An Enemy Approaches

Again, in the beginning of the film, 300, the movie defamiliarizes my sense of being a soldier. Even in his teen years, Leonidus, the King of Sparta in the film, is constantly tested as the narrator tells. All the testing is for one reason and one reason only: to prepare him to be a Spartan soldier. The narration is key to being defamiliarized here and making the glory of being a soldier glorious again. Honestly, before I saw this movie, I had never thought about warfare and being a soldier in the way I did after seeing this movie. I think this is one of the reasons it is such a great picture of defamiliarization. The sheer story line is enough to make this idea new again, but the special effects add even more gravity to it. For example, throughout the film pay careful attention to the lighting in the background from either the sun or the moon. At various times throughout the film there is a powerful visual portrayal of intense light shown through the use of special effects. The portrayal of light is a clear metapohor regarding the glory that was associated with war for the Spartan soldier. I say this because of the times when the light is shown and the way the light is shown throughout the film. Even in the scene that I am referring to in this post, there is an obvious implementation of this particular metaphor. Look at when this effect is used, how it is used, and the underlying reason for why it is used in this scene. Further adding to the defamiliarization effects of the film is the portrayal of the Spartan soldiers. For instance, in this scene, Leonidus has been cast into the wild to fend for himself and survive however he can. Not only is he put in the wild alone, he is put in the wild during the winter time. The way Zack Snyder, the director, decided to portray this encounter Leonidus has with the wolf is very artistic, and its whole purpose is to defamiliarize us to ideas like bravery and fearlessness and how they interact with the overarching theme of the film in that there is great glory to be found in being a soldier and going to war for your country. Look at the way the enemy is depicted, look at the special effects that bring light to the darkness of night, thus, hinting at the glory of being a soldier and killing the enemy. Also, look at the portrayal of the young boy and the way the film shows him interacting with the enemy, in particular, his fearlessness and bravery. In addition to all these components, think about the narrator's words throughout the scene. The totality of the scene exists to defamiliarize the way that we think of being a soldier and going to war.

His Form...Perfect