Blu-Ray/Movie Review: 300: Rise of an Empire

 

300: Rise of an Empire is the 2014 sequel to 2006's 300. It is directed by Noam Murro, but Zack Snyder, who directed 300, co-wrote the screenplay and is one of the movie's producers. The main roles are played by Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, and Rodrigo Santoro. The events in the movie are set partly during the events of the original movie but occur mostly after the stand of King Leonidas. It is centered around Themistocles (played by Sullivan Stapleton, probably best known for the series Blindspot and Strike Back) and tells a fictionalized version of the Battle of Artemisium and the Battle of Salamis, in which the Greek and Persian Navies did battle. The Persian navy is commanded by Artemisia (played by Eva Green of Casino Royale and Penny Dreadful). Lena Headey, Peter Mensah, David Wenham, Andrew Tiernan, Andrew Pleavin, and Rodrigo Santoro all reprise their roles from the first film. Heady, as Queen Gorgo, has a larger role in this movie than she did in 300, and Rodrigo Santoro, as King Xerxes, is more involved in this movie (meaning less of a background character) than he was in the first one.

The Blu-Ray's A/V quality is outstanding. The movie has many CGI effects that really stand out in HD. The Blu-Ray also includes quite a few extras. Those include about 35 minutes worth of making-of material (broken up into four featurettes), a 20-minute documentary on the real historical figures, and a short featurette on the training regimen that the actors went through to prepare for filming the movie.

As the first movie was, this one is very violent, with a lot of over-the-top dismemberment and killing. It uses a lot of slow-motion action, which gets irritating sometimes. There is also quite a bit of sex and nudity, mostly involving Green, who is never shy about nudity (or does not seem to be anyway). Of course, it is not a documentary, so it does take liberty with and embellishes real-life events. So, the movie is not going to give you a true history lesson, nor does it try to. It is just meant to be a blockbuster action movie that is loosely based on something that happened in history. The writing is okay, but the overall story is not as good as it was in the original movie, and the acting is good. Green is really the standout as Artemisia playing her as a ruthless and cunning warrior who counts on men to underestimate her. While I cannot say that everyone, even people who really liked the first movie, will love this, if you are a fan of action movies and do not try to overanalyze it, it is enjoyable.