300: Rise of an Empire

Directors make a difference.  A HUGE DIFFERENCE.  The decision to give that responsibility to Noam Murro for 300:Rise of an Empire was a terrible mistake. After the rousing success of 300, why the decision was made to give the director’s chair to Murro, someone who had never directed a major film before, is tremendously puzzling to me!

The director is not the film’s only flaw however.  Let me rant about 3D for a minute.  Those of you who know me are aware of my great disdain for the popular format.  There are so many scenes that are ruined because of trying to manipulate or accentuate a shot in order to maximize the 3D effect. Granted, there are a few shots that really benefit from 3D, and several films have worked, but for the most part I HATE 3D.   Much like Thor 2: The Dark World and Man of Steel, the 3D version of 300: Rise of an Empire is dark, muddy, and ultimately less attractive than it could have been.

To say this film is not as good as its predecessor is a major understatement. And for those of you who might be thinking, “Well, sequels are never as good as the original”, know this. Rise on Empire is not a sequel. Nor is it a prequel.  (The story actually runs parallel to 300.)  That sounds a little confusing, but it actually works and the result is a rather interesting one, at least as far as the story is concerned.

Ultimately, however, Rise of Empire is merely a decent movie with a decent cast that doesn’t quite resonate as well as its Snyder-directed sister film. It’s moderately well-written with much of the same sword-rattling boilerplate that feels left over from the Butler film.  The real draw of Rise lies with its visual effects and cinematography. (Honestly, many of the scenes are downright awesome.)  But even concussive drumbeats, visually stunning artwork, and incredibly well-choreographed fight scenes are not enough to save this ship from taking on water.

Sullivan Stapleton stars as Themistocles, a Greek general leading his men against the superior forces of the Persian invasion. Stapleton is not as compelling as Gerard Butler, but manages to adequately deliver in a role that will most likely lead to more action films.   Eva Green stars as Artemesia, the female commander of the Persian navy, whose character’s backstory is never fully leveraged.   For my money, Green fails to grab me as a believable villain. At times, she is quite bland, which is unfortunate because so much of the story hinges on her performance.   Lena Headey reprises her role as Queen Gorgo, the only other noteworthy character. Headey is fantastic and does her best to save the film. (Notice I don’t count Xerxes as noteworthy, due to the fact that his character is diminished and under-developed to the point of irrelevancy. And what a shame, seeing as he is the story’s primary antagonist.)

My ordinary opinion is to wait for the DVD on this one.  Fans of 300 will definitely want to see Rise of an Empire, but don’t feel like you must see it on the big screen.   If you must see it in the theater, certainly don’t waste the extra $3 on 3D.  (#3Dsucks.)