300: Rise of an Empire Movie Review

300: Rise of an Empire was really fun movie to experience. If you enjoyed the first one I’m pretty sure you’ll love this one. Now I think this movie had a bit of an uphill battle considering it has big shoes to fill, considering the popularity of its predecessor. Zak Snyder did a very good job directing this sequel and it had plenty of slow motion killing and blood squirting to quench my appetite!

300: Rise of an Empire took a handful of similar techniques that the first one used in a successful way. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Although our lead soldier in this film, Themistocles played by Sullivan Stapleton, is charismatic and does a great job in his role he just wasn’t Gerard Butler’s Leonidas. Although it may be unfair to directly compare the two, Leonidas was just such a powerful and memorable persona that it is hard not to.

I watched this movie in the IMAX theater in Lincoln Square and I really believe this film was a work of art. There are so many beautiful scenes that just leave you in awe. Granted it is a very gory movie, but the battle sequences and the use of slow motion and projectile blood spatter are just so perfect. This is definitely a movie that pumps you up while you watch it, similar to the first one.

I have yet to mention probably the best element of this movie which is Eva Green playing Artemisia. She was sexy, brutal, relentless, and maybe even psychotic, but she truly became her character. Being the antagonist of the film it was hard to decide whether you wanted to love or hate her but either way she was fantastic and really added something to this film that the first one did not have. Along with some real background and character development on Xerxes the “God King” played by Rodrigo Santoro, 300: Rise of an Empire really left me satisfied.

I was bit spectacle coming into this film but I left very pleased. In one word the movie was epic. With some familiar faces from the first film and many references, it will feel nostalgic at times but Snyder does a great job of adding new elements to the mix and gives us something fresh. I’m going to give 300: Rise of an Empire a solid 7.5 out of 10. Sure it didn’t have any speeches by Leonidas, but it was a kick-ass movie on its own and should not be easily dismissed.