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Sullivan Stapleton in 300: Rise of an Empire (Warner Bros)
What it's about:
This new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield—on the sea—as Greek general Themistokles attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. Themistokles is pitted against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes and Artemesia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
What we thought:
Fans of the bloody glorious first 300 have waited 8 years for a sequel to enfold us again in the heroics of ancient soldiers and Zack Snyder definitely made it worth the wait. Although he didn’t helm the director seat this time round, he thankfully stayed on as writer and producer, ensuring that 300: Rise of an Empire stayed true to its legacy.
Blood, excessive violence and grungy battles, all made that more awesome in 3D, is what makes the 300 franchise one of the most bad-ass, but what is also well-done about this sequel is that it isn’t exactly a sequel. The movie starts with battles before King Leonidas and his men fought the Persians at the Hot Gates, then the chronology runs parallel to that of the 300’s stand and then the aftermath of the Spartans defeat. This gives the fans not only a great plot, but also a lot of extra background information to the first movie that might have been left out.
Not only does 300 give us the coolest movie-soldiers ever, but it also give us one of the most kick-ass woman villains ever, played by the gorgeous Eva Green. Some will probably disagree, but her role as the war-general Artemisia might be one of her best. She seems to like the villain role (Dark Shadows) but this one definitely stands out. At one point you are not even sure whom to root for – her or the hero Themistokles, portrayed by little-known actor Sullivan Stapleton, who makes up for the lack of Gerard Butler. The only person you really want dead is that obnoxious wannabe God-King Xerxes, but I guess that is the point.
Is it historically accurate? Who really cares. What makes it good is its highly stylised fighting sequences, with red being the primary colour, split open heads and ripped off arms and grotesque beings that serve the beautiful. There might have been a few clichéd deaths of primary characters (one in particular gives you a flashback to the first 300), but amazing stunts cleverly hide this - no matter how ridiculous they might be.
It is hard to watch 300: Rise of an Empire and not feel the rush of war pacing through you, making you want to pick up a sword and start yelling a battle cry. Although real war is not nearly as glorious or as awesome, you easily lose yourself in the world of the Hollywood Ancient Greeks and Persians and that is what movies are for.
This new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield—on the sea—as Greek general Themistokles attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. Themistokles is pitted against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes and Artemesia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
What we thought:
Fans of the bloody glorious first 300 have waited 8 years for a sequel to enfold us again in the heroics of ancient soldiers and Zack Snyder definitely made it worth the wait. Although he didn’t helm the director seat this time round, he thankfully stayed on as writer and producer, ensuring that 300: Rise of an Empire stayed true to its legacy.
Blood, excessive violence and grungy battles, all made that more awesome in 3D, is what makes the 300 franchise one of the most bad-ass, but what is also well-done about this sequel is that it isn’t exactly a sequel. The movie starts with battles before King Leonidas and his men fought the Persians at the Hot Gates, then the chronology runs parallel to that of the 300’s stand and then the aftermath of the Spartans defeat. This gives the fans not only a great plot, but also a lot of extra background information to the first movie that might have been left out.
Not only does 300 give us the coolest movie-soldiers ever, but it also give us one of the most kick-ass woman villains ever, played by the gorgeous Eva Green. Some will probably disagree, but her role as the war-general Artemisia might be one of her best. She seems to like the villain role (Dark Shadows) but this one definitely stands out. At one point you are not even sure whom to root for – her or the hero Themistokles, portrayed by little-known actor Sullivan Stapleton, who makes up for the lack of Gerard Butler. The only person you really want dead is that obnoxious wannabe God-King Xerxes, but I guess that is the point.
Is it historically accurate? Who really cares. What makes it good is its highly stylised fighting sequences, with red being the primary colour, split open heads and ripped off arms and grotesque beings that serve the beautiful. There might have been a few clichéd deaths of primary characters (one in particular gives you a flashback to the first 300), but amazing stunts cleverly hide this - no matter how ridiculous they might be.
It is hard to watch 300: Rise of an Empire and not feel the rush of war pacing through you, making you want to pick up a sword and start yelling a battle cry. Although real war is not nearly as glorious or as awesome, you easily lose yourself in the world of the Hollywood Ancient Greeks and Persians and that is what movies are for.
