On a second thought, take two more!

Among those eagerly awaiting the movie’s arrival are history buffs who have had to make do with “The 300 Spartans,” a much stodgier re-enactment from 1962. But just as Miller was haunted by the thought of these doomed heroes who don’t get out alive when he saw the film at age 6, so, too, was John Trikeriotis, 47, who runs 300SpartanWarriors.com and TheLeonidasExpeditions.com.

“Frank Miller blew the dust off of a story that has been around 2,500 years,” says Trikeriotis, who plans to take a scholarly trip to Thermopylae in 2008. Although purists might nitpick the factual liberties taken by “300,” the core appeal of the tale remains.

“It is the self-sacrifice. That is really it in a nutshell,” he says. “If the film gets people to say, ‘I want to read more about this,’ that is a good thing.”

As for anyone who thinks “300” is guys-only fare, consider those half-naked Spartans. At test screenings, the film tested 100 percent positive for women of all ages.

Says Snyder: “The studio was like, ‘What the hell? We don’t even get this at our romantic comedies.’”

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