300: Rise of an Empire // Review

Salve, welcome back, and get ready for thrills, spills and Greek tragedy as we kick off another season of sword and sandal action. We start with the long awaited re-match of Sparta Vs Persia and it’s a lovely, sepia-toned day as the two sides get ready for the match of the year.

Let’s have a look at the line-up of both teams as they go into battle. Xerxes returns to captain Persia, who I’m sure will be coming at this lessons learnt from last season’s humiliating near-defeat at the hands of what was, frankly, little more than a B team of just 300 Spartans. Persia’s numbers won out in the end, but this time around, the Spartans have got re-enforcements. Yes, Greece is the word, as anyone that can wear a toga and swing a sword is coming off the bench ready to help – urn baby urn!

Leonidas is out after last season’s defeat, and with no Deus Ex Machina in sight, it looks like he’s gone for good. That means that the boys in red get a new manager this season - Themistocles. He’s got abs, but has he got sea legs?  We’ll find out, due to the controversial introduction of sea battles. The Persian ships look good, and led by Artemisia, the sexiest naval captain we’ve seen in this semi-historical/mythological match-up, they should render the Spartan’s Phalanx as useless as a million troops in a narrow valley.

So, all in all, it’s looking like another season of excitement for old fans and new fans alike. Will the Greeks end up an Oedipus Wreck, or will the Persians have the rug pulled out from under them? Whichever way it goes, it will all be shown in glorious, 3D Imax. Next up, here’s Jay with the Sci-Fi.

Smiley