irector Zack Snyder, who slashed to notoriety three years ago with his overhaul of "Dawn of the Dead," is back in his element with the bombastic 300. This steroid-fueled, chest-thumping male bloodlust is drawn from the brooding, bloody graphic novel by comic book superstar Frank Miller. The aim of this film interpretation is to create a mythological battle between good and evil, with one stylized, blood-spurting, limb-hacking battle scene after another.

The story tells the tale of the famous mythical Battle of Thermopylae between Greek Spartans and the invading, million-strong army of Persians hell-bent on squashing Greece’s burgeoning democracy. Forbidden to raise an army, Sparta's stern King Leonidas (a heavily buffed Gerard Butler, in a fierce performance) refuses to surrender to Xerxes, emperor of Persia, and deprived the use of his full army, he leaves his loving queen and marches off with his handpicked band of 300 warriors to conduct a campaign against the Persians and blocks the invading army at the narrow seaside pass known as Thermopylae.

The killing begins: Over the course of a colossal three-day battle, the Greeks inflict staggering casualties and hold their ground against assaults from battle rhinos, berserkers and primitive hand grenades. Crossing dangerous terrain and fighting hordes of enemies of all shapes and powers, Leonidas find his royal comfort in the glorious land he's defending, now left to a Queen (Lena Headey) who is having troubles of her own with a deceptive official (Dominic West) who wants Leonidas dead.

The testosterone-driven tale of blood and guts kicks into high gear when Spartans and Persians collide to the grind of guitars and the bombast of a roaring chorus. Persian emperor Xerxes (Brazilian star Rodrigo Santoro) offers Leonidas favorable terms: If the king will bow the knee, he'll be installed as overseer of all Greece after Xerxes conquers it. But Leonidas would rather die - in fact, he's looking forward to it - and his fellow soldiers gleefully return to the slaughter.