300: Rise of an Empire

Another great action movie full of awesome effects and especially slow-motion shots. I didn't mind that it’s been done before, because I like this type of movies, but there are quite a few flaws. Most importantly, the main characters in the two movies lack consistency, and there are virtually no memorable moments that I wouldn’t forget in a week. Don’t even get me started on historical accuracy or logic in the movie (a bunch of poets and sculptors, as they described themselves in one of the battles, can defeat an elite Persian army ...). The laws of gravity also don’t seem to fully apply here (exemplified by a digital horse as if straight out of “Assassin's Creed”). I might give it another watch some day, when I feel like some mindless entertainment. But I still prefer the first installment. (08/21/2014)

A more than decent encore to the slaughter at Thermopylae. Less testosterone, more tactics, tricks and women. which makes the sequel much more diverse to watch. Eva Green steals the show, mainly because Stapleton simply doesn’t have the same charisma as Butler, and he knows it, and that’s why his character is craftier and, more than strength, he radiates intelligence. Xerxes, who initially was meant to be the mainstay of the movie, surprisingly appears somewhere toward the back, but Rodrigo still really enjoys his most famous role. A well-justified (what’s the word?) sidequel, that works even without the original 300. (03/07/2014)

A highly spectacular, comic-book-like bloody football match with an irresistible animalistic sex scene at half-time (which turned me on) and a subsequent poetic statement in the climax (which brought me to my knees). Praise goes to the film’s creators for the opulent conception of a sequel as a massive tune-up of the first instalment, which now seems modest in comparison. (04/03/2014)

Hectolitres of digital/artificial blood, tons of slow motion shots, a woman's breast from time to time, a bunch of half-naked guys, a WTF shot here and there - this and more sort of summarizes the second 300, which is in many ways similar, if not the same as the first one. Halfway through the film I thought it was really boring, but fortunately it all picks up somewhat in the second half, so this film deserves the three stars I gave it. Of the cast, I was most impressed by Eva Green, whose villain role fit her like a glove. In short, a film that takes a special approach to appreciate, I enjoyed the many visual effects and had a satisfying soundtrack playing in my ears. (04/11/2014)

The only compelling reason not to completely ignore the sequel to 300 is, of course, Eva Green. Regarding the comic "Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander," the latter was not released until 4 years after the 2nd film and 20 years after the first "300" comic book album, so this is how the work became very dated and falls into that phase of Frank Miller's work that even the most loyal fans no longer want to discuss. (12/28/2019)