'300' and Gerard Butler Fans Will Have a Depressing January

THIS IS DISAPPOINTING! Gerard Butler fans, brace yourselves, because 300, Zack Snyder’s epic historical action film, is set to leave Netflix on January 1, 2025. The iconic movie that brought Butler’s King Leonidas to life is bidding farewell to the streaming platform. Released in 2006, 300 is based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name and recounts the legendary Battle of Thermopylae.

In what is probably considered his breakout role, Gerard Butler stars as King Leonidas, who leads 300 Spartans against the massive Persian army commanded by Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). With its stylized visuals, intense combat, and memorable lines like “This is Sparta!”, it caught the public's imagination and became one of the best known historical action and war films made for modern audiences. The movie also features an excellent supporting cast that includes Lena Headey, David Wenham, and Michael Fassbender, also in a breakout role. 300 was a huge smash with audiences around the world, who fell in love with its stunning visual effects and bone-crunching action scenes, ultimately going on to gross $456 at the box office around the globe.

Is '300' Worth Checking Out on Netflix?

Absolutely, yes. Collider's review of the movie praised Snyder's vision in putting the action scenes together, hailing his "sense of control":

Leonidas gathers 300 of his best men, and goes to the coast to protect himself and his town from the invaders. There the 300, including David Wenham, face an army that may count in the millions. Such is where the film comes to life. It's a film about a number of staged sieges, and Snyder has the eye. He knows how to deal these scenes. And though he might be infused with Frank Miller's sensibilities, at this point we can safely say that Snyder knows how to choreograph this stuff, and the action scenes pack a wallop.

Snyder's sense of control is pretty spectacular. Though the moral compass of the film may be magnetized, the set pieces deliver and then some. The limitations of the film come from Frank Miller, as does much of the greatness of the visual design, but Snyder sees momentum in it, and his film achieves a great velocity.

300 is streaming on Netflix until the end of this month. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on Gerard Butler, and check him out in Den of Thieves: Pantera.

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