For what it is, it's a great movie. No, it's not historically correct, and no, it's not a gripping drama. It's a pure action flick, and it's one of the best ever. In a pure action movie, there needs to be a good premise (which doesn't need to be fully explored), killer action sequences, some badass quotes, and a great soundtrack. This has that. Who didn't go "damn!" when Leonidas kicked the Persian messenger off the bridge yelling "This is SPARTA!" There were plenty of moments where I was left thinking "What just happened?" but still loving it. It wasn't trying to be a historically accurate, dramatic portrayal of the Battle of Thermopylae. It was trying to be a fun, visually stunning, killfest with some bad-ass quotes in there. The battle sequences were great, and the visual effects were wonderful. What more do you what