300: Rise of an Empire Director: Noam Murro Starring: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Rodrigo Santoro ⋆⋆⋆
Set before, during and after the events of 300, this follow-up centres on the warrior Themistokles (Stapleton) leading the Athenian army into battle with Persia's forces, led by the bloodthirsty Artemisia (Green). The immediate impression is just how violent this second film gets – war is waged in a visceral, graphic manner. The action is present and correct, but the flair of Zack Snyder's original is missing. The director Murro's tale gets bogged down by a wayward plot that never feels urgent enough. The new lead Stapleton lacks the intensity and charisma needed to match Green, who plays the villain with a relish that's hard not to enjoy. While it never impresses in the way its predecessor did, Rise of an Empire's battle scenes and enthusiastic performances should satisfy, if not thrill.
300: Rise of an Empire is screening in 3-D at Meydan Imax Theatre. Visit www.meydantheatre.com for tickets and show times
