‘300: Rise of an Empire’ review
By Steven Cayer, Senior Columnist
4/5
It’s been seven long years since Gerard Butler started the bloodbath party in 300. Finally, another instalment in the epic franchise has been released, titled 300: Rise of an Empire. It takes place before, during, and after the events of the first movie. It’s actually the same movie, but from a different perspective. It tells the story of how and why the all-powerful Xerxes became a God-King.
Warning: the following review may contain spoilers if you’ve never seen 300.
Some time before Leonidas and the 300, Xerxes and his father King Darius were in a massive battle against the Athenians. Their leader, General Themistocles, kills Darius. Xerxes is furious but backs down, heeding the wise words of his naval commander, Artemisia, played by Eva Green. She convinces him to journey through a desert where Xerxes finds a cave with a mythical pool that makes him a God-King, bald, and about nine-feet tall.
Back on land, Themistocles tries to recruit the Spartans to help him fight Xerxes, but fails due to the defeat of the 300.
This movie was really fun and it was great to dive back into the world that Zack Snyder created with a new perspective from director Noam Murro. There is less slow-motion violence in this movie, but it makes up for it with more blood spray. The best part is definitely Green’s performance.
If you enjoy violence, abs, water, and Eva Green, this will be your favourite movie ever.
