300: Rise of an Empire (2014)

[Late, late, late.]

Ramping up the blood and gore and blood (censored version in theatres so no nudity), this movie is just an excuse to apply Zack Snyder’s stylised camera-work and techniques on battles at sea.

Initially publicised as a prequel, then a sequel, this movie is actually a during-quel, parallel to the events in 300. It starts with a very short backstory on Xerxes, and continues on to the before and then after of the Battle of Thermopylae.

The focus this time is on Themistocles, who faces Eva Green’s Artemisia, both on the battlefield and face-to-face (and you know where the latter would lead teehee), and eventually to the Persians’ defeat at the Bay of Salamis. This is spliced with scenes with the Spartans (no Gerry Butler this time), as they refuse Themistocles’ request to join them in battle at first, and, after the death of the 300, they provide reinforcements at Salamis.

[For the record, it’s been six months since I last saw this movie, and apart from Xerxes and Eva Green, I had to Wiki everything else up.]

I’m rather disappointed that there isn't much on Xerxes’ origins and how he became the God-King, although Wikipedia tells me that he wasn’t all that special in the first place, so I guess the movie had to at least have some historical basis. Eva Green steals every scene she’s in, and despite my being a horrible feminist, I looked forward to seeing her every time she comes on.

[Xerxes-related, I’m also rather disappointed that there wasn’t enough Rodrigo Santoro. Even my mum said he was pretty]

I kinda forgot why I’d enjoyed 300, and this movie reminded me (in part) of the ‘why’: war strategies. From the first film, you had the Spartans form a barricade with their shields and push Persians off glorious-looking cliffs; with this movie, it’s applied on naval engagements, seeing Themistocles and Artemisia trying to outsmart and outwit each other. The part where Themistocles rode his horse onto ships and fought people just blew my mind! I mean, it’s not strategy; it just looks seriously cool, and you’d never think to bring a horse to a naval engagement unless you’re transporting it or something.

Post is short. I transfer the adjective from Godzilla to this review.