I am the first to cry about historical facts being distorted (Rome on HBO, Gladiator, The Scorpion King to name just a few) ,but the reason I loved the movie is because it stayed true to Frank Miller's graphic novel. Visually it was stunning and if anyone read Frank Miller, the scenes were simply lifeted from the artwork. The reason it lacks so much in terms of dialogue maybe is because there isn't much in Miller's original work. Its more dramatic and yet a very simplified version of what actually happened at Thermopylae. The movie isn't to be blamed for putting Persians in bad light - this was Frank Miller's take on it, a flight of fantasy. I don't think its meant to be racist although it is showing the Spartan version of things and in thier mind the Persians were the bad guys and therefore portrayed in a bad light. If anyone thinks this is an accurate portrayal of either Spartan or Persian culture then they need to rethink it.