Pages of melodramatic speeches. Zack Snyder-style action. Gallons of blood. And abs on every man. With the first 300, all of these admittedly schlocky elements came together in a fun, dumb little package of a movie. With the sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire, those same elements in the same amounts are mixed together, and the product is the exact same thing…though a lot less potent.
The film takes place before, during, and after the events of the first film. Rise of an Empire focuses on Athens, and shows the genesis of the war with the Persians. It shows the birth of the Xerxes we know, and the warrior princess at his side. It fast forwards to the Athenians, led by Themistocles, battling the Persian navy, led by the warrior princess Artmesia. Through several battles, ending with the Athenians being trounced, they make one final stab at victory.
Obviously, this is a film whose story is nearly irrelevant. Besides the fact that most educated people know how the story of the Persian invasion ends, anyone who has seen the first film knows the ending already. By seeing the first film, one has found the formula that this film follows. Even the nitty-gritty bits of the film are either repeated or mirrored; it was no surprise that, when a father and son duo join on the battlefield, something will happen to one of them. I won’t spoil it by saying which what, but it’s predictable the second it’s revealed. And you’ve seen the first film, you already know what I’m talking about.
The dialogue is not atrocious, but it’s not sophisticated in an Aaron Sorkin way or simple-and-beautiful in a Gravity way. It is functional. But even the dialogue is susceptible to predictability: before every battle, there is a rousing speech; for every dialogue with the Athenians, there’s peace and wishes of freedom; anything involving the Persians is tense, vulgar, and cruel. Even though you won’t be able to predict the next word coming out of someone’s mouth, you can predict the tone and outcome.
The place the movie succeeds—and, admittedly, the main reason it exists—is because of the visuals. The movie, like the first, is a graphic novel come to life, and Frank Miller created an absolutely beautiful comic to springboard from. The colors are fluorescent, the shadows bold, fire glowing and sweat gleaming. Blood flies at the screen, and even without 3D there is a sense of dimension. The production value, as can be predicted, is of the highest caliber.
The acting is a very mixed bag. There is no bad acting to be seen, which is good. But many of the actors are restricted in their roles, not by themselves but by the script. With Game of Thrones, I would never know Lena Headey could play anything but a mourning wife with vengeance in her eyes. Sullivan Stapletown, playing Themistocles, is functional, but his character is just a mouthpiece to make long melodramatic speeches. And Xerxes, identical from the first film, isn’t around long enough to make an impression, and maybe it’s just me, but he isn’t an overly-imposing villain.
It is Eva Green who steals the show as Artemisia. The one element of the film that impressed me beyond doubt was her performance. She creates a chilling character, a villain that’s more overwhelming and terrifying than Xerxes. Almost every scene that she is in elevates the film, briefly and marginally, above what it masquerades as. Even when it is a brief cutaway to her reactions, there is power to her eyes and face. While it won’t most likely get any awards recognition, it is a nice performances that solidifies an already exemplary resume.
Beyond Green’s performance, though, the film is just functional. It is beautiful to look at, but the CGI-heavy shots are so artificial there is no thrill to the moment. And that beauty, after twenty minutes of continual use, loses all potency and bores. The film was also just too predictable; every element could be seen from a mile away, and midway through the film one realizes that, if they’ve seen the first 300, they know how this one not only will end, but how it will get there.
My advice: if you see the film, remember to turn your brain off on the way in.
—————————
For More Information Visit:
—————————
http://www.movieweb.com/movie/300-rise-of-an-empire
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1253863/combined
