Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headley, David Wenham, Vincent Regan, Rodrigo Santoro, Dominic West

Why this? Ha! By the man who wrote Sin City, 300 is one of the most ambitious comic books in recent history.

Frank Miller's graphic novel presents a violent look at the ancient Battle of Thermopylae where a few hundred Spartans, led by the valiant King Leonidas, rose up against Xerxes and Persia's mighty army. Despite impossible odds, their bloody sacrifice unites Greece into a singular, anti-Persian force.

In an extremely fascinating technique (captured alongside), the frames of the comic book have been painstakingly transferred to screen: First from the original comic book panel, to a very similar storyboard panel, to actors acting against virtual backgrounds, to the final image which essentially brings the comic to life.

Wow.

Also see: Flops that weren't meant to be