'300: Rise of an Empire'

Muscled men, beautiful women, blood-spilling and thrilling battles. “300: Rise of an Empire” director Noam Murro offers you the chance to hit “Control+A” and select all in this sequel to “300.”

Murro punctures the stereotypical characterization of a gorgeous woman in war.
Eva Green, who plays the role of Artimesia, serves more as a mellow intoxicant than merely eye candy. She is Persia’s ultimate weapon against Greek warriors, not in the way a man would usually come up with, but as a resolute commander of the Persian navy. She suffered a painful childhood as Greeks pillaged her family, so she can’t wait to taste the sweetness of revenge.

After years of training from a Persian mentor, she looks like Venus but kills like Lucifer. Thus, the female commander embarks on several marvelous battles against the Greek general Themistokles, played by Sullivan Stapleton.

Their chemistry is catalyzed in their frenemy relationship. As leaders of hostile forces, their collision is stilted, terse and bare, like the syncopated sparks of sharpening knives. Beyond the glint and flash of cold steel, Artimesia offered the sugary persuasion leavened by her seductiveness. Themistokles turns her down, “For the glory of Greece!”

Murro seems to have violence aesthetics in his genes. The fighting scenes are rough and raw, yet poetic and mesmerizing. His cinematography will elicit the audience’s astonishment at the intimate connection he builds between immaculate violence and the brisk rhythm. The imagery condenses every parcel of dust and every drop of blood to make the amorphous visible and sensible via fluent cuts.

Murro smooths his film with purified visual imagery. His master play is to transform the vagueness of vision into something not only concrete but also transcendent, showcasing the vibrant element of the film. Murro’s exquisite camera work is highly porous to image saturation and slow motion. The bloodly spurts and coagulation are seemingly ridiculous yet work together to create something harmonious.  

An interesting reversal Murro plays is the portray of Xerxes, the so-called “God King,” who turns out to be just a “Gold King.” The gold-chained, bikini-like costume makes him look like a jewelry hanger. He serves as a symbol of ... well, nothing. The mere existence of Xerxes is to set off Artimesia’s ferocity by contrast, which can be easily achieved by some smoky-eye makeup.

“300: Rise of An Empire” is a men’s film, but what truly stands out is a woman.
No doubt Artimesia exudes a fetal charm, and though she takes many lives, if a man is destined to die on the battlefield, dying under this stunner’s sword might be the best ascription.