The first thing to be said about the movie “300,” which made $71 million last weekend, is that it is gorgeous. With its striking monochromatic cinematography and ecstatic violence, it captures the feel of the Frank Miller graphic novel, one of the best of its kind.

Director Zack Snyder stages the fighting brilliantly, pushing it forward with tight, quick shots in real time, then braking with wider slow-motion shots. The effect is similar to reading a great comic book; the action springs out as you turn the page, but you can linger as long as you like over an exquisite drawing. Here those drawings happen to be of manly Spartans mangling their Persian invaders with spears, swords and bronze shields.

The story is that of the Battle of Thermopylae, one of history’s notorious turning points in which the course of human history is set by the events of a few hours. Think of the Union victory at Gettysburg. Or British and French forces escaping the Nazis at Dunkirk. Or the Battle of Tours in 732 A.D., when Charles Martel’s forces saved Europe from the first Muslim attempt to dominate the continent.

As you might expect from a comic book artist, Miller takes fanciful liberties with the battle. Persian King Xerxes is 8 feet tall, and his army is augmented by more mutants, both animal and human. Also, there are quite a few bits of clunky or overdone dialogue.

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But the essence of why Thermopylae is important remains. Because a few men refused to bow to an expansionist regime, the rest of Greece found the will to fight. This allowed the rudimentary ideas of democracy to survive and grow throughout the West.

The parallels between then and now are abundantly obvious. There’s the Spartan politician Theron (Dominic West, Jimmy McNulty from “The Wire”) who plays the John Murtha role, withholding troops and funding for King Leonidas’ war effort and pushing for diplomacy and the redeployment of Greek forces away from the front.

There’s also the similarities between Xerxes’ Persia and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Iran. An adviser to the Iranian president said that “300” was “part of a comprehensive U.S. psychological war aimed at Iranian culture.” Come to think of it, Ahmadinejad’s claims to hear the whispers of the hidden 12th imam aren’t that different from Xerxes’ God complex. But there may still be time to prevent the mullahs having the power to set the world at war.

One of the film’s most important lines comes when the Persian emissary offers Leonidas the chance to avoid war by publicly submitting to Xerxes’ rule. “Submission?” asks Leonidas. “Now that’s going to be a problem.” That’s the only acceptable response available to a free person when confronted with an ideology that demands obedience from adherents and nonbelievers alike.

Leonidas imparts an equally vital lesson when, as he leaves for battle, he tells his wife, “Sparta will need more sons.” The West does too, and daughters. Demography is a vital factor in shaping a democracy.

The United States has a birth rate just strong enough to maintain its population. Other Western countries have birth rates below replacement. But Muslim populations are growing quickly in Europe, through birth and immigration.

Not a problem at all if everyone agrees on pluralist, tolerant liberal democracy. But there’s substantial reason — the fiery riots throughout France in 2005, for instance — that not everyone does.

Free people should insist on leaders like Leonidas who have the will to fight the military, political and cultural battles necessary to protect human liberty.

Aaron Keith Harris writes about politics, the media, pop culture and music and is a regular contributor to National Review Online and Bluegrass Unlimited. He can be reached at aaronkeithharris@gmail.com.