn't even in the comic, it's just a very testosterone-heavy movie and she's the only female character and they kind of needed something for her to do. As testosterone heavy as Spartan culture was, Spartan women did enjoy an exceptional amount of freedoms and social power relative to other parts of the ancient world, and they wanted a subplot to show us that. Did you recognize her as Cersei from Game of Thrones? *It was a two-front amphibious battle - The Athenian Navy was holding off the Persian Navy at a similar choke point several miles up the coast. Both fronts had to hold, if the naval blockade failed, The Persian ships could get down behind Leonidas's troops and if he couldn't hold The Hot Gates, Xerxes land troops could cut off the Athenian ships from behind. These events are portrayed in the sequel "300: Rise of an Empire" -The secret back way was real. When Leonidas found out that Xerxes found it, he began a phased retreat under cover of night. He got most of the troops out, vollunteering his 300 Spartans to stay behind and hold the position. *700 Thespians and 400 Thebans also stayed behind.* The last stand wasn't just the 300, there were well over a thousand men. The battle took all day. Leonidas was killed in the early afternoon. Fighting continued for several hours as the remaining Greeks tried to keep the body out of Persian hands. The last Greeks died in the early evening.
@@IanJenn356094 "Traditionally, historians date the origin of the hoplite phalanx of ancient Greece to the *8th century BC* in Sparta, but this is under revision. It is perhaps more likely that the formation was devised in the *7th century BC"* "Alexander III of Macedon *July 356 BC-June 323 BC* ... succeeded his father Philip II to the throne in *336 BC* at the age of 20," -Wikipedia
@@chrisleebowers nope, historian herodotus is the first and foremost historian on this matter and specifically states that the phalanx was Alexander's. Never one does he ever use the word phalanx with spartans. Spartans used standard Greek army formations called taxis. Sorry, but I'll take herodatus over Wikipedia any day of the week.
@@IanJenn356094 "Sorry, but I'll take herodatus over Wikipedia any day of the week" Well, then you're doing it wrong. No one source is reliable. Historical fact is about finding and comparing as many different accounts and as much extant evidence as possible. Contributors at Wikipedia have conveniently done this for you.
All the quotes they said were legit from the time of the Spartans . They spoke with Wity comebacks and were known to destroy enemies with their comebacks
The “one liners” are called laconic phrases. Spartans had quick wit and responses - they actually took part in “rap battles” against each other as part of their training to try to out wit your opponent
@@TheMightyCrucibleKnight184 Kinda, search laconic phrases and you will find many from Spartans. Laconic comes from Laconia which is the name of the area Sparta was. They gave the name to it. Most famous example was when Philip, Alexander's father subjected Greek cities except Sparta (which was weak at that time) and sent a message to Sparta asking how they want to accept him "as a friend or as a foe" the Spartans sent a single word message back "neither". Philip got angry and sent another one and said "if I come to Laconia (Spartan area as I wrote above) I will burn your city and take everyone as slaves". The Spartans again sent a single word reply with the word "if". Philip never invaded Sparta in the end. Another famous comebacks is when someone asked where are Sparta's borders and the Spartan king pulled his spear on the person who asked and replied "at the end of this spear"
There are records dating back to ancient times that the battle of Thermopylae did happen. It is known as one of the first battles for freedom that ever happened thousands of years ago. Alot of people in modern Greece still honor the story of Leonidas and the 300 as one of the greatest stories ever told.
The night before this came out, me and some of the other managers stayed after work and watched it. After it was over with, we were all pumped up like we were ready to "go to war" lol
It's an adaptation of a Frank Miller comic, which itself strongly implies the story is being embellished by the Spartan telling it. Realism and historical accuracy were never really intended.
The interesting thing about the film is that many of the most memorable quotes and scenes really happened, and in some cases were toned down. Spartans were known to be quick tongued and they had some epic put downs.
I enjoyed your reaction except for the end. That's like one of the few moments where you can't get away with quick editing and cutting out a bunch of stuff, it's literally the best part of the movie.
Hellenic hoplites (Sparta included) indeed wore armor... They were the "Heavy Infantry" of the times. Besides the bronze-clad wood 30lb aspis/hoplon (shield), they used the bronze Corinthian helmet, bronze cuirass & bronze leg greaves, the double-bladed Xiphos bronze short sword, and the 8ft. leaf-bladed dory spear
100%. They were the kings of one-liners. It is where we get the word "laconic", which means brief or succinct because they lived in an area called Laconia in the Peloponesse.
The following lines are recorded in Herodotus’ Histories: “Their arrows will blot out the sun” “So we will fight in the shade” “Surrender your weapons” “Come and take them” Also one not in the movie but that Leonidas said: “Why doesn’t Sparta have wall?” Leonidas turning to his men “These are Sparta’s wall”
This was followed up by 300: Rise of an Empire and served as an inspiration for the Starz series Spartacus. Other Zack Snyder films to watch are Dawn of the Dead, Watchmen, Man of Steel, Batman vs Superman Ultimate Edition and his cut of Justice League. Other epic fantasies I recommend watching are The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies and Excalibur. I also recommend watching Gladiator
As others have said, the movie is from the POV of the Spartans and they would have portrayed the opposition as vile beings. But from what i remember, the guy who lost an eye was seen as a coward when he returned and rushed to his death in a final battle. Also, numerous lines in the movie were supposedly said in reality. Either way, its a good movie IMO.
This is still one of my top theater experiences. My friend Kim and I had zero idea what the movie was about we just were bored and it was the week of my birthday so we decided to go to the mall and maybe see a movie. I don’t want to offend anyone but we were teens and we smoked a lil blunt and headed to the theater to go see a movie. This was one of the movies that was playing along with like a kids movie that wasn’t already started and I will never forget how blown away we were. Literally thee entire movie me and her kept leaning over to say oh my god that was so bad ass looking. For me I love the cinematography of this film but I don’t think this style translated as well to the Justice League as Snyder thought it would. I know there is a fanbase for the Justice League movie(“s”) but for me personally I felt all of the filters and flashy cinematography obviously taking inspiration from this film just made the movie look fake and cartoony. But for 300 it just worked…because it looked like an old painting you’d see in a museum or art history book somewhere. Don’t hate me for that take..it just is my personal feelings about the Justice League (both versions of the film)…I won’t say that both versions of the movie are completely terrible and have nothing good in them or about them. There are definitely cool moments…but overall I just couldn’t get into them fully.
