, 1h55 Directed byZack Snyder OriginUSA GenresDrama, War, Fantastic, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Historical, Peplum ThemesFilms about animals, Superhero films, Political films ActorsGerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, Vincent Regan, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro Rating75% One year after the famed Battle of Thermopylae, Dilios, a hoplite in the Spartan Army, begins his story by depicting the life of Leonidas I from childhood to kingship via Spartan doctrine. Dilios's story continues and Persian messengers arrive at the gates of Sparta demanding "earth and water" as a token of submission to King Xerxes; the Spartans reply by killing and kicking the messengers into a well. Leonidas then visits the Ephors, proposing a strategy to drive back the numerically superior Persians through the Hot Gates; his plan involves building a wall in order to funnel the Persians into a narrow pass between the rocks and the sea. The Ephors consult the Oracle, who decrees that Sparta will not go to war during the Carneia. As Leonidas angrily departs, a messenger from Xerxes appears, rewarding the Ephors for their covert support.