300 (2007) 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo Pack Review

By Paul Rudoff on Oct. 12, 2020 at 11:12 PM in Home Video

Today, I'll take a look at the 300 (2007) 4K/Blu-ray Combo Pack. Read on to find out more about it...

Based on the stylized graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, 300 (2007) is an epic action-adventure about the 300 Spartan warriors led by the heroic King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) who challenged Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his massive Persian army at the ancient Battle of Thermopylae. Facing insurmountable odds, they fought to the death to defend their honor and freedom, inspiring all of Greece to unite against the enemy.

While I don't usually like "sword and sandal" flicks, 300 has always been a favorite of mine. The story has some depth to it, but still keeps things simple enough that I can follow it without getting bored. The action is bloody and violent, but it's so stylized that it comes off as kinda fun... well, as "fun" as beheadings can be. The film looks PHENOMENAL in 4K! Even better than the included Blu-ray, which isn't so shabby, either. That said, 300 can't be judged in the same way as other films, as every shot has a special effect or some other alteration in the contrast and color pallette, with gold and blue tints being heavily used.

300 is presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:56:32. Audio languages include English, French, and Spanish. The film includes English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Swedish, and Thai subtitles.

Here's a list of all of the bonus features that can be found on 4K disc.

Audio Commentary - with director/co-writer Zack Snyder, co-writer Kurt Johnstad, and director of photography Larry Fong.

Also included in the 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo Pack is a second standard Blu-ray disc (originally released back in 2007), which contains the movie and all of the bonus features listed below. Audio languages include English, French, and Spanish. The film includes English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles.

Audio Commentary - with director/co-writer Zack Snyder, co-writer Kurt Johnstad, and director of photography Larry Fong.
The 300 - Fact or Fiction? (24:36) - Historians, authors and filmmakers reveal how much of the movie is based on fact.
Who Were the Spartans?: The Warriors of 300 (4:32) - The customs and ways of life of the Spartan used by the actors and filmmakers to build their characters.
Preparing for Battle: The Original Test Footage (6:43) - See how Frank Miller's images were used in a fight scene test and ultimately convinced the studio to green-light the film.
Frank Miller Tapes (14:42) - We'll show how the outspoken Miller continued to push the limits to realize his epic graphic novel 300 in the world of theatrical film.
Making of 300 (5:51) - A look at how the movie was made.
Making 300 in Images (3:40) - Rapid-fire stills from the first day of production to the last.
Webisodes (38:23) - A collection of short featurettes originally made for the 300 website. Includes: "Production Design", "Wardrobe", "Stunt Work", "Lena Headey", "Adapting the Graphic Novel", "Gerard Butler", "Rodrigo Santoro", "Training the Actors", "Culture of the Sparta City/State", "A Glimpse from the Set: Making 300 the Movie", "Scene Studies from 300", and "Fantastic Characters of 300".
Deleted Scenes (3:23) - A short collection of three scenes with Zack Snyder introducing each one.