300: Rise of an Empire (2014)

Genre

Action | Fantasy | War

Director

Noam Murro

Country

USA

Cast

Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Rodrigo Santoro, Jack O'Connell, Hans Matheson, Callan Mulvey, David Wenham, Andrew Tiernan, Yigal Naor, Andrew Pleavin, Ben Turner, Ashraf Barhom, Peter Mensah, Gerard Butler, Michael Fassbender, Caitlin Carmichael, Jade Chynoweth

Plot

Greek general Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) leads the charge against invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and vengeful commander of the Persian navy Artemisia (Eva Green).

Opinion

After eight years, they thought it was appropriate to release a sequel/prequel/simultaneously-story to 300. Unfortunately, they didn't do a good job.

300: Rise of an Empire is numbingly dull, and a huge waste of money - both mine and the producers' - and time. However, somebody may seen it as a great Act II of Men's Health Magazine's theatrical transposition.

Passing over the historical errors, which are fewer in number compared to the first film's, scenes are not extra filled with over-colour-correction. Instead, there is light coming from everywhere.

The film only seems to exist to glorify the CGI blood industry: I've never seen such copious - and a bit unrealistic - a spilling of blood before. I have the suspicion director Noam Murro has a fetishism for blood since the camera doesn't miss a chance to capture the 'essence' of it.

In the first film warriors looked like a group of bodybuilders; in this one, not only warriors but also farmers, poets, and sculptors look like a bunch of oiled guys showing off their sculpted abs. The female character has a more important role, however, the pointless sex scene couldn't be missing. And the hunchback, who previously made all the Spartans die, kinda helps the Greeks winning. 

The acting is so bad makes you cringe. 

Quotes

Themistocles: I would rather die free than live as a slave.