Almost all the battles in “Rise” happen on water, with the Greeks and Persians throwing everything they’ve got at each other over the roiling waves (the sea is completely CGI; not a single scene was shot on water). The original “300” had the latest cutting-edge film technology at its disposal; “Rise” has even more impressive film wizardry in its arsenal. While the battles depicted are based on historical ones, the film employs a hyper-real look that gives “Rise” a fantastical quality. It was clearly shot using 3-D and watching it in a 3-D theater will ensure the full impact. Hyper-violent “Rise” is also much more hyper-violent than the original “300,” with numerous dismemberments, decapitations and other acts of gore. There is, as Gorgo says, “a tidal wave of heroes’ blood.” So much blood is spilled, that “Rise” is most likely the bloodiest movie ever made. Its R-16 rating is fully deserved. As Themistokles, Stapleton receives his meatiest screen part to date and takes to it with an action-figure build and a gritty determination. Santoro steals scenes as the 10-foot tall Xerxes, but “Rise” is really Green’s film. Though ostensibly the film’s real villain, she is no cackling cardboard cutout. She is a fully formed character, with motives and motivations aplenty. She plays the double-bladed leader with gusto and she is the closest the film gets to a sympathetic baddie. There are familiar faces here, but it is most interesting to see Headey back playing a heroic role after her hateful turn as Cersei in HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” An unabashedly over-the-top spectacle of steel, fire, flesh, blood and water, “Rise” is “300” amplified. Those who savored that first film will devour this hunky, highly stylized bit of sword-wielding history. (Warner Bros.’ “300: Rise of an Empire” opens in theaters today.) Read more: entertainment.inquirer.net/136621/a-dark-dark-empire#ixzz2v9sIyR1v Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 05:41:40 +0000
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