Rated
R (Strong Sustained Sequences of Stylized Bloody Violence Throughout, a Sex Scene,
Nudity and Some Language)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 42 Minutes
Cast-
Sullivan
Stapleton-Themistokles
Eva
Green-Artemisia
Hans
Matheson-Aesyklos
Callan
Mulvey-Scyllias
Jack
O'Connell-Calisto
Rodrigo
Santoro-King Xerxes
Lena
Headey-Queen Gorgo
David
Wenham-Dilios
Andrew
Tiernan-Ephialtes
Andrew
Pleavin-Daxos
Igal
Naor-King Darius
Ben
Turner-General Artaphernes
Ashraf
Barhom-General Bandari
Christopher
Sciueref-General Kashani
Gerard
Butler-King Leonidas (archival footage)
Michael
Fassbender-Stelios (archival footage)
Directed
by Noam Murro
 |
| Eva Green's Artemisia proves to be the standout in an otherwise perfunctory sequel to 2007's "300." |
Note: Screened on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13.
'THIS…IS…SPARTA!!!'
Despite its mixed critical reception (60% on Rotten Tomatoes), Zack Snyder's
"300" was one of my favorite films of 2007. I won't go so far as to say
that it was one of the year's best (that honor goes to the Coen Brothers'
"No Country for Old Men" and Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will
Be Blood") but Snyder's violent and fantastical take on the real-life Battle
of Thermopylae—based on the 1998 graphic novel 300 by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley—was a crowd-pleasing picture that
explored the concepts of honor, duty, and sacrifice in mightily epic fashion. However,
the film's real standout was the heavily stylized action scenes as chiseled male
bodies, cloaked in eye-popping crimson capes, hacked and slashed their way across
the screen in graceful, bloody slo-mo. This 'speed ramping' effect spawned dozens
of imitators (the most recent example is January's horrid "The Legend of
Hercules"), to the point where it became another tired and overused gimmick.
Considering the fact that (spoiler incoming) almost every major character in
"300" perished in battle, the idea of a sequel seemed rather ludicrous.
Undeterred, Warner Brothers green-lit a follow-up due to the original's sudden box
office success (it earned $456.1 million worldwide). Seven years later, we have
the long-belated "300: Rise of an Empire," based on Miller's unpublished
graphic novel Xerxes. As Snyder was hard
at work on the Superman reboot "Man of Steel," the directorial reins
for the sequel was handed over to Noam Murro, whose only credit prior to his
hiring was the 2008 dramedy "Smart People." Apparently, this made him
qualified to handle a big-budget action blockbuster. From its orgiastic,
over-the-top displays of violence to its testosterone-fuelled machismo, "300:
Rise of an Empire" offers everything that made the original film such a success
but Murro fails to do anything particularly new or memorable with it. This is an
entertaining time-waster that exists solely because the original film just happened
to make a lot of money.
During
the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, the Athenian general Themistokles (Sullivan
Stapleton) launches a surprise attack on the invading Persian army, driving
them back toward the shoreline. Raising a bow and arrow, Themistokles mortally
wounds King Darius I (Igal Naor) while his son, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), helplessly
looks on. Lying on his deathbed, Darius tells Xerxes to leave the Greeks alone,
as only 'the gods' can defeat them. The fallen king's Greek-born naval commander,
Artemisia (Eva Green), claims that Darius' last words were not a warning but a
challenge and sends Xerxes out into the hot desert alone. Leaving as a mere
mortal, the former prince returns to Persia as a newly-transformed 'God-King.' Resuming
his father's campaign of conquest against Greece, Xerxes leads his forces toward
Thermopylae but soon encounters resistance from King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and
his 300 Spartans. Meanwhile, Artemisia sails across the Aegean Sea with her massive
naval fleet in the hopes of burning Athens to the ground. Knowing that the only
way to stop the Persians is to unite the disparate Greek city-states, Themistokles
travels to Sparta to request for aid but Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), not sharing
his ideals, harshly rebuffs him. With the Persian's fleet arrival imminent, Themistokles
and his men take what little ships they have and prepare to battle in defense
of their home and freedom, no matter the cost.
When
"300" was released exactly seven years ago, it was something of a
novelty due to the picture's speed ramped battle scenes. Using a super-imposition
chroma key technique, Snyder sought to recreate Frank Miller's over-the-top
comic book imagery in a live-action, cinematic setting. This resulted in a visually
striking film that quickly struck a chord with moviegoers. For "Rise of an
Empire," director-for-hire Noam Murro takes a 'if it ain't broke' approach
but it's blatantly obvious that the sequel lacks the creative energy and drive of
the original. Although you'll leave the theater entertained, this long-belated
follow-up ultimately feels too perfunctory to appeal outside the first installment's
hardcore fan-base. He may not be personally helming the film but Snyder is
still very much involved, serving as producer and co-writing the script with Kurt
Johnstad. "Rise of an Empire" doesn't directly deal with the aftermath
of the Battle of Thermopylae, at least not until the last twenty or so minutes.
