Is everyone prepared for SPARTA! Day?

As March 9th (or, as I’ve come to call it, SPARTA! Day) steadily approaches, I feel it’s necessary for me to discuss one of my most highly, highly, highly anticipated films this year. Its trailers are some of the most ridiculously awesome trailers in years; they make me want to run outside in a loin cloth and violently murder something (much to the dismay of the neighbors). It’s shaping up to be the most epic, visually breathtaking piece of cinema in recent memory.

It’s a wonderfully kickass movie called “300.”

I’m a huge Frank Miller fan. You may know him from a little series of graphic novels known as “Sin City.” I stand with those who consider him to be the savior of comics books, seeing as how he revitalized such heavy hitters as Superman, Batman and Daredevil, setting the stage for decades of comics to come. He, along with Mike Mignola of “Hellboy” fame, is possibly my favorite graphic novelist.

And his undisputed masterpiece is a horizontally aligned graphic novel known as “300,” a beautiful retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 Spartan warriors repelled an onslaught of one million Persians for three days. The tale is a classic one, and never so epically told as with Frank Miller. It’s one of the most beautiful graphic novels I’ve ever laid eyes on, every pane like a vivid painting.

And now this masterpiece of a comic is being brought to the big screen, as grand and violent as ever.

Much like “Sin City,” “300” is done in a distinct visual style, intended to as closely resemble the comic as humanly possible. And as someone who has read the graphic novel several times, I can tell you that many of the shots from this film would stand up to even the most intense scrutiny as to their resemblance.

“300” is shaping up to be a fantastic-looking film, and the fact that it will hit IMAX screens on March 9 makes it that much sweeter. You can bet I’ll be there, Spartan helmet cresting my head. I mean, look at that screenshot up there. Those Spartan warriors are literally PUSHING an army off the side of a cliff. If that's not awesome, I've nothing to live for.

If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, go kill yourself and then watch it.

Oh, wait …