"300: Rise of an Empire” is a quasi sequel to the 2007 smash hit “300.” This time around there is no Gerald Butler as Leonidas, gone too is Zack Snyder, the director of the first film. Noam Murro takes the reigns as director and Sullivan Stapleton plays the lead as Themistocles, the leader of the Greeks. “300: Rise of an Empire” doesn’t really thread the usual sequel that audiences are used to seeing. This time it tells the story of how the Greeks were dealing with the rise of Xerxes during the same time that the Spartans were battling them.
Sullivan Stapleton does an allright job in this film, but for some reason you couldn’t believe him as this wonderful leader who was able to inspire his people to fight for a cause of freedom. Stapleton lacks the gravitas that you would expect from the lead in this film, and you become much more interested in Eva Green’s character, the villainess Artemisia, for she is a far more interesting character in this movie and brings so much to her role as well.
This movie is basically one giant bloodbath and nothing else and the angry sex scene that plays in the middle of the film was quite strange even for this sort of movie. “300: Rise of an Empire” fairs a weak narrative and an even weaker beginning that fleshes out far too much exposition for audiences to care for. The origin of Xerxes is quite un-interesting as well, and you really cannot get behind any of his motivations.
“300: Rise of an Empire” isn’t an unwatchable film. The actions sequences are amazing and the visuals of this movie are stunning and some credit should be given to Murro for the excellent job of maintaining much of the flavor of the first film. However “300: Rise of an Empire” lacks the strong and tight narrative that we were given back with the first film that came out in 2007. Audiences really can’t root for Themistocles like we could for Leonidas, and the ending was quite anti-climatic as well.
If you are looking for a straight up action flick with stunning visuals and wonderful fight scenes then “300: Rise of an Empire” is your movie. If you are looking for something more than that, with a tight script, great acting performances and an amazing story, you will be sorely disappointed.
