Armed with additional information about the surrounding war, we can better appreciate the Battle of Thermopylae and what it meant in the bigger picture. In effect, this storyline – even if it didn’t work on its own – actually enhances the experience of the original 300. Given that a direct sequel to 300 would be impossible – not only are our heroes dead, but we don’t have enough background information from the first film about the Greco–Persian Wars to justify a follow-up in that regard – Rise of an Empire does something really interesting: it takes place both before, during, and after the events of the first film, fleshing out the supporting characters and detailing concurrent battles during the Wars. That must be a first I wonder what material, exactly, Snyder and Kurt Johnstad (who also wrote the first film) based their screenplay upon. Rise of an Empire is purportedly based on a follow-up graphic novel by Frank Miller entitled Xerxes, which is interesting in the fact that not only has the novel not been released, but that, by all accounts, Miller hasn’t even finished writing it. Where, we wonder, where this film be going next? 300: Rise of an Empire begins with the post-mortem decapitation of King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) by the god king Xerxes (played by Rodrigo Santoro).
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It’s also one of the more unlikely films to get the sequel treatment: 300 ends with our heroes defeated, dead in a bloody pile, as nearly every major character has perished in the epic battle. It was one of western civilization’s most famous last stands, endlessly retold and given new life by Snyder, who in his second feature film one-upped contemporaries like Michael Bay with one of the most striking and stylish mainstream blockbusters to ever hit screens. Zach Snyder’s 300, based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, told the epic story of the 300 Spartans who fought to the death at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., holding off an invading Persian army long enough to give Greek forces a fighting chance. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).Warning: major spoilers for the first 300 in the paragraphs below. Not bad for Noam Murro, who replaced Zack Snyder as the director without much of a directing experience, but while the film’s stylistically similar, with the no-longer unique visual effects, it’s still far from being as fun, charming and satisfying as the first film. Let’s first go through the things worth complimenting about this film – the CGI sets and environment, the gorgeous Eva Green’s strong performance as the intelligent and skillful but wicked Artemisia, the villain who’s motivated by her personal vendetta against Greece, and the 360 angle-turning, one-take-like action sequences.
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While there are flashbacks of the past on the Battle of Marathon and the making of Persian god-king Xerxes, 300: Rise of an Empire is mostly set after the events of the first film where King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and the brave 300 Spartans are finally defeated by Xerxes and his outnumbering army in the Battle of Thermopylae. The much anticipated prequel-sequel to Zack Snyder’s iconic action fantasy flick 300 (2007) is finally out but it’s nothing more than pure disappointment.
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Take away the visual effects and ‘300: Rise of an Empire’ could’ve been nothing but an ordinary, cliched movie