Review : 300: Rise of an Empire

Hungry Hollywood executives could never pass the opportunity to repeat the success of the original ‘300’, a cinematic triumph of stylised violence and hyper-masculinity, especially when the ripe source material of Frank Millar’s graphic novel ‘Xerxes’ existed. Cue another celebration of slow-mo sepia stab wounds. Cue ‘300’ part deux.

There has long been a vacuum in the modern sword and sandal genre. Although ‘Gladiator’ and the original ‘300’ succeeded in capturing the public imagination, many similar films such as ‘Troy’ and ‘Alexander’ fell by the wayside and were forgotten like grandiose monuments of old. It may seem odd to some that a sequel to the story of the 300 Spartans could even be made. Leonidas and his elite band of warriors were ultimately killed off at the conclusion of the last film, leaving the title of this sequel a bit of a misnomer.

Instead ‘Rise of an Empire’ tells the story of the same conflict between the Greeks and Persians but from a different perspective. The Battle of Salamis is the new Battle of Thermopylae – much akin to how the Battle of Isandlwana in ‘Zulu Dawn’ is set in the chronological periphery of ‘Zulu’s’ Battle of Rorke’s Drift.

The new hero is the naval commander Themistocles (an Athenian, and as such a lover of philosophy and paedophilia according to Leonidas in ‘300’). He is placed in charge of a rag-tag alliance of city states that revere freedom and democracy and present a marked ideological contrast to the pseudo-fascist Spartans. ‘Rise of an Empire’s’ more relatable heroes lock swords with the same Persian hordes led by the God-King Xerxes and now the new threat of the turncoat Greek admiral Artemisia.

The standout triumph of this film is its naval combat. Green screen action is brought to the Aegean, turning its waters red. Zack Snyder’s screenplay has cleverly realised the creative potential of transposing land battles onto the high seas and the slow motion camera effects, first popularised by ‘300’ and now a staple of the action genre, make a glorious return. 

‘Rise of an Empire’ provokes the incredulity of its audience on more than one occasion. Historical experts were likely massacred by the production crew to allow for such a flagrant reimagining of the Persian Wars. Although history is certainly made interesting in ‘Rise of an Empire’, the film does raise some interesting questions about how cultural history can be hijacked and distorted by popular culture. For instance, although Artemisia did exist in reality, the story of her cinematic counterpart is largely fabricated. In a thousand years will there be a film about how Margaret Thatcher, wielding a mini-gun, cut down battalions of Argentinians while hellfire rained on the shores of the Falklands? Let us hope so.

However, the film does have its faults. Themistocles played by Australian Sullivan Stapleton makes for a flat leading man and obviously lacks the macho charisma of Gerard Butler’s iconic Leonidas. Xerxes once again comes across as a character that is just plain weird.

Another critique can be found in ‘Rise of an Empire’s flawed depiction of Artemisia. The Greek admiral’s persona as a strong female is sullied by a rough sex scene that unintentionally confirms the stereotype that a female in a position of power must use sex to maintain an equal footing with the male hero. Having recently seen this archetype transcended in films such as ‘The Hunger Games’ with Jennifer Lawrence, the question must be asked if a dignified female character is even compatible with the jock mentality of the ‘300’ franchise. Despite the dark shadow of exploitation looming over the film, Leonidas’s fiery widow does go some way to counterbalance what could be perceived as a sexist undercurrent.

An audience is not going to a ‘300’ sequel for its realism or character-driven plot. This is no attempt to create a Cecil B. DeMille-esque parable of ancient heroic deeds. This is a hyper-violent popcorn progeny of the video game age directed by a former advertising guru. Like its predecessor, ‘Rise of an Empire’ injects classical history with anabolic steroids and manages to overcome its lack of substance with an overabundance of style.