Frank Miller is considered one of the most influential comic book writers of all time because of the gritty and dark nature of his work along with expanding on the origin of Batman in the 1980s.
300: Rise of an Empire is an adaption of Miller’s, upcoming, graphic novel Xerxes, which manages to capture all of the intense style he is known for but not much else. The movie features some of the best fight scenes I have seen in any film recently due to a unique style that is hard to come by. Each action sequence is brutal, bloody and, thankfully, almost always shown in slow motion which only accentuates the visceral violence on screen. 300: Rise of an Empire may not offer much writing wise, but the visuals alone should be enough to entice any action fan.
The film follows Themistocles, General of Athens, taking place around the same time as the original 300 for most of the film. If I had any major complaint, it would that the timeframe of the film leads to the first half of the movie feeling like unnecessary backstory. While this doesn’t detract from the film enough to make it unenjoyable, by any means, it is something to be noted.
Honestly though, you don’t go to a movie like this for the writing, or an endearing story. It may feature an interesting, historical, premise, but you’ll never closely bond with any character or be shocked by any huge revelations. The action segments and visuals, though, will have your eyes glued to the screen. The sky has an artificially smoggy look and every scene appears to be filmed in front of a green screen. While that might sound cheap to some, it creates one of the most interesting looks imaginable. It is a feature that would, usually, only be possible in the comic book medium of its origin.
300: Rise of an Empire features a unique style few others are capable of rivaling. It might do little to distinguish itself from the first film, beyond an added subtitle, but if you’re looking for pure entertainment, not much can beat it.
