Movie review: 300:Rise of an Empire (R16)

300: Rise of an Empire

I was a fan of 300 when it was released seven years ago, so when I saw the trailer for the sequel I was keen to check it out.

The trailer didn't give too much away and I didn't do much research to find out what 300: Rise of an Empire was all about so, needless to say, I was intrigued as to how this sequel would play out.

The original ends with the main character dying and, if you haven't seen it, you kind of get filled in on the background while you watch the new movie.

300: Rise of an Empire explains what was happening at the same time Leonidas and the 300 were fighting for Sparta.

It turns out that while the battle was raging, there was a separate campaign playing out at sea.

In 300: Rise of an Empire the Greek navy must pit its flotilla against the fearsome Persian warships.

Leonidas' wife, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), tells her men about the Battle of Marathon, in which King Darius I (Yigal Naor) of Persia was killed by General Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) of Athens in front of his son Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro).

Darius' naval commander, Artemisia (Eva Green), pushes Xerxes to turn into the God-King and declare war on Greece.

300 director Zack Snyder was involved in writing and producing the sequel but Rise of an Empire was directed by Noam Murro and it's as if he has done a carbon copy of Snyder's style.

The script wasn't great and the plot was predictable and similar to the original, but it was an enjoyable watch.

The movie also answers some questions which you were left asking after the original. I can't see this movie winning any Oscars but it was entertaining and fun.

(R16) 115 minutes

Watch the trailer here:

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