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A delirious blood bath: '300: Rise of an Empire'
Gore fest: Those of you who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing that you like
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Gore fest: Those of you who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing that you like. (Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures) (Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures)
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span class="caption" style="width: 496px;">Gore fest: Those of you who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing that you like. (Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures)
While it may have more limb tearing and bloodier carnage than its predecessor, 300: Rise of an Empire barely succeeds in following the original's footsteps.
300 made a memorable entrance with original visuals and style under the direction of Zack Snyder and in consultation with Frank Miller, who with Lynn Varley created the 1998 graphic novel that inspired the film.
The sequel is under pressure to deliver more of the same, albeit with a different kind of 'wow' effect.
Rise, too, is based on a graphic novel by Miller ' a follow up to 300 that was titled Xerxes, but the film lacks tantalizing a main character and narrative rhythm. Rise opts instead to deliver blind, fantastical gore.
The staple of 300, i.e., the glistening, sculpted and homoerotic bodies of men, however, remain ' this time with additional of womanly curves.
In place of Snyder, now in the scriptwriter's seat, director Noam Murro gives violent combat lovers what they seek in the series: more limbs lopped off by swords, more bodies pierced by javelins and more eyes struck with arrows.
Rise takes place before, during, and after the events of 300.
After the death of Persian King Darius (Igal Naor) at the hands of Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) during an invasion, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) undergoes a transformation into a giant demigod bent on seeking revenge.
Not wanting to surrender, Themistokles seeks to unite the democratic Greek city-states to face Xerxes and a massive army led by Artemisia (Eva Green).
Greek-born, Artemisia has a deep hatred of all Greeks, after her family was slain and she was forced to spend years as a Greek sex slave.
Themistokles rides south to seek help from the oligarchic Sparta, the traditional rival of Athens, who has the might of superior infantry troops.
Spartan Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) refuses Themistokles' invitation, saying that King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) has already gone to battle with 300 Spartans against 300,000 of Xerxes' soldiers at Thermopylae.
With weak support from the other city-states, Themistokles has to face Artemisia in the rough straits between the mainland and the northern tip of the island of Euboea.
Themistokles' small fleet manages to wade off a number of Artemisia's offensives with cunning tactics, only to enrage her.
Artemisia, seeing that she has no worthy generals, offers Themistokles a chance to lead her fleet, which he refuses.
Knowing that the next battle will be against the full power of Artemisia's navy, hemistokles again seeks help from Gorgo, who is grieving over Leonidas' death at Thermopylae.
Clocking in at a little over 100 minutes, Rise's dragging narrative pace is made worse by the overly theatrical speeches delivered by the characters.
Stapleton is a disappointing replacement for Butler in 300. Butler's Leonidas, although bombastic is sorely missed by those who enjoyed the first movie.
But in the characterization department, Rise is a bit of an improvement over 300, managing to transcend its predecessor's one-dimensional characters.
Stapleton's blandness amplifies Green's exceptional portrayal of an enchantingly evil and ambitious Artemisia with her lunatic blood lust and vampire-like demeanor.
Green's performance and her character's back story makes it easier for the audience to root for the bad guy ' that and because Santoro's Xerxes is way cooler than Stapleton's Themistokles.
While Rise has a minimum of plot and gets its history all wrong, none of it matters for the movie.
Those who enjoyed the visual stylization of 300 will be happy, even though Rise relies on a palette of dark gray and charcoal instead of the rosy and bronze hues that the original employed.
With CGI-heavy ' although stunning ' visuals, Rise will draw positive criticism for those who enjoy violent boys video games. For those who do not, well, just come for the scantily clad actors (and actresses).
300: Rise of an Empire
(102 minutes, Warner Bros. Pictures)
Director: Noam Murro
Scripwriters: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad
Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, Rodrigo Santoro
Producers: Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Bernie Goldmann
