Review of 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) by Agscreen — 15 Mar 2014

The original film, 2007's 300, had a cultural impact that no one could predict and made Zack Snyder the household name he is today. However, 300: Rise of an Empire, which acts as an entertaining and well made piece of cinema, lacks the charisma and originality that the the first film delivered.

Rise of an Empire acts as both a prequel and sequel to 300, telling the story of Themistokles, an Athenian warrior who desperately attempts to unite Greece's cities so that they may defeat Xerxes navy, lead by Artemisia (Brilliantly played by Eva Green) that threatens to encircle and destroy Greece. Though the film suffers from poor character development and a rushed explanation of the origins of Xerxes's power, it does get right what the first film did expertly and that is the combat scenes. Every battle is a gratuitous flair of severed limbs, glorious slow motion and geysers of blood, and is choreographed fantastically. Fans of the first film will certainly appreciate these moments and it is these battles, both on land and sea that carry the film.

However, Rise of an Empire does have its flaws that separates it from the greatness of the original. With the exception of Artemisia and to an extent, Xerxes, the film has little to no character development and unlike 300, I felt no connection to the supporting cast, as they were so ordinary that none of them stood out. Xerxes's rise to power was glossed over and done in roughly 10 minutes and is highly unsatisfactory to any that are unfamiliar with the fiction. While the jumps into the past were pleasing as they added context to the story of Leonidas and his 300, it was poorly initiated and chopped back and forth which halted the flow of events and the film suffered as a result.

In conclusion, despite its flaws (and they are distinct) 300: Rise of an Empire is an highly entertaining, albeit forgettable, sequel that will no doubt have you grinning at the sheer spectacle and ridiculousness of it all.