ronnie1962 Reviews

300: Rise of an Empire (2014)

A far cry from the first 300

[6/10 · 6 March 2014]

I can't understand why Zack Snyder didn't direct this sequel, and how someone who has never directed an action sequence before and just one feature film can be entrusted with a production of this magnitude. That would already be a recipe for disaster, even though in reality Snyder was supervising.

In an attempt to live up to it's predecessor, 300: Rise of An Empire is action-packed, presents impressive visuals and is very bloody. In fact there is more action, more blood, and more nudity than in the original 300. As for the plot, there really isn't much to chew on. A naval commander, Themistocles is supposedly trying to reunite Greece. Since the story takes place before, during and after King Leonidas leads his men to fight the Persians, it can be hard to follow at times.

Most of the acting was mediocre and couldn't quite compensate for the weaknesses in the story. The Australian actor cast as Themistocles in my opinion was a very bad choice, and comes nowhere close to what Gerard Butler did as King Leonidas in 300. He just doesn't bring that rugged heroic presence on screen as is expected. Interestingly I read somewhere that director Noam Murro insisted it would be Sullivan Stapleton who played this character, claiming he was 'the one'. Eva Green on the other hand is plays an excellent villain as Artemisia.

Adormidera (2013)

A slightly more gripping story and this would be a great movie

[8/10 · 6 March 2014]

The basis of the story is fine. You have a group of five soldiers who reunite after a long battle and decide to travel back to their town together. What's lacking at this point already is the back-story. We don't know who was in battle or even the reason they were fighting, all we know is that they are now returning home.

It's very clear even just through his mannerism during his first appearance on screen that Tristan is an army commander and thus he will be also leading his men back. A flawless and very enjoyable character interpretation by the young Maltese actor which in my opinion "saves" the movie, because although there is a lack of structure in the story itself, interestingly Tristan's character becomes the main subject where his inner conflicts begin to emerge when he comes face-to-face with a lord who prompts a memory of a very unpleasant past.