Instead, it opens with Sparta's Queen Gorgo recounting via voiceover the Battle
of Marathon, where the Athenian general Themistokles mortally wounds Persian ruler
Darius I with an arrow in the chest. With vengeful naval commander Artemisia pulling
his strings, Xerxes is sent to a mystical cave in the middle of the desert,
where he is transformed into the 'God-King' that audiences were introduced to in
the original film. All this is shown in the first fifteen minutes and it points
to one of the biggest problems I have with this sequel: there's just too much
exposition. Not only is it cumbersome but it frequently interrupts the flow of
the story. Outside of Themistokles and Artemisia, most of the characters fail
to make an impression, with Snyder returning to well-worn territory by
shoe-horning another father-son subplot in the form of Scyllias and Calisto.
However, good luck trying to remember those names because Murro makes no attempt
to differentiate them from all the bare-chested extras in the background. The dialogue
consists of the same inspirational platitudes and big speeches that characterized
the original but it's delivered with less verve and passion this time around, dragging
what is already a poorly-paced film down. This is the main issue with "Rise
of an Empire;" in an attempt to make lightning strike twice, Murro has crafted
a picture that feels too calculated. Although it's never boring, the sequel is
nothing more than a pale echo that fails to recapture the cinematic adrenaline
rush of its predecessor.
The
bulk of "Rise of an Empire" is set concurrently with the first
"300" as the Athenian fleet faces off against the massive Persian navy
in the ironically named Battle of Artemisium. Like the original film, the production
design and special effects look spectacular despite the color palette leaning a
little on the dull side due to the battle being set at sea. Fight scenes are
appropriately bloody as the screen is constantly filled with thick sprays of
crimson gore, enough for a lake. The picture lends itself especially well to 3D
and this is one of those rare instances where paying for the premium format is
actually worth it. However, as great as "Rise of an Empire" looks, it
doesn't change the fact that Murro is just a mere imitator here as he does
nothing new or creative with the aforementioned fight scenes. He also tends to
overuse the speed ramping effect, with diminishing returns. The only moment
that wholly belongs to the sequel is when Artemisia sends for Themistokles in
order to parlay with him. Apparently, 'parlay' holds an entirely different
meaning to the naval commander as their meeting leads to a gonzo sex scene
where the two characters moan and grunt while violently grappling with each
other. Quite a few jaws will be dropped.
You
won't find nuanced performances here as most of the cast either spends their
time shouting at each other or hacking limbs off. While Australian actor Sullivan
Stapleton (from the British television series "Strike Back") makes
for a passable leading man as Athenian general Themistokles, he pales in
comparison to Gerard Butler, who brought a larger-than-life gravitas to King
Leonidas. Fortunately, Stapleton makes up for it in the action scenes,
especially during the climactic sword fight with Artemisia. The real standout,
without question, is Eva Green, who chews the scenery while leaving big teeth marks
behind as the Greek-born, Persian naval commander Artemisia. Not only is Green
gifted the best costumes, she also has the best lines as her character slinks
across the screen, ordering her men around with a seductive yet menacing tone.
The sex scene she shares with Stapleton is the complete opposite of the one in
"300." Instead of being full of love and passion, it's filled with
rage and hatred. The rest of the supporting cast is less defined, with
returning cast members Rodrigo Santoro, Lena Headey, and David Wenham having
what amounts to glorified cameos. Headey does get her moment to shine, although
you'll have to wait until the film is almost over. Faring even worse is Hans
Matheson, Callan Mulvey, and Jack O'Connell. Hell, I didn't even know their
characters' names until I looked it up on IMDB!
Originally
set to be released last August, Warner Brothers decided to delay "300: Rise
of an Empire" to March 7, 2014 due to the original film coming out in the
same timeframe seven years ago. Reviews have been mixed to negative with 43% on
Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that 'despite a gonzo starring performance from
Eva Green, [the film] is a step down from its predecessor.' The audience at the
advance screening thought differently, with the person sitting to the left of
me enthusiastically shouting that it was 'awesome.' Given the time that has
passed, it would be wrong to expect "Rise of an Empire" to match or
even exceed the original's $70.9 million weekend debut but a $40 million start
is a safe bet. While I may have come off as overly harsh, I did enjoy watching "300:
Rise of an Empire." It does everything the first film did and more but as
hard as Murro tries, you can't make lightning strike twice.
Final
Rating: 3 out of 5
"It
begins as a whisper...a promise...the lightest of breezes dances above the
death cries of 300 men. That breeze became a wind. A wind that my brothers have
sacrificed. A wind of freedom...a wind of justice...a wind of vengeance."
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