300:
Based on the limited comic book series by acclaimed comic book writer Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, Daredevil: Born Again), which was inspired by the epic film The 300 Spartans, this film is a heavily stylized and fictional retelling of the Battle of Thermoplyae from the Persian Wars. King Leonidas I of Sparta in Greece decides to lead 300 Spartan warriors against a huge army of Persians when they invade Greece. Facing impossible odds, Leonidas won't back down and actually begins destroying most of the army. That makes the Persian leader King Xerxes extremely angry, and Leonidas may be in over his head, despite his many victories in battle.... Now, the graphic novel won several awards, but it was criticized by some, including beloved comic book writer Alan Moore, for being historically inaccurate. However, Miller himself has admitted historical accuracy was not his goal: it was just supposed to be a fictionalized story from the viewpoint of the Spartans, kind of like the myths and legends of that period, it was merely an extreme exaggeration of history. If you take a look at the book and the film based on that expectation, they're both extremely well done. Gerard Butler is fantastic as the extremely macho and physically strong Leonidas. He's a Spartan, so he holds physical strength and dominance above all other traits, which make him kind of unrelatable, but you also can't really help but root for him because the Persians are portrayed as ruthless conquerors. Lena Headey (Game of Thrones, Dredd, The Purge) has a supporting role as Gorgo, Leonidas' queen. She's really good in these strong female leader type roles, and this is no different. Except unlike Dredd or Game of Thrones, here she's not completely corrupt and manipulative. David Wenham portrays Dilios, a Spartan warrior who narrates the story. He has an awesome narrating voice, and he's arguably the most intelligent of the Spartans. Rodrigo Santoro has a supporting role as Xerxes, the "God-King" of Persia. An intimidating and androgynous figure, he is very mysterious and strange. He is a damn good villain, and is a lot more manipulative and powerful than Leonidas thinks. Dominic West (The Wire) portrays Theron, an entirely fictional character created for the film, who is a corrupt Spartan official who lusts for Gorgo. Andrew Tiernan has a small role as Ephialtes, a deformed and hunchbacked Spartan abandoned at birth who tries to join Leonidas' small army. Vincent Regan, Tom Wisdom, Andrew Pleavin, and Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class, Prometheus, 12 Years a Slave, Hunger, Shame) appear in supporting roles as loyal soldiers following Leonidas. Peter Mensah (Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Jason X) has a cameo as a Persian messenger. The cast are all really good for an action movie, and especially a comic book movie that is not Marvel or DC. Even though Marvel and DC definitely don't have a flawless record when it comes to filmography (take Howard the Duck, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Elektra, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Steel, Supergirl, Superman III, Superman IV, and Batman and Robin as good examples of fuck-ups), but it's usually comic book movies from other publishers that are the really bad ones. Movies like Judge Dredd, Tank Girl, Spawn, and Barbed Wire plagued 90's cinema. However, movies like Hellboy, Sin City, Dredd, and 300 have been turning that notion around. This film was a big deal as it was, like Sin City, so faithful it made sure almost every shot was exactly as the comic panel appeared in the book. The special effects were also revolutionary, and this was one of the first major movies to employ the "slow-down, then speed-up" technique used in many stylish action films. Although it's annoying now, at the time, it was really cool and unique. Even the end credits are great. It's a nice little animated sequence that recaps the events of the film. All of that is thanks to the visionary director. Zack Snyder may not be as good as Christopher Nolan or Joss Whedon, but he does know how to make an entertaining and visually stunning comic book movie. Although his disastrous film Sucker Punch almost ruined his reputation, and Man of Steel and Watchmen received lukewarm reception from both critics and fans (although I enjoyed the latter two), many forget he had a promising career start. Dawn of the Dead was hailed as one of the few horror remakes to be a worthy follow-up to the original film, and this film (300) was a box office success and received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences. This and Man of Steel are undoubtedly his best works. 300 may not be the best comic book adaptation, but it's entertaining as hell, as well as exhilarating and pretty epic for a movie that's not even two hours. Despite historical inaccuracy, it makes up for it with unique and eye-popping visuals, heavily stylized and innovative action sequences, some surprisingly good acting, a well-penned script, and buckets of blood. 4/5 stars.
300- Rise of an Empire:
In Athens, Greece, the citizens receive word of Persia's threat towards Sparta and Leonidas' plan to attack. An intelligent military leader named Themistocles suggests all of Greece unite against Persia, but many are not in favor, especially the aggressive and arrogant Spartans, who value their city-state over all others. Themistocles is able to get a pretty large naval fleet comprised of many smaller Greek fleets to battle against Xerxes and his manipulative naval commander Artemisia. Based on Xerxes, Frank Miller's work-in-progress which has yet to be released despite being worked on for years. Despite being a bit weaker than the original, this one still delivers. Sullivan Stapleton (Strike Back, Animal Kingdom) plays Themistocles. He is a great warrior and tactician, but he is more relatable than Leonidas because, as an Athenian, he values strength and might, but even more so values intelligence and human life. He and his friends also aren't as brutal or cold as the Spartans could be. Eva Green plays Artemisia, the main antagonist. She's good in the role, and gets to play a ruthless, violent, and psychotic bitch who kills anyone in her way of victory. She plays these femme fatale roles really well, as most of her major roles (Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, the witch in Dark Shadows) are similar to this. Rodrigo Santoro, David Wenham, Lena Headey, Andrew Pleavin, and Andrew Tiernan return from the first film in their respective roles as Xerxes, Dilios, Queen Gorgo, Daxos, and Ephialtes the Hunchback. Santoro still has a prominent role, but everyone else's are heavily downplayed, because the Spartans are no longer the focus, and also probably because Headey was busy with Game of Thrones, although she does serve as the film's narrator, similar to Wenham's narration of the previous movie. Peter Mensah again appears, this time not only as the Persian messenger, but also as Artemisia's trainer. Ben Turner has a supporting role as General Artaphernes of Athens. Gerard Butler and Michael Fassbender appear in flashback scenes, which are basically recycled footage from the original film. The cast are, again, surprisingly really good for an action movie and it was cool to see more about Xerxes' past and to see more relatable heroes and a villainess you can hate, but also empathize with. I also thought it was a cool decision to shift the location from the land to the sea and get to see some naval combat. This story is actually not really a prequel or a sequel to 300. The first 20 minutes take place before the first film, and the last 20 minutes take place a little bit after, but a good chunk of the main plot takes place concurrently with the original, so it's like a prequel/midquel/sequel. This was an interesting choice, and it definitely works. Some stuff I was happy to see was the return of the awesome end credits animation sequence, and also the return of those "Immortals", the creepy reptilian/goblin Persians with the samurai-like masks, even though this time they don't show their deformed faces. I was also really pleased with the amazing action sequences, despite being a bit too heavy on CGI, especially when it came to the fake-looking computer-animated blood. I understand it was part of the visual style, but at least make it look a little better. By the way, just a warning to sensitive readers: it is extremely bloody (even if it does look fake), so people who aren't gore fans should probably stay away. 300: Rise of an Empire is a worthy follow-up, and it's a visually appealing and fun popcorn movie which will satisfy fans of the original. 3.5/5 stars.
(Images: Wikipedia)
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