300: Rise of an Empire, reviewed: Brutality, bravado and bare torsos dominate exhausting thriller

Source: arts.nationalpost.com - Friday, March 07, 2014 300: Rise of an Empire Rating: Director: Noam Murro Writing Credit: Zack Snyder , Kurt Johnstad , Frank Miller Cast: Eva Green , Sullivan Stapleton , Lena Heady , Rodrigo Santoro Rated: R Genre: Action Duration: 102 minutes Release date: Mar 07, 2014 Synopsis: A Greek general fights an invasion led by the vengeful Artemisia and demigod Xerxes There’s a scene in the computerized, beefcake history lesson 300: Rise of an Empire , where the evil Persian warrior Artemisia uses her sword to lop off the head of a prisoner, sending torrents of CGI blood — a thick, viscous substance that’s a torrent of maroon in the film’s saturated palette — streaming across the screen in stylistic slow motion. Artemisia then lifts up the head, kisses it on the lips, and flings it right at us, a piece of horrific flotsam that floats in three dimensions across the violent landscape of ocean waves, abused galley slaves, fierce warriors and armies of bare-chested guys who seem to have arrived fresh from three hours of free weights. The movie, like its 2006 predecessor 300 , looks like a combination of a firefighters’ calendar and Halloween on Muscle Beach: just picture what would happen if the Mr. Universe contest got fractious. That is to say, if you liked the battle of Thermopylae, you’ll love this. Warner Bros. This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Sullivan Stapleton in "300: Rise of an Empire." (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures) A lot of it hAll Related

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