Having read the original graphic novel by Frank Miller, I enjoyed this movie even just as an experiment to see how close the movie could come to adapting a comic book and translating the visuals from page to screen. Frank Miller was both the writer and artist (along with colors/paints by Lynn Varley). Zack Snyder basically used the graphic novel as an initial story board for the film. Here's a walk through of the original '300' graphic novel: ruclips.net/video/SMbIs6Cb0f8/видео.html
The battle they were watching was the battle of salamis when the Athenian fleet led by a spartan command took on the largest naval fleet . The Athenians picked a spartan commander because they knew no matter what a spartan wouldn’t retreat
Actually it was a storm that totally destroyed a couple hundred persian ships trying to sneak around the fleet blocking the persians from landing troops to the Spartan (and a few thousand other greeks) rear. Salamis was later fought near Athens (no storm). HAIL POSEIDON!
"Xerxes has taken the bait! He's fallen for our big-ass wall of bodies, that we spent all day building! His army got to near and we took out...ONE GUY!
Fun fact about the historical Immortals: They actually had their own version of the Spartan agoge, but it started even EARLIER than the one in Sparta. The Spartan agoge started at age 7, while the Persian agoge started at age FIVE. Unlike the Spartans, the Persians didn't separate the boys training to become Immortals from their mothers, but they did take them to battlefields and have them watch the combat take place. They would be up on a high plateau or cliff watching the battles, and their instructors would be basically telling them, "Memorize every single detail of what you're seeing now, boys, because this is what you're going to be doing for the rest of your lives."
Zack Snyder is a great director....most people don't like him...but he is a awesome man and director...his movies are like art and action packed ❤️ Watch his movies...please "Sucker Punch" then his DCEU trilogy... Man of Steel - Batman vs Superman - Zack Snyder Justice League
i am Greek and i will share a very interesting fact..Ephialtis ,the traitor when spartans fell Leonidas said to Ephialtis to live forever...in english ephialtis means nightmare and this word is used from the greeks we have it to our vocabulary so yeah he lived forever :P
Fan fact : when the boy return from killing the wolf, the other Spartans they knelt to him. In ancient Greece no one knelt to anyone not even to the king's not even to honor the gods.
This particular movie is based off a comic book by Frank Miller. That's where you get the fantasy elements. Also, they wanna make Persia look like a place of mysticism and power. The one-liners however, were actually historical. The Spartans were known for their wit and sharp comebacks. "SPARTANS, LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS." "Persians, come and take them."
“You have many slaves but few warriors. It won’t be long before they fear my spears more than your whips.” He wasn’t wrong, especially in the end when he cut the supposed god king’s face with one.
Michael Fassbender plays the legendary Dienekes or what hes known by as Stelios. Out of the 300 he was the fiercest warrior with the most witty quips as displayed perfectly in the Movie- What made him the best warrior out of all the Spartans was that he was Left-handed, and prefered a Xiphos blade rather than a Dory or Spear in Greek. Greek armies were trained and engrained in the Hoplite style. so when somebody with immense skill with a blade and that is left-handed (being left handed meant that he can still block and counter regular strikes from the majority right-handed fighters, but they could not counter or defend against his Left handed strikes because their shield was on the Orthodox and not South Paw), it can really mess with the whole fighting ethos and how fighting was "mostly preffered" and particular way it was fought.
Great cinematography and acting, love every minute of it actually because how this movie looks and etc. Great reacton (first time watching you guys react to a movie) i expext more :) i can give you some recomendations if you want anytime.
King Leonidas and 300 spartans (plus other armies of neighbor communities) went to die and confront Xerxes, this is the 2nd Medic war (2 of 3)... beyond that Its just a super cool nosence comic and film...
Sparta was a hardcore society the first thing to happen to you when you where born when you came out of your momma womb, is that a Spartan elder look at you and say you are either fit for not fit to live.
It's probably been said before but Spartans spoke in "Laconic phrases". Basically, their replies were to be as sharp-witted and sarcastic as humanly possible. "Come and get them" is translated from "Molon labe" and when the emissary said about blotting out the sun, the actual Spartan who was there proceeded to thank the emissary because he could tell the other Spartans that they wouldn't have to fight in the sun's heat.
Very positively surprised - I had expected something like "All this fighting is so #triggering" and "OMG toxic masculinity!" Glad to see I was wrong. And yes, this was epic.
It was based on the real Battle of Thermopylae a small force slowing a larger army to give the rest time to regroup. There is a funny twist in history , there are 2 Battles at Thermopylae, both are basically the same... a small force trying to delay a larger invading army, the latter in WW2. It was fought by Australian and New Zealand troops on basically the same spot trying to delay the invading German army from entering Greece. Instead of weird beasts they faced German tanks. Same sort of story a couple of thousand years apart.
The quotes "Tonight we dine in hell" the quote about the arrows blotting out the sun and "fighting in the shade" and the quote about "Come back with your shield or on it" are all historical quotes from the battle and period. This battle did happen, as did the follow up battle, and even the immortals are real (though they looked nothing like that) but despite the fictionalized narration and story telling, and them not sticking to their real life fighting style, there is a lot that is very true about this movie, including a Greek traitor giving up the path to encircle them. Additionally, the discarding of babies, the killing of the messenger, and the initiation into hardcore military training at a very young age are all alleged to have been very normal.
I really enjoyed watching the 300 Spartans based on historical events as far as the creatures go it's just Hollywood fiction. If you licked 300 Spartans you will love 300 Rise of an Empire.
