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Saturday, March 8, 2014

300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE




Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) assembles his troops to fend off an invading Persian army led by the immortal Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and the vindictive Persian navy commander Artemisia (Eva Green) in this sequel to 300 based on the graphic novel Xerses by Frank Miller. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Noam Murro

Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Rodrigo Santoro, David Wenham

Release Date: Mar 07, 2014

RealD 3D

Rated: R for strong sustained sequences of stylized bloody violence throughout, a sex scene, nudity and some language

Runtime: 1 hr. 43 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Whether you loved it or hated it, 300 was a landmark film of sorts.  Its visual style set off a series of imitators all trying to achieve that level of visual glory.  I personally loved 300 even if its story was a bit hollow, the visual fest on display was more than enough to make up for it.   8 years later with a new director at the helm we finally get a sort of sequel.  It’s a prequel and sequel all rolled up in one with event happening before, concurrently and after the events of 300.  It covers a lot of ground and surprisingly it’s incredibly engaging powered by a beefier story behind it.  Sullivan Stapleton is a fine lead even if he doesn’t have the bravado or magnetism of Gerard Butler’s Leonidas.  Eva Green though is the real star of the film.  She vamps up the screen with a maniacal glee which is sure to leave a lasting impression all while wearing an assortment of dominatrix meets gladiator fetish garb.  Each of their roles has a nice bit of depth giving them more heft than expected, it’s a shame there very little characterization for the supporting characters though.  As a result pretty much all the supporting players are just fodder for the beautifully choreographed battles.  Blood splatters everywhere, typically followed by limbs or heads, in a dizzying display of blood soaked madness all on the high seas!  The film ends with a nice opening for the final chapter; hopefully it won’t take another 8 years.    

B+

8 comments:

  1. Great review Daniel. I think after reading both our reviews it all depended on where your expectations were for the film. Yours were rather low going in and mine were rather high. Hence the slight difference in scores.

    Definitely a fun watch though and I think we can both agree that Eva Green stole the show.

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    1. Yep, I think that's what happened. Eva Green was just something else in this, I've slowly become a big fan of hers.

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  2. Like I say on Jordan's review, I am not a big fan of the original 300, but I liked most of it, so I will probably get around to watching Rise of an Empire at some point. Also, Eva Green is an underrated actress in my opinion and I have always enjoyed her work. Great review Daniel!

    -James

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    1. If you like Green I think you'll really enjoy Rise of an Empire.

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  3. Good review Dan. It's all so damn dumb, but it's also pretty fun. You just have to let your imagination run loose for quite awhile.

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    1. Exactly Dan, it just a lot of fun, really enjoyed it a lot more than expected.

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  4. I sooo hope there will be a sequel soon. This was a really pleasant surprise and gave me a fun time in the cinema!

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    1. Same here man, definitely left me wanting more!

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