by Joseph Rossi
How wonderful. It’s another attempt to suck out millions of dollars with a less then mediocre sequel to an already overrated film that has amassed a rather large and loyal fan base. 300: Rise of an Empire is a big, loud, bloated, silly mess.
The 2007 mega flick 300 took a well-known Greek legend and amped up the testosterone. It presented a slew of half-naked warriors led by the buff and always screaming Gerard Butler as he led his army to an eventual slaughter against the evil Persian king, Xerxes. The film, when released, was an instant hit. 300 spawned some of the new millenniums greatest party lines. But more importantly (for the studio and the fans), it spawned a sequel or rather, a companion piece. This new film, which depicts the naval battle of Artemisium takes place alongside the events of the original film, the landlocked battle of Thermopylae.
Now I love my historical epics big and loud. I adore movies like Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven (the director’s cut). I also admire when movies don’t work because they’re damn hard to pull off (Troy). I’ll even go as far as to say I enjoy when liberties are taken in order to maximize entertainment value (Braveheart). But I just couldn’t enjoy this film. I was no fan of the first film with all the decibel level speechifying, computer effects and post production created slow motion shots. I didn’t get it. I never found the film enjoyable. All the techno-wizardry gave me a headache, the script was laughable and scores deafening. This new film, directed by Noam Murro just adds to the pot but throwing in more large scale effects sequences that are meant to shock and awe. The issue is that they don’t inspire wonder because the movie is lacking any form of fun. This film is laborious when it should be exhilarating. This isn’t history 101; the giant God like Persian King in the last film should’ve told you that.
The film brings back the forgettable characters that survived the last film (played Lena Headey, Rodrigo Santoro and David Whenham) as well as adding a new leading man into the mix, Australia’s hunk of the month Sullivan Stapleton as the — new Gerard Butler type persona. But if the film belongs to someone, it’s Eva Green. She steals the show as the blood loving Persian naval commander Astemisia. Whenever she’s on screen she injects this dull enterprise with life. But that’s not enough to recommend this film.