AN EPIC FILM!!!!! Recommendations---- Oldboy(the 2003 version not the remake one) Lost Highway Blue Velvet Lock,Stock And Two Smoking Barrels The Green Mile Mulholland Drive Eraserhead American Beauty 2001 A Space Odyssey Monty Python And The Holy Grail. Mean Streets American History X A Showdown A Little Tokyo In Cold Blood(1967) Bottle Rocket Wild At Heart Bad Lieutenant
Point of historic fact about the "Immortals". The reason they were called that was that they would replace them as soon as they were killed in battle, never depleting there ranks. So no they individually would never live forever. Also, the reason the story is told in this dark cinematic screen and the great beast being shown was that the narrator is telling the story to the 10k Spartan. So they are seeing it in their imagination as such.
+Eric & Sarah React I noticed you didn’t point out that the wife of the main character is the same actress who played Cersei in Game of Thrones. If you’ve never seen that HIGHLY HIGHLLLLY RECOMMEND!! Those first 6 seasons are the peak of story telling and pushed the boundaries for tv series. It was popular and talked about for a reason. I personally have a hard time with period pieces with old timey language like Shakespearean stuff and fantasy stuff…BUT GAME OF THRONES HAD ME ADDICTED! It took me like 2 maybe 3 episodes to really be on board. Thankfully my friend pushed me to keep watching. And though I enjoyed Season 1 I will say I wasn’t fully addicted to the show until Season 2. No pressure but if you ever are having trouble deciding on something to react to Game of Thrones is definitely a must watch. Plus it does really well for reaction channels ;). Sorry I’m sure it gets annoying or will get annoying getting random suggestions from subscribers.
Really hope you two will react to the sequel/prequel/equal "300: Rise Of An Empire". It really expands on the wider scope of the Greco-Persian War and shows the naval side of the action.
"Whats that giant pit they threw them in?" It's a giant cistern. Basically where all the mud and sewage for the city is aired out. So not only did they probably survive the fall, they'd drown in rivers of Spartan .... ahem .... toilet flushings!
King Philip II of Macedonia (Alexander the Great's father) sent a message to the Spartans saying: “If I invade Lakonia you will be destroyed, never to rise again.” The Spartans replied with one word: “IF.” He decided to bypass Sparta as the area was considered poor and not worth it.
The movie is mostly correct. And yes Spartan society was a warrior society. They started training at 7. Also a little known fact about Sparta is that the only people allowed to have a headstone was a man that died in battle or a woman that died giving birth. That includes the king. I grew up much like they did. I was 5 the first time my Farther broke my arm. I didn't raise a hand to him again. He beat the urge to run out of me. To this day I stand my ground to any man no matter what. I've got the broken bones, scars from over 400 stitches, missing teeth to prove it. " you may break my back, but you will never bend my knee!!"
(freedom or death) and this we follow all this years so far. Leonidas is at rue storie and he was around 60 years old when his die we have statue in greece
I really enjoyed your reaction to this. One of my favorite films...please think about reacting to Zack's DCEU trilogy. "Man Of Steel". "Batman vs Superman: ULTIMATE EDITION", and "Zack Snyder's Justice League" in that order.
It IS historically accurate although many people non Greek say it is not because they cannot understand or they don't want to admit that Greek history is superior to them. Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Chinese history are the most ancient histories and civilizations from all over the world. Of course there are efects to be seen as a hollywood movie but few things. Like for example Ephialtes (means Nightmare in Greek was a simple human nit a creature but hollywood made him this way to point his uglyness. That is an example). Most of them actually happened. Search it to see that i am not wrong!
The immortals are always 10000 for this is said they were immortal, because you kill one and the number never go down, like he reform or something like this
Yes it was a real event. The Persians didn't care about Sparta, they were after Athens. The Athenians had done something to the father of Xerxes a few years prior. They just had to go through Sparta to get to Athens. Athens and Sparta hated each other. Leonidas calls Athenians boy lovers after all. But ultimately Leonidas assembled 300 men with male children living (not the Spartan army), to slow the Persians so Athens could prepare for war. The battle was at Thermopylae, meaning the "hot gates", a narrow path through the mountains where the Persians landed. The Benedict Arnold of the Spartans, Ephialtes, told the Persians of a goat path around the hot gates. The Persians were then able to surround the Spartans. The battle lasted 3 days. Every man of the 300 knew they were going there to die because they were outnumbered. But that was the lesson to be passed down to generations: we're going, knowing we're gonna die, but we're going to fight because it is the right thing to do.
crazy thing about the real battle is the guy that gave the Persian army a way to kill the 300 his name to this day in Greek means nightmare btw I have to say nice shirt Wolfpac rules
Considering that you are Americans I can say with considerable confidence that (you will believe me when I say that) this is historically 100% accurate in fact this IS a real documentary filmed on location at the actual battlefield of ancient Greece............................
This is historically accurate in pretty much everything, but it is told worth a lot of hyperbole and exaggeration because the narrator is making things more epic to pump up the soldiers he is telling it too. So he makes the Persians more monstrous, but as a baseline it is all accurate.
Whenever one of the Immortals died in battle, his body was immediately removed so that the Persians could pretend that they were actually immortal. Their enemies often believed this propaganda, which made the Immortals the most feared warriors at the time, except for maybe the Spartans.
Spartans kind of invented comebacks and all the ones used were real for the most part. its known as the lakonian phrase and some famous ones would be the “if” spartan moment and walls one lol.
