Sparta at sea! Pirates of the Aegean!
If you were one of the few who, when watching King Leonidas and his 300 fellow Spartans stand up to the Persian god-king Xerxes and his army at the Battle of Thermopylae, said to yourself, “I wonder what everyone else was doing?” then this is the movie for you!
It’s hard to say exactly what '300: Rise Of An Empire' is. It isn't a prequel (we do, however, find out why the Persians picked a fight with Greece) but it isn't a sequel (although we do get to see what happens after Leo and his crew face off against Xerxes and his mates). '300: Rise Of An Empire' is a parallel story, running alongside and supported by the original movie, and herein lies the film’s Achilles heel.
Zack Snyder and Frank Miller (this time with director Noam Murro at the helm) have again brought to life the highly stylised and graphic world of the ancient Greeks and their epic conflict with the Persians. Fans can look forward to and will enjoy more of what made the original '300' so compulsively thrilling! This time round, we are treated to ancient navel warfare at the Battle of Artemisium Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton), Greek navel general and hero of the Battle of the Marathon, leads Greece’s small, united naval force against the might of the Persian navy, led by their brutal and vengeful commander, Artemisia (Eva Green). What follows is a visual and visceral assault on the senses.
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'300: Rise Of An Empire' steps up to the plate and turns up the heat; the increase in sex, violence, and gore is considerable and yet, surprisingly, not overdone. The cinematography and choreography of battle is amazing. No attention to detail has been overlooked every raindrop, ember of flame, splatter of blood and severed limb is captured in glorious slow-motion, giving your brain a chance to catch up and soak up the combat taking place before you. What the plot and characters lack in development, the film makes up for in decapitation. If you want to see muscled men playing with swords on boats, then this is the film for you!
However, in choosing to lean heavily on and parallel the original film’s story line, '300: Rise Of An Empire' fails to rise as a stand-alone feature. Instead, the movie seems to hobble along, riding the coattails of the 2007 film, and robbing the audience of any real chance to relate to and empathise with the characters.
'300: Rise Of An Empire' chooses to stay in the shadow of the original film, dangling the possibility of a Gerald Butler cameo in front of the audience like a carrot. None of the characters truly establish themselves and connect with the viewer, as we are constantly reminded of the awesomeness of Leonidas and Sparta, and the importance of the events happening elsewhere. It would have been great to enjoy this film in and of itself, but instead it feels like a big, ol’ “meanwhile, at sea” kind-of movie.
'300: Rise Of An Empire' is a hoot! (But not a hit.) It’s fun! (But not fresh.) ★★★
For more of Dave's insights on film, visit thisisfilm.com.
