Review: 300 RISE OF AN EMPIRE

Graphic novels that become feature films are, for the most part, all right. Zack Snyder's '300' was a hit back in 2006. He produced this new material from the same source material. This is our review of '300 RISE OF AN EMPIRE'.

By Staff

This movie tells us about an event, taking place at the same time as the happenings in '300'. This time, the story focuses on 'Themistocles', played by Sullivan Stapleton, an Athenian Admiral who is forced to join forces with Athens' traditional enemy, Sparta, to fight against the Persian Empire lead by 'Artemisia', played by the always beautiful Eva Green, a woman born in Athens but whose heart and soul belong to Persia.

All Greece is threatened by the danger posed by the 'God King Xerxes' and his army of millions. Nothing appears to bring the states together and the nation's downfall seems inevitable.

Themistocles, who leads the naval force, is fighting against Artemisia and her fleet when news of 'King Leonidas' and his 300 warriors' defeat breaks all across the land (parallel story from '300').

Instead of taking the news in a negative manner, he uses it to try and unite Greece and face the Persian threat.

Analysis and opinion:

Lets get one thing straight- our editor in chief, Edgar Perez, isn't a fan of the first movie. The sepia tone in the cinematography, and we quote, is "exasperating and takes focus away from the story way too much". Not all of us, in fact, not one of us, share his opinion. Anyways, this film isn't monochromatic- the colors change according to the place or emotion going on in the story or place, and in most cases, it turns out quite interesting.

The special effects, a big deal in this saga, keeps the line set by the first entry, however, we could see some noticeable flaws in lighting/green-screen shots.

Lets talk about the main characters Artemisia and Themistocles: He is way, WAY too lineal. He gets the lines okay but you can't sense any real emotion unless he is screaming the words out. She is EXCELLENT. In some sequences you could think she is overacting a bit but the truth is, if she hadn't done her performance like that, the character wouldn't have worked right.

Noam Murro's direction isn't out of the ordinary but we have to admit the film was better than what we've hoped for; it ain't no rollercoaster of emotions nor a bore fest either.

Bottom-line is- if you are an Eva Green fan, you can't miss this movie. If you are fans of the saga then take your time to go see it, don't rush. If you just want to watch a flick that doesn't make you think too much and just want to pass some time, then this is the movie for you.