My girlfriend didn't really understand this movie. But she was determined to get a better grasp on it. She borrowed the Blu-Ray and bought a box of wine on her way home. She tells me that after watching it a half dozen more times in private over the last couple days, she's now got a firm grasp on the story.
mongols vs vikings vs spartans (vs anyone else?), who would be the ultimate warrior in a 1v1 battle? (too many variables to ever compare their armies against each other, but we can certainly compare them as individual warriors, against each other)
Made a "god" bleed. Funny thing is this seems exactly like the sort of thing that would just spawn new myths and legends. Ah see the real reason he was able to injure me is because he was a demigod, not as powerful as I of course, but the only mortal strong enough to scratch me. Or, the spear he used was made from the fragment of a god's artifact. Like, they'd just invent something if they're clever enough 😂
I think this story is told through the spartan with the eye patch and back then for example the “immortals” are believed to be just that because after they die he replaces them with more troops so it looks like they actually immortal that being said I think the Spartans with the eye patch was a good storyteller so u know how stories some times can get blurry and even seen slightly different especially under stress like war so those giant elephants for example were probably regular elephants but from their perception they felt like something different you know
As an Iranian, I Never forgive the insults and distortions they made against Iranian culture in this movie ... ... God has given you two eyes. Take a look at the ancient Persepolis to see There have been no monsters or giants. There has been no prostitution in Iran's history, and Xerxes had only one wife... In Xerxes' inscription depicted, he has never looked like this.
Your first mistake is that you interpret fiction and mythology too literally, not once does the film declare itself to be historically or culturally accurate. It's all myths.
The reason why there are elements of heightened reality as far as the creatures go is because this is a story being told by the narrator. His audience is picturing in their mind what he is talking about.
Stories get exagerrated and we see at the end its basically propaganda hes telling the 10,000 about the 300.
Yes, exactly! And you'll notice that Dilios, the narrator, suffers an eye injury and wears a patch over his eye, indicating his vision/perspective is tainted. It's a detail that was in Frank Miller's original graphic novel and smartly kept in the movie adaptation.
They are describing rhinos and elephants as "monsters" because , unless you were a traveler , most greeks have never seen one in those times . Imagine how shocked you would be...
Notice how they call bombs "magic" because chemical reactions was completely obscure at the time
Yes. The historians of that age described the creatures as "monsters" because they had never seen them again. In Greece, they had never seen an elephant or a rhino so it was weird for them.
Good way to see it, I never thought about that.
The end gets me hyped everytime, when 10k Spartans charge the Persians.
The idea that 300 could cause so much damage,imaging what 10k could do.
Just from watching the video you sent, I could see that the graphic novel to film adaptation was really well done! Thanks for sending that!
The Battle of Thermopylae did result in lopsided casualties against the Persians, and even though the Spartans and other Greeks lost, the Persians took tens of thousands of dead.
The naval battle at Artemesium took place simultaneously and the Persians took disproportionate casualties there too.
The Persians had taken disproportionate casualties ten years earlier at Marathon.
At the end is the battle of Plataea, where modern historians estimate 80,000 Greeks crushed a comparably sized Persian army. The result was that both Persian invasions ended in defeat.
A couple generations later, Alexander of Macedon would lead all the Greeks (except Sparta, ironically) on an invasion of Persia and conquer the Persian Empire over the course of just four years.
@@Robertz1986 No kidding about disproportionate casualties. Nowhere was this more evident than at Marathon. 30k Persians versus 11k Greeks, yet the Persians absolutely got the crap kicked out of them. They lost a fifth of their army, whereas the Greeks lost just a little less than two hundred men.
“May you live forever” is a curse because he has a miserable existence, and Spartans arent afraid of death, and so they dont value existing for its own sake, but would rather die with honor than live as a traitor.
Dang, you could see the shame on Ephialtes' face once Leonidas said that. Thanks for the extra info!
@@EricSarahReact The only ones in Sparta who got gravestones were men who died in battle and women who died in child birth. Their test into manhood was not some test out in the wild it was to sneak out a night and strangle slave to death an not getting caught. The Gods help you if you did.
Also Efialtis actually lived forever, as a renowned traitor. Efialtis in modern Greek means nightmare
Accuracy:
*A lot of the stuff they showed you about the Spartan culture was true. A few of the lines are from history. Xerxes did indeed send an emissary that asked for earth and water and was tossed in a well as Leonidas told him "You'll find plenty down there." "Come back with your shield or on it" was the traditional Spartan farewell for soldiers going to war. They were threatened with "arrows that will blot out the sun" and did respond with "Then we will fight in the shade" and he did indeed say ""Eat a hearty breakfast for tonight we dine in (Hades)"
*They did NOT go into battle mostly naked. Their armor was in fact super-high tech for the ancient world, providing significant protection and mobility. When Frank Miller, the creator of the graphic novel this movie is based on, visited the site of battle for research and inspiration, he saw a statue of Leonidas that was nude, except the cape, helmet, spear and shoes. Miller found it such an evocative image that he cheated that part and made them all shirtless like fantasy heroes. And the whole thing with "Spartans NEVER retreat! Spartans NEVER surrender!" - Spartans WIN. Spartans fight SMART. They have no problems running, hiding, resorting to hit-and-run guerrilla tactics when necessary. Any decent tactician knows that sometimes retreat is necessary. He SPECIFICALLY didn't retreat on that day but not for any macho grandstanding, he did it to cover the retreat of everyone else.
*The scale of the Persian army is not exaggerated by the movie - The main source was the Greek historian Herodotus who claimed that the actual strength of Xerxes' invading force was a million men. The historian Simonides puts at THREE million. Modern scholars put it at around 100,000
*Xerxes did not however have elephants, rhinoceros, and whatever human monster things they showed us. They had cavalry but part of the reason Leonidas chose that spot is because they couldn't get horses up there. Also Xerxes didn't look a giant super-twink with fetish piercings, he was a guy with a much more impressive beard than Leonidas.
*ALL the Greek city-states sent small contingents - it was not just the Spartans and Arcadians holding the gates. Leonidas had between 4000-7000 men total under his command.
*The whole subplot about bribing the monks was made up - Leonidas was religious and superstitious like everyone in the ancient world and believed like everyone else that 300 guys was all he could take. As brave as their actions were, going to war with such a tiny force was because of their own ancient-world superstitious religious beliefs.
