I’ve read all the reviews and heard all the criticism saying that Zack Snyder’s 300 is over-the-top, tiresome, and overly-dependent on its visuals. Sure, that’s what film critics are paid to say for movies that aren’t Oscar contenders. As for me, I’m not getting paid to write this review, which means I can say what’s really on everyone’s mind after leaving the IMAX theater screening of 300: “that movie was frickin’ awesome.”

What most people fail to realize is that 300 isn’t just any other movie, or even just any other adaptation of a comic book. Instead, Snyder’s sophomore film is based on a Frank Miller graphic novel, which means the whole experience of going to the cinema becomes more like an invitation to a visual smorgasbord than simply going to see a movie. Like Robert Rodriguez’ Sin City before it, watching 300 is more like turning the pages of a intricately drawn graphic novel than it is watching a film, and Snyder, with the guidance of Frank Miller — arguably the greatest crafter of the graphic novel in history — does not disappoint in capturing the very essence of every illustration in this film. In fact, many of the shots in the movie feel as if they were taken from the book itself, more like exquisite paintings of glorified gore than simply scenes in a fluff movie.

The story is historically inaccurate, of course, and it would be a crime if Snyder did try to reflect history instead of fiction. The dialog is unrefined, of course, but the witty banter and rousing war cries are perfect for a film based on a book that reflected conversations through narrative boxes. The gore is excessive, of course, but the remarkable visual poesy of each battle scene is almost awe-inspiring. The misogyny is unnecessary, of course, but hey…this is Frank Miller, and this is Sparta after all. It is impossible to refute that visually, there have been few films as stunning as 300 and that the effects used for battle in this film are revolutionary. It is, in essence, a visual masterpiece.

So to those critics who are quick to dismiss 300 as piece of violent and pointless cinematic excess, I ask you please to first read, understand, and appreciate the tradition of the graphic novel it is meant to emulate. I then ask you to get off your high horse and realize that sometimes, you just want to see a movie with some serious ass-kicking, and 300 is the best one we’ve had in years.