Movie · 2014 · Action, Drama, War · 1h 42m · R · English
Curator score: 0.8/10 (458.6K ratings)
Seize your glory!
Overview
Greek general Themistocles attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. Themistocles faces the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god, Xerxes and Artemesia, the vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.8/10
IMDb: 6.2/10
Letterboxd: 2.48/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 45%
Metacritic: 48
TMDB: 6.1/10
Director
Noam Murro
Production
Legendary Pictures, Hollywood Gang Productions, Atmosphere Entertainment MM, Nimar Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, Cruel & Unusual Films
Cast
Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Callan Mulvey, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro, Jack O'Connell, Andrew Tiernan, Ashraf Barhom, Andrew Pleavin, Hans Matheson, Peter Mensah, Ben Turner, Christopher Boyer, Fred Ochs, Price Carson, John Michael Herndon, David Pevsner, Peter Ferdinando, Igal Naor
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, stylized sequel-prequel that doubles down on hyper-violent spectacle, slow-motion combat, and comic-book excess. It’s most worth it for Eva Green’s ferocious villain turn and the naval battle set pieces; less so for story depth, pacing, or emotional weight.
Best for
fans of glossy, over-the-top action
viewers who enjoy stylized violence and mythic war imagery
people specifically interested in Eva Green’s screen presence
audiences who liked the visual grammar of the first film
Skip if
you want grounded historical drama
you’re sensitive to repetitive slow-motion action
you need strong character development or political nuance
you disliked the first film’s style-over-substance approach
Overview
300: Rise of an Empire is less a sequel than a companion piece in the same blood-slicked aesthetic. It trades in the same graphic-novel bravado: sculpted bodies, operatic speeches, and battles staged like moving panels. The result is often ridiculous, but it is rarely dull if you’re in the right mood for maximalist spectacle.
Worth noting
The film’s biggest asset is Eva Green, who gives Artemisia a level of menace and charisma that the movie around her can’t quite match. She turns every scene into a duel of wills, and the naval warfare gives the film a welcome sense of scale. When the action is working, it’s blunt, muscular, and visually striking.
Bottom line
Still, the movie is stretched thin by repetition and an overreliance on slow-motion flourish. It has the shape of an epic, but not always the substance. For viewers who want a guilty-pleasure war fantasy with a strong villain and a lot of stylized carnage, it delivers; for everyone else, it can feel like a very expensive echo.
Top Letterboxd reviews
DirkH (1★) · 288 likes
I can't draw. No, really, I cannot draw. I know there are people who claim that anyone can learn how to draw. Not me. I have ideas though, am a fairly creative individual, but ask me to draw my ideas and you'll get crap.
300: Rise of an Empire is all of the above put to film.
Based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller, there are ideas abound, director Murro and screenwriters Snyder and Johnstad simply lack the skills… more
Andreas (3.5★) · 280 likes
I like Eva Green as a badass. I like naval battles. I like Eva Green fighting. I didn't mind the rest. Maybe I liked the movie because of Eva Green. But I'm not quite sure.
wersku (2.5★) · 265 likes
Just sweaty, shirtless, muscular men dancing with their swords. This is the real sequel to Magic Mike.
Eva Green. That’s my review. 300’s own sequel, prequal(?) that, for me, couldn’t capture the allure of the original. Even though all the necessary ingredients are here—bold visuals, slow-motion battles that could make this film 30 minutes shorter, and great action driving the whole thing just like its predecessor but what’s missing is Butler’s powerful performance, which elevated the first movie in just… more
Peaceful Stoner (5★) · 149 likes
She kidded the so called God kind by calling him childish. She had such insane impudence, inimitable arrogance, overbearing audaciousness, eye popping toplessness and to cream it all off a venomous seducing beauty. Need more proof of her cockiness. She did this to the great, indomitable Greek war Hero and King, Themistocles.
Only women have the power, the prowess, the capability and god given control over men to pain them even after either kind have departed from this world. Even… more
ScreeningNotes (1★) · 140 likes
"You've come a long way to stroke your cock while you watch real men train."
There are exactly three reasons to watch 300: Rise of an Empire.
The best of these reasons is Eva Green. She's the reason I watched it, and ignoring all the movie's other shortcomings I was not disappointed in her. She has massive screen presence. She's so deliciously evil as Artemisia I often found myself rooting for her Persians instead of the Greeks. She manages to… more
2000 · Action, Drama, Adventure · 2h 35m · R · Curator 8.4/10 (3.8M ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Kanopy, AMC, Philo
For viewers who want muscular arena combat, imperial politics, and a more emotionally grounded version of heroic vengeance.