It is an ideological fight that persisted long after the Persian empire crumbled, arguably continuing through to modern day. Historically speaking, however, this subtext was first and foremost in the minds of the Persian empire and the Greeks who resisted them. Some may recall that 300 was divisive for its decidedly East versus West conflict-driven plot. Instead, they come off like two-bit knockoffs of their Spartan counterparts.īut this skirts the main issue I had with Rise of an Empire. Where’s their poetry? Their sculpting? Their art? That contrast might have given the Athenians a much-needed dose of humanity. Simultaneously, almost no time is given to distinguish the Athenians from the Spartans outside of exposition. As a result, fascinating characters like Queen Gorgo of Sparta (Lena Headey) are sidelined in favor of hamfisted speeches and brawny chest beating. It did nothing more than it set out to do, taking a rather straightforward – spartan, if you will – approach to the Battle of Thermopylae. With 300: Rise of an Empire, graphic novelist Frank Miller and director Noam Murro take this focused scope and blow it up. Unfortunately, this creates far more problems than it solves.Įverything from the Battle of Marathon to the Battle of Salamis is haphazardly squeezed into less than two hours of film. It remains one of my favorite pictures for that reason.ģ00 received a fair amount of criticism when it was released because of its simplistic narrative arc and grossly romanticized storytelling. And it was unique, too never before or since have I reacted so emotionally to any film’s aesthetic. Like both The Matrix and Gravity, 300 was a masterpiece of visual splendor. Movies like that demand to be seen on the big screen. The film has fallen prey to biting parody in recent years, but I knew then that 300 was one of the era’s great cinematic experiences.

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