300, the 2007 story of the three hundred Spartans who held off a massive Persian offensive in Ancient Greece, proved a disappointing film. In spite of my Classics degree, I won't complain about the divergences from recorded fact. The film is clearly meant to be a fantasy on historical themes instead of a faithful account of the event. Rather, what irked me was the hammy dialogue. There were the tropes of recent Hollywood battle scenes: warriors on the good guys' side defending themselves with little exertion as they trade silly quips about how they've got each other's backs. A queen give... læs resten.