Where is all the hype for 300: Rise of An Empire? If you told the 2006 versions of us that big sequel to 300 was being made centered on the naval battle that played out side by side with Leonidas’ last stand, we would be very excited. Instead the sequel took eight years to make and the hype grew cob webs on our DVD shelves. It’s a bit unfortunate because Rise of An Empire delivers the back story and depth that wasn’t given in the first go around. What are missing are the legendary sound bites, we remember from ’06. “Tonight we dine in hell!” “Meaning we’re ordering Chinese food.”
Sullivan Stapleton plays Themistocles, a character whose legend is on par with Leonidas’. His army is a large one that seems to contain a predictable dynamic of archetypes including the father/ son pairing we saw in the first film. I hate to keep mentioning 300 but the truth is Rise of an Empire makes sure you don’t forget it. References to the past characters, including the presence of Lena Headey’s Queen Gorgo and David Wenham’s Dilios, pop up around every turn.
Xerxes, played by Rodrigo Santoro is featured again also, but this is much more than an ode to the past. WE get the character’s origin story and see more into his life as god-king than before. He’s no longer just the creepy villain who says “Europa” in a deep accent. Eva Green also does well as the creepy commander Artemisia.
The action is higher quality than expected from a film about a naval battle. I kind of wondered why all the ships didn’t just come to shore and fight there though. Most of the time the ships just rammed each other and the fighters jumped from deck to deck. Why not make it easier? But I expected over the top Greek historical fiction in Rise of an Empire and that’s what I got.
Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.
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