Visually interesting and Eva Green gives a great performance, but the overall structure of the movie isn't compelling. It pales in comparison to the first.
As a follow up to the financial success of Snyder’s 300, the studio took parts of Frank Miller’s follow-up to 300 – "Xerxes" – to create a new film which depicts moments before, after and during the original movie.
A few of the original cast returns for some of these key scenes, including Lena Headey and David Wenham. Eva Green joins the cast as the main antagonist and Sullivan Stapleton takes the lead role – but it’s Eva who steals most of the movie with her trademark sensual, smoldering malevolence.
Snyder produces the film, with direction taken over by Noam Murro. It takes all it’s cues from its predecessor, with similar color and FX work and the same stylized, brutal violence with quite a lot of it occurring at sea. Ultimately, it’s forgettable and lacks the benefit of the simplicity, focus and intent of the original story.
