300: Rise of an Empire, 2014.
Directed by Noam Murro.
Starring Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro, Callan Mulvey, Jack O’Connell, and Hans Matheson.
SYNOPSIS:
Athenian general Themistokles leads a united Greek army against the might of the Persian Empire, and finds a formidable foe in the face of Artemisia, a powerful female commander with a thirst for Greek blood.
Fans of Frank Miller’s epic graphic novels and the 2006 film rejoice; 300: Rise of an Empire will quench your thirst for 3D blood while paying absolute respect to the original film both aesthetically and through the story. 300: Rise of an Empire complements the first 300 film by filling in the gaps of what was happening in Athens and the rest of Greece while Leonidas’ battle raged at the “Hot Gates” (Thermopylae). It’s not so much a sequel as a companion film, which true fans of the original will surely appreciate.
Most of what’s catchy about the film is in the trailers: Lena Headey narrates throughout the film as Leonidas’ widow Queen Gorgo, binding the different story elements of this and the original film together. The colours are darker, colder, favouring blue and black over the gold and crimson that made the 2006 film iconic – creating a unique look for 300: Rise of an Empire while maintaining the fluid, smooth slow motion action sequences and copious amounts of splurging black blood (usually from the bad guys) that one expects. Eva Green is breathtaking as the tenacious and unforgiving commander Artemisia, who seems to have a much more active role in the unfolding of the Greco-Persian wars, and indeed Xerxes’ ascension to his father’s throne, than she actually did in history. Yet the staple (pun intended) of the film is Sullivan Stapleton’s performance as Themistokles, the Athenian general who slayed Xerxes’ father Darius at the battle of Marathon, forging a personal vendetta that impacts the fate of the entirety of Greece – but also, inevitably, brings all the Greeks together.
Many of the questions left unanswered by the 2006 film find their resolutions in 300: Rise of an Empire; how Xerxes (reprised by Rodrigo Santoro) rose from meek and feeble prince to undefeatable God-King of Persia’s mighty empire; the simultaneous battles fought by the Athenians just as Leonidas and the brave 300 Spartans sacrificed themselves at the battle of Thermopylae; the repercussions of those battles and their culmination at the famous battle of Salamis which, while not the last in the second Persian invasion of Greece, was definitely one of the most iconic and important battles – thanks to Themistokles’ constant innovation in strategy and deception.
Naturally, a blockbuster like this doesn’t come without its faults, least of which is the blatant historical inaccuracy that also plagued the comics and the 2006 film. As it’s released on International Women’s Day it seems only fitting to comment on the injustice done to the character of Artemisia, who is reduced to a combination of male personality traits disguised as an Empowered Female Character, and the all-too-apparent (and indeed literal) sexual objectification reserved for women in most action films. Even though the real Artemisia was badass enough on her own accord without being a former slave hell-bent on revenge, Snyder and Johnstad see fit to imbue her backstory with unnecessary violence and degradation, lifted only when a male figure steps in to rescue a broken and humiliated version of her. After rigorous battle training and a mysterious “rise to command” in the Persian army, she later uses her sexuality in the most aggressive, hilarious and unsexy sex scene you’ll probably ever see. There’s zero chemistry, zero context, and zero sensuality between her and Themistokles, and while one could argue that a former sex slave could never seek true intimacy after her traumatic experiences, the famous seduction scene hurts to watch almost as much as the brutal depictions of rape interspersed throughout the film.
The only other notable female character, Lena Headey’s Queen Gorgo, does impress with her battle skills towards the end (though she essentially robs Artemisia of her historical role as widow-turned-warrior), armour-clad and armed with the sword of her bravely slain husband Leonidas. Her narration brings the entire film full circle quite literally, wrapping all loose ends neatly and to roaring effect.
You’ll probably want to catch this in 3D (or better yet IMAX) for maximum impact. 300: Rise of an Empire remains a visually impressive and entertaining flick which you’ll definitely enjoy if you’re into gratuitous graphic violence, thousands of bare-chested men in tight leather underpants, and reeling 3D imagery of epic ancient battles in arguably agonizing slow motion. Oh, and Eva Green.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Kat Kourbeti – Follow me on Twitter
Originally published March 7, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
