The first 300, director Zack Snyder’s 2006 take on the legendary showdown between Persians and Spartans at Thermopylae in 480 BC, was all about the guys and their abs.
The sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire, is more about the women. Specifically, seafaring Greek-born Persian warrior Artemisia, a figure who - if this movie is to be believed - ruled the ancient world through a combination of cunning, cruelty and the ability to look great while waging war on the high seas.
It’s Artemesia, played with a mixture of cool and camp by Eva Green (Dark Shadows, Casino Royale), who gives this CGI-saturated sequel a jolt of energy, as her male Athenian adversaries are as flavorless as week-old hummus. If not for Artemesia, Empire would be just a retread of its predecessor.
Directed by Israeli commercials director Noam Murro and produced by Snyder, Empire has the same heavily stylized, blood-splattered comic-book visuals as the first film. The battle scenes are well-staged, even if the 3-D is totally unnecessary.
