1st of all, this movie is being narrated thru a spartan's point of view, AND to get the other 10,000 spartans rallied up, therefore of course it would be told from a negative perspective. the persian empire was the enemy.

however, it's the spartans that acted like barbarians pretending to be civilized. whereas the persian empire were more reasonable, even though more liberal in their culture.

there wasn't anything neccessary to killed the envoy messenger in the beginning of the movie. any country would of came in all force over something like that.

when xerxes was negotiating, he was being realistic while leonidas was being bompus and rude, turning his back on him and everything...just to taunt him.

the envoys were articulate, the only reason everything was perceived as if the persian empire was "evil" was because it was told from a spartan point of view..which they considered them the enemy

even when the 1st envoy messenger came to let them know that xerxes request for their "land & water"..had they accepted there wasn't going to be any bloodshed and really they would of been about their business, with the exception that they were part of the persian empire....not to say that was fair, just saying the persian empire was NOT brutal...the came forth with reason, but the spartans was a group was unreasonable, because they were raise since infancy to be barbarians