300: Rise of an Empire Review

Justin and I saw 300: Rise of an Empire on March 8, 2014!! This was my favorite movie of the year so far. While I enjoyed the first 300, which focused primarily on the Spartan's last stand at the command of King Leonidas, this movie focused on the whole picture of those Greek wars against the Persian Empire. It focused on the origins of this rivalry with Darius I and how Xerxes legend came to be. It also gave us a great look at leaders like Themistokles (who was a big part of this historical time period). I liked the focus on the Athenian side of things. It shows the importance of a united Greece against a huge empire coming for them. The importance of democracy and unity is what allows Greece to compete against the vast size of Persia. I liked how they presented both sides of the war to see where each one was coming from. As far as characters go,  Eva Green as Artemisia stole the show. The back story presented was very well done. It showed how there is a sympathetic side to her siding with the Persians even with Greek blood in her. Green was just perfect in this role. She was calculating and beautiful. Her interpretation of the character was terrific. She incorporated that back story to toughen her up for battle. It allowed her to shape battle strategy.  Along with this, she had so many memorable moments that present a terrifying presence that was perfect for the character Green was playing. I'm a huge fan of Eva Green. I've liked her since I saw her in Casino Royale, and really liked her work in Arthur as Morgana (that show should still be on Starz), and I'm looking forward to her work in the new Sin City movie of which she will have a major part. She came across as Persia's greatest warrior.  Her role as leader made me root for the Persians honestly, though you can sympathize with Themistokle's vision of a united Greece. Sullivan Stapleton did a great job as the leader of the Greek side of things. He was a logical military leader with a mind for politics in Athens.  His scenes with Eva Green were some of the best. The chemistry they shared on screen felt natural. I liked this story a lot more than just the focus of the Spartans last stand. That was a small piece of the big picture, which I think this movie showed. The battle scenes were excellent-a lot more action, the mix of naval battles as well as clashing swords was well presented. The artistic vision during these scenes always interested me. I like the battle between Artemesia and Themistocles. It was the perfect amount of intensity. From the opening showing how this rivalry between Greek city states (namely Athens) & Persia began to that final battle, it is an incredible movie. The story actually has a good amount of historical accuracy in terms of how the naval battles are presented and the common cause to form a Greek union. It also does an excellent job of portraying legends of Xerxes as well as shaping amazing characters like Artemesia (I love this character). The story, the battle scenes, the fair and balanced viewpoint of the Greeks & the Persians, and Artemesia make this a memorable movie that I feel exceeds the first 300 in 2007. As this is my favorite movie of the year thus far, it receives a rating of 5/5. I actually plan on seeing it again in theaters just because I was so impressed with what I saw on screen.