*The subplot with his wife and the traitor was just for the movie and wasn't even in the comic, it's just a very testosterone-heavy movie and she's the only female character and they kind of needed something for her to do. As testosterone heavy as Spartan culture was, Spartan women did enjoy an exceptional amount of freedoms and social power relative to other parts of the ancient world, and they wanted a subplot to show us that. Did you recognize her as Cersei from Game of Thrones?
*It was a two-front amphibious battle - The Athenian Navy was holding off the Persian Navy at a similar choke point several miles up the coast. Both fronts had to hold, if the naval blockade failed, The Persian ships could get down behind Leonidas's troops and if he couldn't hold The Hot Gates, Xerxes land troops could cut off the Athenian ships from behind. These events are portrayed in the sequel "300: Rise of an Empire"
-The secret back way was real. When Leonidas found out that Xerxes found it, he began a phased retreat under cover of night. He got most of the troops out, vollunteering his 300 Spartans to stay behind and hold the position. *700 Thespians and 400 Thebans also stayed behind.* The last stand wasn't just the 300, there were well over a thousand men. The battle took all day. Leonidas was killed in the early afternoon. Fighting continued for several hours as the remaining Greeks tried to keep the body out of Persian hands. The last Greeks died in the early evening.
Also, spartans didn't use the phalanx.
Phalanx was famously Alexander's, and not the Spartans.
@@IanJenn356094 "Traditionally, historians date the origin of the hoplite phalanx of ancient Greece to the *8th century BC* in Sparta, but this is under revision. It is perhaps more likely that the formation was devised in the *7th century BC"*
"Alexander III of Macedon *July 356 BC-June 323 BC* ... succeeded his father Philip II to the throne in *336 BC* at the age of 20,"
-Wikipedia
@@chrisleebowers nope, historian herodotus is the first and foremost historian on this matter and specifically states that the phalanx was Alexander's.
Never one does he ever use the word phalanx with spartans.
Spartans used standard Greek army formations called taxis.
Sorry, but I'll take herodatus over Wikipedia any day of the week.
@@IanJenn356094 "Sorry, but I'll take herodatus over Wikipedia any day of the week"
Well, then you're doing it wrong. No one source is reliable. Historical fact is about finding and comparing as many different accounts and as much extant evidence as possible. Contributors at Wikipedia have conveniently done this for you.
@@IanJenn356094 Herodotus was born and died before Alexander the Great. Are you sure you know what you’re talking about?
All the quotes they said were legit from the time of the Spartans . They spoke with Wity comebacks and were known to destroy enemies with their comebacks
So in short the spartans were the first roasting their enemies in comeback.
Yes
Yes, the word Laconic comes from the region where Sparta is located, Laconia
The “one liners” are called laconic phrases. Spartans had quick wit and responses - they actually took part in “rap battles” against each other as part of their training to try to out wit your opponent
Wait really?, spartans back in the days are the first ones to invent rap battles.
@@TheMightyCrucibleKnight184 Kinda, search laconic phrases and you will find many from Spartans. Laconic comes from Laconia which is the name of the area Sparta was. They gave the name to it.
Most famous example was when Philip, Alexander's father subjected Greek cities except Sparta (which was weak at that time) and sent a message to Sparta asking how they want to accept him "as a friend or as a foe" the Spartans sent a single word message back "neither".
Philip got angry and sent another one and said "if I come to Laconia (Spartan area as I wrote above) I will burn your city and take everyone as slaves". The Spartans again sent a single word reply with the word "if".
Philip never invaded Sparta in the end.
Another famous comebacks is when someone asked where are Sparta's borders and the Spartan king pulled his spear on the person who asked and replied "at the end of this spear"
There are records dating back to ancient times that the battle of Thermopylae did happen. It is known as one of the first battles for freedom that ever happened thousands of years ago. Alot of people in modern Greece still honor the story of Leonidas and the 300 as one of the greatest stories ever told.
This and Sin City are both incredible Frank Miller Graphic Novel movie adaptations.👍
The night before this came out, me and some of the other managers stayed after work and watched it. After it was over with, we were all pumped up like we were ready to "go to war" lol
It's an adaptation of a Frank Miller comic, which itself strongly implies the story is being embellished by the Spartan telling it. Realism and historical accuracy were never really intended.
The interesting thing about the film is that many of the most memorable quotes and scenes really happened, and in some cases were toned down. Spartans were known to be quick tongued and they had some epic put downs.
I enjoyed your reaction except for the end. That's like one of the few moments where you can't get away with quick editing and cutting out a bunch of stuff, it's literally the best part of the movie.
Hellenic hoplites (Sparta included) indeed wore armor... They were the "Heavy Infantry" of the times. Besides the bronze-clad wood 30lb aspis/hoplon (shield), they used the bronze Corinthian helmet, bronze cuirass & bronze leg greaves, the double-bladed Xiphos bronze short sword, and the 8ft. leaf-bladed dory spear
Fun fact. The name of the Spartan traitor "Ephialtes" is literally the word used even today in Greece for 'nightmare'
The actual Spartans we're amazing shit talkers historically I believe
100%. They were the kings of one-liners. It is where we get the word "laconic", which means brief or succinct because they lived in an area called Laconia in the Peloponesse.
The following lines are recorded in Herodotus’ Histories:
“Their arrows will blot out the sun”
“So we will fight in the shade”
“Surrender your weapons”
“Come and take them”
Also one not in the movie but that Leonidas said:
“Why doesn’t Sparta have wall?”
Leonidas turning to his men “These are Sparta’s wall”
When did they talk trash? Before or after going in?
@@shanestevens5352
Don't forget their answer to Philip of Macedonia. "If"
This was followed up by 300: Rise of an Empire and served as an inspiration for the Starz series Spartacus. Other Zack Snyder films to watch are Dawn of the Dead, Watchmen, Man of Steel, Batman vs Superman Ultimate Edition and his cut of Justice League. Other epic fantasies I recommend watching are The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies and Excalibur. I also recommend watching Gladiator
The most honorable thing for a Spartan is to die in battle… they can’t bear the shame of retreating or surrendering…
Kinda like the Vikings.
