Fans lauded Zack Snyder’s 2007 historical epic film 300, but despite it being a masterpiece to many, one fan managed to point out a massive plot hole that’s been there yet no one has talked about. Was it really a plot hole, or was it one of the director’s deliberate ways to exhibit the real intention of the movie?
300 featured an ensemble cast with big names like Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Rodrigo Santoro, David Wenham, Michael Fassbender, and Dominic West, to name a few, and it also ended up as a massive commercial success.
The Plot Hole In Zack Snyder’s 300 Continues To Baffle Fans
A fan from Reddit noticed a plot hole from Zack Snyder’s 300 which involves a character named Dilios, played by David Wenham, who somehow posed as an unreliable narrator.
After the initial wave of battles, Dilios (the narrator) is injured. He is sent back to Sparta by Leonidas to tell their story and to drum up support for the rest of the Spartans to fight the Persians. But, Dilios goes on to tell the story of the final battle where the 300 are demolished by Sparta. How does he know what happened if he wasn’t there?
Indeed, how could the narrator know the events that took place in the final battle? Did he make up the whole story then? Another fan responded to the query and claimed that “the entire movie is told through an unreliable narrator” and that it is “Greek propaganda designed to galvanize the war effort.”
Another avid movie enthusiast seconded this theory by stating, “It’s a real historical event that’s brought into the realm of fantasy with the perfect scapegoat as to why we see supernatural occurrences and impossible beings.” In an interview with Snyder via CBR, he explained Dilios’ point of view:
Dilios is a guy who knows how not to wreck a good story with truth. If he’s telling you the story about what happened to his boys, and he’s talking about an elephant, and you’ve never seen an elephant, that elephant’s going to be crazy.
At this point, it looks like Snyder truly orchestrated this creative decision rather than an honest plot hole.
The Significance Of Dilios’ Narration In 300
A review from 3 Brothers Film explained the importance of Dilios’ part as the unreliable narrator in 300:
The narrative frame is essential to the film’s strategy and effect… By explicitly framing the film as a purposely rousing story, it explains and justifies the film’s slips between history and fantasy.
The addition of “grotesque creatures and supernatural heroic feats” into a supposed account of history just proves how much Dilios wanted to tell a great tale of their heroism. The reviewer also noted how 300 is more of an “emotional and even manipulative saga told by one man who wants to win sympathy and adoration for the heroics of Leonidas.”
This discussion among fans served as a testament to Snyder’s mythmaking skills, as well as the themes of sacrifice and bravery continuing to be essential elements in his films.
300 is available to watch on Max.
