A few words about…™ 300 — in 4k UHD Blu-ray

If one had no idea as to the heritage of Zack Snyder’s 300, a tale of heroism sometime over
a hundred years in the past, they might have thought it had its beginnings as a graphic novel.

It certainly has that look.

As everyone knows, it was photographed on location in Canada, along with so many other films.

Viewing it, I had the feeling that I was actually seeing the great Persian army Xerxes massing in the
hundred of thousands against the brave 300. But a lot of people have been talking about this, and
if you want to know the truth, I was shocked to learn, along with those people, that some of this
was digital.

Nicely done, but digital nonetheless. I guess it was better that all those horses and elephants
hadn’t been killed. Which might be worse than the old “Flying W.” Or possibly spears are better.
I’ll ask someone who knows.

As a 4k UHD Blu-ray derived from a final 2k DI, Warner’s new release is quite lovely.
Blacks are charcoal-like and and dense both in JVC-vision as well as on a 4k OLED.

I can’t say that resolution is extraordinary. It’s nice. And this is a case in which HDR
adds a layer of wonderfulness.

The interesting thing here, is that there wasn’t a great deal of difference between the
two, as one might have imagined. I did not compare to a standard SDR Blu-ray.

Audio is superb, and room-filling in all its Dolby Atmos goodness, which you’ll only
find on the 4k disc. Blu-ray is Dolby TrueHD 5.1.

Gerard Butler is wonderful as King Leonidas. Interesting that he was raised in Montreal,
and returned there for this production. Also interesting that he has a law degree. A fine and
popular actor. We’re far better to have him in our court, as opposed to doing wills and trusts…

Image – 5 (projection and flat panel)

Audio – 5 – 4k – Dolby Atmos

Pass / Fail – Pass

Recommended

RAH

Robert Harris

Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.

His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.