As others have said, the movie is from the POV of the Spartans and they would have portrayed the opposition as vile beings. But from what i remember, the guy who lost an eye was seen as a coward when he returned and rushed to his death in a final battle. Also, numerous lines in the movie were supposedly said in reality. Either way, its a good movie IMO.
That's a nice detail about this story as a whole. Thanks for sharing!
This is still one of my top theater experiences. My friend Kim and I had zero idea what the movie was about we just were bored and it was the week of my birthday so we decided to go to the mall and maybe see a movie. I don’t want to offend anyone but we were teens and we smoked a lil blunt and headed to the theater to go see a movie. This was one of the movies that was playing along with like a kids movie that wasn’t already started and I will never forget how blown away we were. Literally thee entire movie me and her kept leaning over to say oh my god that was so bad ass looking.
For me I love the cinematography of this film but I don’t think this style translated as well to the Justice League as Snyder thought it would. I know there is a fanbase for the Justice League movie(“s”) but for me personally I felt all of the filters and flashy cinematography obviously taking inspiration from this film just made the movie look fake and cartoony. But for 300 it just worked…because it looked like an old painting you’d see in a museum or art history book somewhere.
Don’t hate me for that take..it just is my personal feelings about the Justice League (both versions of the film)…I won’t say that both versions of the movie are completely terrible and have nothing good in them or about them. There are definitely cool moments…but overall I just couldn’t get into them fully.
Having read the original graphic novel by Frank Miller, I enjoyed this movie even just as an experiment to see how close the movie could come to adapting a comic book and translating the visuals from page to screen. Frank Miller was both the writer and artist (along with colors/paints by Lynn Varley). Zack Snyder basically used the graphic novel as an initial story board for the film. Here's a walk through of the original '300' graphic novel: ruclips.net/video/SMbIs6Cb0f8/видео.html
4:42 i don't know why this makes me laugh, but on "Spartans" sarah's eyebrows go up while eric's lips go out 🤣
The battle they were watching was the battle of salamis when the Athenian fleet led by a spartan command took on the largest naval fleet . The Athenians picked a spartan commander because they knew no matter what a spartan wouldn’t retreat
Actually it was a storm that totally destroyed a couple hundred persian ships trying to sneak around the fleet blocking the persians from landing troops to the Spartan (and a few thousand other greeks) rear. Salamis was later fought near Athens (no storm). HAIL POSEIDON!
- THE TOWN (2010)
- PRIMAL FEAR (1996)
- PRISONERS (2013)
- DONNIE BRASCO (1997)
- NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)
🔥🔥🔥💪🏼
Next time, post your age along with your opinion.
"Xerxes has taken the bait! He's fallen for our big-ass wall of bodies, that we spent all day building! His army got to near and we took out...ONE GUY!
As said before, the narrator is embellishing the story so that the Spartans will be more likely to move to action, and to honor Leonidas
Fun fact about the historical Immortals: They actually had their own version of the Spartan agoge, but it started even EARLIER than the one in Sparta. The Spartan agoge started at age 7, while the Persian agoge started at age FIVE. Unlike the Spartans, the Persians didn't separate the boys training to become Immortals from their mothers, but they did take them to battlefields and have them watch the combat take place. They would be up on a high plateau or cliff watching the battles, and their instructors would be basically telling them, "Memorize every single detail of what you're seeing now, boys, because this is what you're going to be doing for the rest of your lives."
One of the best graphic novel adaptations.
Using mocking language was part of their training too.
Zack Snyder is a great director....most people don't like him...but he is a awesome man and director...his movies are like art and action packed ❤️
Watch his movies...please
"Sucker Punch" then his DCEU trilogy...
Man of Steel - Batman vs Superman - Zack Snyder Justice League
7:59 🤗🥰 aww, it's cute when couples describe themselves and don't realize it
Yes,the boys were taken at the age of 7 from their mothers to train to become Spartans it is true.
i am Greek and i will share a very interesting fact..Ephialtis ,the traitor when spartans fell Leonidas said to Ephialtis to live forever...in english ephialtis means nightmare and this word is used from the greeks we have it to our vocabulary so yeah he lived forever :P
Fan fact : when the boy return from killing the wolf, the other Spartans they knelt to him. In ancient Greece no one knelt to anyone not even to the king's not even to honor the gods.
This particular movie is based off a comic book by Frank Miller. That's where you get the fantasy elements. Also, they wanna make Persia look like a place of mysticism and power. The one-liners however, were actually historical. The Spartans were known for their wit and sharp comebacks. "SPARTANS, LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS." "Persians, come and take them."
Too many words. "SPARTANS! LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS!"
"MOLON LABE!" = "COME GET!"
“You have many slaves but few warriors. It won’t be long before they fear my spears more than your whips.”
He wasn’t wrong, especially in the end when he cut the supposed god king’s face with one.
Michael Fassbender plays the legendary Dienekes or what hes known by as Stelios. Out of the 300 he was the fiercest warrior with the most witty quips as displayed perfectly in the Movie- What made him the best warrior out of all the Spartans was that he was Left-handed, and prefered a Xiphos blade rather than a Dory or Spear in Greek. Greek armies were trained and engrained in the Hoplite style. so when somebody with immense skill with a blade and that is left-handed (being left handed meant that he can still block and counter regular strikes from the majority right-handed fighters, but they could not counter or defend against his Left handed strikes because their shield was on the Orthodox and not South Paw), it can really mess with the whole fighting ethos and how fighting was "mostly preffered" and particular way it was fought.
We remember Leonidas and the 300.
