Review of 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) by Bruce722 — 09 Mar 2014

300: Rise of an Empire was a really good movie but it failed to deliver on the epicness of the first film. But I'll first touch on the positives. The visuals are really, REALLY cool. It seemed like the blood spurts weren't done quite as well as the first one but overall the visuals in this movie were fantastic.

Whether it was Artemisia igniting the Greek Navy or Themistokles leading the Greek forces, the special effects and visuals were a definitely strength. The acting was also really good. Was it "Oscar-worthy"? No but it's a different kind of movie.

I thought the actors delivered their roles well, especially Eva Green, who I thought stole the movie. Her beauty is stunning, sure, but she did an incredible job with Artemisia. The plot also developed well and I thought they connected it to the first film really well.

Instead of this being a sequel, though, it's essentially occurring at the same time as the first movie, just at a different location. That being said, that is also one of the elements that hurt the movie, in my humble opinion.

The movie builds and builds and builds and then right when you think you're about to get the biggest battle of the film, it ends. That is just a part of what I consider the weakest area of the movie..

. there just isn't enough combat. The first movie was littered with epic fight sequences while this one focused more on the politics. I think they forgot why so many people loved the first one. It was different from the Troys and the Bravehearts and the Gladiators.

It was in your face war and had a charm and joy to it. This movie, while good in its own right, lost a lot of that charm and joy and tried to take a more serious cinematic approach, ultimately missing its mark in the process.