Graphic Novel vs Movie
I am one of the curious fans who wanted to know how faithful the magnificent movie is to the original source, Frank Miller’s graphic novel. The film directed by Zack Snyder is one that deserves a place in the annals of film history for its breathtaking cinematography, heart pumping fight sequences, teeth grinding dialogues, and probably the perfect cast I have ever seen. What other movie boasts of having a bunch of actors that have the body of professional wrestlers, and yet have the talent to really act? None! These have made me think how talented Frank Miller is to inspire such a great film. I badly need a copy of his masterpiece. Now, I have one.
The book is about how 300 Spartan soldiers under the leadership of King Leonidas fought the mighty invading army of Persian god-king Xerxes for three days. Historically, this was known as the Battle of Thermopylae, where Leonidas’ army together with thousands of Arcadians and other Greeks assembled on the small opening of a cliff. They used it to their advantage so that Xerxes’ army was forced to attack them by batches of soldiers, instead of overwhelming them with their huge number. Aside from the battle, there are also flashbacks on Leonidas youth and how he became the courageous king that he is, and some pages on Spartan politics, corruption, and treachery.
The first thing I noticed is how similar the colors used in the book and in the movie are. The lighting and shades in the movie, the used of red hues, is exactly what is painted in the book. Frank Miller’s words are very minimal and I prefer a little bit more. It would be nice if there are longer narrations, making the book a lengthy read. Miller’s style of art is also all his own. He was able to capture the vast space required for a battle scene. However, he overused this kind of technique, resulting to some important scenes having a small portion of the page. With his style I already expected that there will be a lot of details left out. I can honestly say in this case, the movie is far greater than the book. The movie has a lot of details, additional scenes and storyline, which is very significant to the story. Although, Miller is a creative consultant of the movie, I’m sure that most of the addition to the movie is also his idea, he just kind of thought about it years after he made 300. Still, this book is a great read, but if you’re not a fan, just buy the DVD of the movie.
