Full disclosure, I really liked 300 when it was released what seems like forever ago, but that enjoyment has not held up over the years. Nearly a decade has passed since Zack Snyder’s film and this sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire, just kinda seems like a desperate Hail Mary at the end of the game as the studio hopes and prays it catches on. The trailer that has made its way online kind of solidified my indifference towards it – you can view it in all its “glory” below.
The problems are evident almost immediately. You will see that the trailer chooses to only highlight Snyder as the producer and makes no mention of the director. Obviously the studio hopes to capitalize on Snyder’s recent success with Man of Steel and with the previous 300 film. The film was directed by Noam Murro, who has next to nothing in his credits so it seems apparent the studio simply picked someone they knew would not fight them on any creative decisions and that they could just set in front of a camera and say, “Do what Zack did.” And do like Zack he did, as you will see nothing but tons of CGI (extremely unsightly CGI for the most part) and slow motion around every turn.
It certainly does look slick, that much I can say for it. By all accounts, from my viewing of the trailer it could easily be one of the best looking theatrical releases that should have been direct to video you will see – even with the sketchy CGI. Lena Headey returns and leads a cast of names that I can’t make heads or tails of besides maybe one other recognizable name in Eva Green. Everyone else just looks like nameless faceless hunks of meat being lead to slaughter, which is evident by the heavy use of huge CGI set piece battles on land and sea.
Bright colors, good looking people with lots of muscle and expensive looking fake CGI does not a good movie make. Based on the trailer if this movie was a baby toy, it would provide endless hours of entertainment to the infantile, but in my opinion adults will just be bored by every recycled element that 300: Rise of an Empire is trying to pass as innovation let alone entertainment. However, since I’m not the speaker for the mass collective of geeks out there I could easily be alone in my feelings.
What are your thoughts on the trailer for 300: Rise of an Empire? Were you excited to see a sequel in the first place? How has 300 held up for you over the last eight years? Am I just not seeing the genius in this trailer? Sound off in the comments below!
Via: YouTube