300: Rise of an Empire

Whether you will enjoy this or not is entirely dependent on how you felt about the original 300. It’s really that simple. If you didn’t like it then this isn’t for you. If you did like it, then this movie is basically made for you, though it lacks some of what made that first movie what it was. There’s blood and battle, swords and sandals and more abs than you can handle, but it lacks some of the angry energy of that first movie, and its basic-yet-cluttered narrative leaves a lot to be desired. If you want to see muscle-bound men in loincloths stabbing other dudes in slow motion then this is for you.

Rise of an Empire is an oddly jumbled movie, seeking to act as a prequel, sequel and companion piece to the original film. And while it is enjoyable for all its excesses, it lacks the confident spark of the original, aping Zack Snyder’s directing and stylistic flair but not the self-assured, solid nature of that film. Part of this is due to the screenplay; Rise of an Empire takes place before, during and after its predecessor, and delves into the backstory of both its main conflict and villains, leading to a somewhat messy collection of sequences and scenes.

The Persian army, led by the self-proclaimed God King Xerxes and his naval general Artemisia (both who are out for revenge against the Greeks for their own reasons), launch a massive two pronged attack on a divided Greece. While Xerxes and his horde harass the Spartans (which was the plot of the original 300), Artemisia and her navy come against the forgettable hero Themistocles, who leads a small navy of Greek fishermen as he appeals to the various Greek cities, including Sparta, for support.

There is a lot of backstory thrown around, with a look into why the Persians are attacking in the first place and how Xerxes became the tanned, eight feet tall ‘God King’. A lot of early attention is thrown on him, but then he disappears for the vast majority of the movie (where he’s, presumably, hitting on Gerard Butler in 300). He’s more of a background character in this one.

The heroic hero Themistocles is a more calm and measured character than the flesh-hungry, perpetually shouting Leonidas, seeking victory but also a united Greece (as opposed to the Spartans just wanting to die in the most awesome way imaginable). As a result he’s not as interesting, simply being the hero we’re expected to root for for arbitrary reasons. Acting wise he’s a bit bland, but he suits the role well.

The vast majority of the film is focused on Eva Green’s villainess Artemisia, with her getting more screen time than anybody else, getting a backstory of her own and largely attributing all events to her. Props to her being the most memorable thing about the movie; Eva milks the role, playing up the ‘evil bitch’ thing big time, cutting down soldiers, making out with severed heads and executing her own people. She does tend to be an overboard character though, playing it up as much as she can (while the rest mostly play it straight, missing the fun of a story that’s stupid and ridiculous). Eva even bares her bountiful breasts in the film’s most memorable scene (more on that later) but with the amount of CGI fakery on display they might just be computer trickery (but if not then this is a memorable reveal on the level of Jamie Lee Curtis in Trading Places).

And there is CGI fakery indeed, for Rise of an Empire is an experience in CGI overload. The backgrounds, the foregrounds, the blood, the water, the boats – fuck even the soldiers in most scenes are CGI. While some sequences look great, others have that ugly sort of soundstage feeling, where you can tell it’s just actors standing against a green screen. Many scenes are impressive, with naval battles and sword clashes looking great, though some have too much going on, making it hard to tell what is happening. Every fight scene has abundant visual flair, with a tonne of slow-motion and blood gushing from every wound. It’s gory but in the same way a videogame might be, with uber-fake CGI blood and brutal finishing moves, though the reliance on CGI diminishes things a little. It lacks the gruesome joys of the Spartacus TV series, which used CGI to supplement some gruesome prop work.

The scene many are talking about, the film’s most memorable one, is a bizarre antagonistic sex scene between Themistocles and Artemisia. It’s a bizarro hate-bang between two people who want to kill each other, involving rippling muscles, heaving breasts and a lot of choking, slapping and hair-pulling. It’s a ridiculous, unintentionally funny scene for all the wrong reasons, with its two lead actors violently trying to screw each other, but it’s memorable and entertaining, and one of the weirder things to be put to screen.

Compared to Zack Snyder’s confident original, Rise of an Empire feels a bit messy, muddled and a little unsure of itself. It relies on the style and even plot of the original, with 300’s messy political nonsense making its way here in one of several narrative threads that are abandoned almost instantly. There is also a large difference in general tone. In 300 the Spartans were basically a bunch of psychotic battle-hungry soldiers who thought dying in combat was great, with the crux of Leonidas’ many shout-y speeches being ”We’re gonna die and it’s gonna be fucking awesome!”, usually followed by enthusiastic cheering. Conversely Themistocles and his Athenian bunch sort of want to live, with the many many speeches being about standing together, holding out hope, defending their country and beating back the foreign invaders. It lacks the insane, blood-hungry rage of the first movie (the film offers no equivalent to Gerard Butler’s “THIS IS SPARTA!”). Rise of an Empire feels a bit more reserved in comparison.

That being said, it delivers on its promise of uber-stylised swords-and-sandals-at-sea combat. It’s more 300, with a little bit more of almost everything. More blood, more sex, more CGI, more abs, more slow-mo (though less shouting). You want to see a big budget CGI extravagana, then Rise of an Empire is for you, just be prepared to leave your expectations, and brain, by the door.  

(For comparison’s sake, despite the vastly differing tone, I liked Pompeii 3D better, though this is a valid ‘pizza-and-beer’ flick).