Set before and after the events of 300 and the battle of the Spartans; 300: Rise of an Empire sees the Greeks go up against Xerxes and the Persians. Review right here.
300 was a surprise hit when it was released back in 2006 (eight years, already?). Now, we have the sequel that is also sort of a prequel, with Zach Snyder taking a producing role and handing directing duties over to Noam Murro.
Rise of an Empire starts off showing how Xerxes (the big gold Persian king) became, and how he swore vengeance on the Greeks and their warrior Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) for the death of his father. With his right-hand woman, Artemisia (Eva Green) by his side, he sets off to destroy all in his way.
Much like its predecessor; 300: Rise of an Empire is gorgeous to look at. The colour grading suits the tone and the effects work to a tee – especially the setting and the usage of slo-mo in the battle scenes. Yes, the film does amp up the gore as blood splatters across the screen and Green snogs beheaded fighters, but at no-point does it over step the mark.
Sullivan Stapleton makes for a great leading man, but the film is lacking in the Gerard Butler section. It would have been great to see his Leonidas return during the scenes set before his demise at the end of the first movie, but he is “past 300” according to some online reports. As for Eva Green, she makes for one of the best female villains to grace the cinema to date. She is revenge-fuelled and bloodthirsty to a degree that we have never seen before, and it is fun to watch.
One problem I did have with 300: Rise of an Empire was the dialogue was a little on the cheesy side (okay, it was very cheesy in parts) and some of the supporting actors where not exactly strong, but all is forgiven as this movie was just plain fun to watch.
Overall Thoughts:
A worthy sequel to 2006’s 300. Although we have a (mostly) new cast, we soon forget about who has and hasn’t returned thanks to the brutal violence and gratuitous nudity.
Leave a Reply