5:44 ... my guy uttered "easier" Hahahahaha this movie is caffeine lol
Great cinematography and acting, love every minute of it actually because how this movie looks and etc. Great reacton (first time watching you guys react to a movie) i expext more :) i can give you some recomendations if you want anytime.
Thanks man! This film was awesome and we're glad you enjoyed enjoyed the reaction :)
King Leonidas and 300 spartans (plus other armies of neighbor communities) went to die and confront Xerxes, this is the 2nd Medic war (2 of 3)... beyond that Its just a super cool nosence comic and film...
12:48 ... lol if you knew. Spartans are the one who invented one liners. It's called laconian speech. ;) (spartans are from Laconia)
If you want to see a movie true to the historical battle, watch 1962's The 300 Spartans starring Richard Egan. It was even filmed at Thermopylae.
Sparta was a hardcore society the first thing to happen to you when you where born when you came out of your momma womb, is that a Spartan elder look at you and say you are either fit for not fit to live.
Fun fact. This entire movie was shot in a simple warehouse. Lowest budget ever yet so profitable.
It's probably been said before but Spartans spoke in "Laconic phrases". Basically, their replies were to be as sharp-witted and sarcastic as humanly possible. "Come and get them" is translated from "Molon labe" and when the emissary said about blotting out the sun, the actual Spartan who was there proceeded to thank the emissary because he could tell the other Spartans that they wouldn't have to fight in the sun's heat.
If this movie doesnt make you want to work out, theres something wrong with you.
Very positively surprised - I had expected something like "All this fighting is so #triggering" and "OMG toxic masculinity!"
Glad to see I was wrong.
And yes, this was epic.
That movie was filmed in a warehouse in Montreal Canada.
It was based on the real Battle of Thermopylae a small force slowing a larger army to give the rest time to regroup. There is a funny twist in history , there are 2 Battles at Thermopylae, both are basically the same... a small force trying to delay a larger invading army, the latter in WW2. It was fought by Australian and New Zealand troops on basically the same spot trying to delay the invading German army from entering Greece. Instead of weird beasts they faced German tanks. Same sort of story a couple of thousand years apart.
The quotes "Tonight we dine in hell" the quote about the arrows blotting out the sun and "fighting in the shade" and the quote about "Come back with your shield or on it" are all historical quotes from the battle and period. This battle did happen, as did the follow up battle, and even the immortals are real (though they looked nothing like that) but despite the fictionalized narration and story telling, and them not sticking to their real life fighting style, there is a lot that is very true about this movie, including a Greek traitor giving up the path to encircle them. Additionally, the discarding of babies, the killing of the messenger, and the initiation into hardcore military training at a very young age are all alleged to have been very normal.
Young Leonidas is Zack Syder’s son.
I really enjoyed watching the 300 Spartans based on historical events as far as the creatures go it's just Hollywood fiction. If you licked 300 Spartans you will love 300 Rise of an Empire.
Fact: King Leonidas was around 60 years old when he fought this battle..!! 🔥⚔
AN EPIC FILM!!!!!
Recommendations----
Oldboy(the 2003 version not the remake one)
Lost Highway
Blue Velvet
Lock,Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
The Green Mile
Mulholland Drive
Eraserhead
American Beauty
2001 A Space Odyssey
Monty Python And The Holy Grail.
Mean Streets
American History X
A Showdown A Little Tokyo
In Cold Blood(1967)
Bottle Rocket
Wild At Heart
Bad Lieutenant
Point of historic fact about the "Immortals". The reason they were called that was that they would replace them as soon as they were killed in battle, never depleting there ranks. So no they individually would never live forever. Also, the reason the story is told in this dark cinematic screen and the great beast being shown was that the narrator is telling the story to the 10k Spartan. So they are seeing it in their imagination as such.
+Eric & Sarah React I noticed you didn’t point out that the wife of the main character is the same actress who played Cersei in Game of Thrones.
If you’ve never seen that HIGHLY HIGHLLLLY RECOMMEND!! Those first 6 seasons are the peak of story telling and pushed the boundaries for tv series. It was popular and talked about for a reason.
I personally have a hard time with period pieces with old timey language like Shakespearean stuff and fantasy stuff…BUT GAME OF THRONES HAD ME ADDICTED! It took me like 2 maybe 3 episodes to really be on board. Thankfully my friend pushed me to keep watching. And though I enjoyed Season 1 I will say I wasn’t fully addicted to the show until Season 2.
No pressure but if you ever are having trouble deciding on something to react to Game of Thrones is definitely a must watch. Plus it does really well for reaction channels ;). Sorry I’m sure it gets annoying or will get annoying getting random suggestions from subscribers.
Really hope you two will react to the sequel/prequel/equal "300: Rise Of An Empire". It really expands on the wider scope of the Greco-Persian War and shows the naval side of the action.
The Spartan queen, Gorgo, is played by Lena Headey.
"Whats that giant pit they threw them in?"
It's a giant cistern. Basically where all the mud and sewage for the city is aired out. So not only did they probably survive the fall, they'd drown in rivers of Spartan .... ahem .... toilet flushings!
King Philip II of Macedonia (Alexander the Great's father) sent a message to the Spartans saying:
“If I invade Lakonia you will be destroyed, never to rise again.”
The Spartans replied with one word: “IF.”
He decided to bypass Sparta as the area was considered poor and not worth it.
Queen is Cersi Lannister from GOT btw
Another of this is true historic events
The movie is mostly correct. And yes Spartan society was a warrior society. They started training at 7. Also a little known fact about Sparta is that the only people allowed to have a headstone was a man that died in battle or a woman that died giving birth. That includes the king. I grew up much like they did. I was 5 the first time my Farther broke my arm. I didn't raise a hand to him again. He beat the urge to run out of me. To this day I stand my ground to any man no matter what. I've got the broken bones, scars from over 400 stitches, missing teeth to prove it. " you may break my back, but you will never bend my knee!!"
