8 years after Zack Snyder gave us 300, that epic war film set to stylized war music, we have been drooling for an encore. His attempts to match up to 300 with a feeble ‘Watchmen’ and a horrendous ‘Sucker Punch’ failed before he resurrected himself with a Nolanesque Superman movie. With his head up now, he entrusts the reigns of the prequel to 300 to a relatively new director by the name of Noam Murro. And boy, he doesn’t disappoint. He gives us a film high on style, high on action and thunderous slo mos which actually are insane fun in 3D. You actually feel in the middle of a video game.
Speaking of the plot, the film goes back in time and sets up the story about how Xerxes became a god king and what led Spartans to launch into an epic battle with 300 men and ends with the defeat of Persians and start of a new empire- The Greek empire. The story although not convincing is believable and the cat and mouse game between the Persian commander of war Artemisia and Greek Themistokles is delicious to watch and Eva Green really lends gravitas to her part of the Greek hating general.
But what really did it for me was the non stop war sequences and the raw aggresion which has made 300 such a cult film. Watching all that after so many years was thrilling and super fun.And I must say this is actually the first 3D film which I have enjoyed watching on screen. And for all those asking, Yes the film is gorgeously shot but written by a strawhead, so any comparisons to 300 shoulkd end right here.
Eva Green is not the hero of ’300: Rise of an Empire,’ but she’s certainly the star. The other actors hardly even register. Lena Headley shows up for a few minutes as Queen Gorgo again, but it doesn’t register next to Eva. ‘Rise of an Empire’ isn’t exactly a sequel – it’s a sidequel. It tells the story of a different Persian assault on Greece. As Xerxes (the giant bald dude in chains from the original) is attacking Leonidas at the Hot Gates, Eva Green’s Artemisia is leading a naval assault. The movie begins right where the first one ended, then jumps back to before it started, then runs concurrent for a bit.
All in all, 100 minutes of fun you seek and 300: Rise of an Empire promises just that.
Rating-3/5
auyonreviews 