It is cool but does not seem primitive enough. I would like to see something with a wood or horn handle. I was obsessed by Thermapole when I was younger which was why I felt a bit let dowwn by the movie. I always had in my head a scene like the end of Butch Cassidy where instead of going out in a blaze of glory they(The Spartans)fought a tremendous battle in a tiny gorge where the might of millions of persians could not be brought to bear. I had envisioned a huge production with thousands of extras and period correct costume and weapons but with enough story to get the viewer invested. Instead they took one of the most exciting and dramatic moments in history and added a bunch of nonsense to please executives and focus groups. it was still a good movie and I will watch it again when it comes out on DVD it's just that I find the actual story and weapons so much cooler and more interesting than the hollywood version.

My favorite author ,Neal Stephenson wrote a little article about the movie and the phenomena of comic book/geek cinema. I will try to find a link.