(freedom or death) and this we follow all this years so far. Leonidas is at rue storie and he was around 60 years old when his die we have statue in greece
I really enjoyed your reaction to this. One of my favorite films...please think about reacting to Zack's DCEU trilogy. "Man Of Steel". "Batman vs Superman: ULTIMATE EDITION", and "Zack Snyder's Justice League" in that order.
4:10 🤣🤣 "burn"
It IS historically accurate although many people non Greek say it is not because they cannot understand or they don't want to admit that Greek history is superior to them. Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Chinese history are the most ancient histories and civilizations from all over the world. Of course there are efects to be seen as a hollywood movie but few things. Like for example Ephialtes (means Nightmare in Greek was a simple human nit a creature but hollywood made him this way to point his uglyness. That is an example). Most of them actually happened. Search it to see that i am not wrong!
Rotten tomatoes hates this movie.Best sign that this movie is awesome.
The immortals are always 10000 for this is said they were immortal, because you kill one and the number never go down, like he reform or something like this
3:04 eric appears eager to join his fellow Spartans, or add the music to his playlist
300 Spartans , 700 Thespians , and 400 Thebians slaves gave their live that day!
Well if you think about it most people back in the day were in shape not saying there wasn’t weight issues .
Good job you two! Well done!
I'll Spartans were walking tanks wearing helmet chest/shoulder Calf to above the knee bronze armor.
So I watched a lot of RUclips movie reactions, and you two just popped up. So, I did subscribe. Good luck with the new channel.
We appreciate the support, thank you!
Yes it was a real event. The Persians didn't care about Sparta, they were after Athens. The Athenians had done something to the father of Xerxes a few years prior. They just had to go through Sparta to get to Athens. Athens and Sparta hated each other. Leonidas calls Athenians boy lovers after all. But ultimately Leonidas assembled 300 men with male children living (not the Spartan army), to slow the Persians so Athens could prepare for war.
The battle was at Thermopylae, meaning the "hot gates", a narrow path through the mountains where the Persians landed. The Benedict Arnold of the Spartans, Ephialtes, told the Persians of a goat path around the hot gates. The Persians were then able to surround the Spartans. The battle lasted 3 days. Every man of the 300 knew they were going there to die because they were outnumbered.
But that was the lesson to be passed down to generations: we're going, knowing we're gonna die, but we're going to fight because it is the right thing to do.
crazy thing about the real battle is the guy that gave the Persian army a way to kill the 300 his name to this day in Greek means nightmare
btw I have to say nice shirt Wolfpac rules
As a lifetime military man and a history scholar I tell you that this is the most accurate movie of the story
Lmao which part is accurate? The fact that only 300 men fought off the Persians which is lie, or that the Persians sent monsters?
The spartan warriors where pretty much the special forces of their time, this is a true story, minus the monsters.
GREAT MOVIE!!!! I LOVE THE GREEKS FOR DOING THIS!!!!
You should watch Goodfellas it’s a true mafia story and Dodgeball it’s a comedy with Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn
Considering that you are Americans I can say with considerable confidence that (you will believe me when I say that) this is historically 100% accurate in fact this IS a real documentary filmed on location at the actual battlefield of ancient Greece............................
Good thing an American can spot someone who's as full of shit- as he is of himself.
Zack Snyder was time traveling.
This is historically accurate in pretty much everything, but it is told worth a lot of hyperbole and exaggeration because the narrator is making things more epic to pump up the soldiers he is telling it too. So he makes the Persians more monstrous, but as a baseline it is all accurate.
RIP- Scott Hall NWO 4 LIFE-
Whenever one of the Immortals died in battle, his body was immediately removed so that the Persians could pretend that they were actually immortal. Their enemies often believed this propaganda, which made the Immortals the most feared warriors at the time, except for maybe the Spartans.
Spartans kind of invented comebacks and all the ones used were real for the most part. its known as the lakonian phrase and some famous ones would be the “if” spartan moment and walls one lol.
18:46 😅 "that's stupid"
Lord of The Rings,Hacksaw Ridge, Inglourious Basterds, ScarFace, GoodFellas
My girlfriend didn't really understand this movie. But she was determined to get a better grasp on it. She borrowed the Blu-Ray and bought a box of wine on her way home. She tells me that after watching it a half dozen more times in private over the last couple days, she's now got a firm grasp on the story.
Oh...
OH! 😳
7:06 roll credits 🎬
Eric’s shirt is too sweeeeet!
Like an antique Confederacy."Hey, how do you fell about baby murder and slavery?"
mongols vs vikings vs spartans (vs anyone else?), who would be the ultimate warrior in a 1v1 battle?
(too many variables to ever compare their armies against each other, but we can certainly compare them as individual warriors, against each other)
Made a "god" bleed. Funny thing is this seems exactly like the sort of thing that would just spawn new myths and legends. Ah see the real reason he was able to injure me is because he was a demigod, not as powerful as I of course, but the only mortal strong enough to scratch me. Or, the spear he used was made from the fragment of a god's artifact. Like, they'd just invent something if they're clever enough 😂
7:13 eric +2 points ✅
I think this story is told through the spartan with the eye patch and back then for example the “immortals” are believed to be just that because after they die he replaces them with more troops so it looks like they actually immortal that being said I think the Spartans with the eye patch was a good storyteller so u know how stories some times can get blurry and even seen slightly different especially under stress like war so those giant elephants for example were probably regular elephants but from their perception they felt like something different you know
They would kick them in there and then hunt them down in caves dressed as minotaurs is what the history books say.
What an amazing movie
As an Iranian, I Never forgive the insults and distortions they made against Iranian culture in this movie ... ... God has given you two eyes. Take a look at the ancient Persepolis to see There have been no monsters or giants. There has been no prostitution in Iran's history, and Xerxes had only one wife... In Xerxes' inscription depicted, he has never looked like this.
Your first mistake is that you interpret fiction and mythology too literally, not once does the film declare itself to be historically or culturally accurate. It's all myths.
Part 2 is cool too that villian is epic character I liked her acting on part 2