The rule of Hollywood is that the sequel is never as good as the original. The sequel must cost more, be more over the top, and ultimately not live up to the expectation level that the original sets. In this particular case, it is completely true, but the original 300 was a really, really good movie, so there is lots of room under it to still be a good movie.
Gerard Butler died in the last movie, and he was the main character, so they needed to replace him with someone. Sullivan Stapleton is the alpha male for this movie, but it's kind of difficult to reconcile what we are told and what we see. Sullivan and his cohorts are just as built as the Spartans were in the first movie. The problem is that these Athenians were disparagingly referred to by the Spartans in the first movie, and they themselves routinely comment on how they are not soldiers. The attempt to bring the same style and the same fighting scenes in this movie fall short because the ripped men involved - I suspect many of whom were Spartans in the first movie - just shouldn't be as good at fighting as they turn out to be when they go up against seasoned, professional soldiers.
Much like the first movie, several key points hinge on guile and cunning along with superior tactics. The problem is that Eva Green, who plays the hot female leader of the Persian armada, has been knee-deep in war for so long and is routinely out-thought on the field of battle. She is a crazy, mean, and unstable person. This movie shows us some of the inner workings of how the Persian army and navy work, and the life expectancy of an Admiral in this navy is less than an Admiral in the fleet of the Star Wars Empire.
The interesting thing about this movie is the timeline. It gets a bit confusing as to exactly when different parts are happening, but a good way to tell is by watching David Wenham and waiting for him to lose his eye. Some of the movie takes place before the previous movie, and some of it takes place after that movie.
One of the disappointing things about this movie was the next step in visual effects. The scene depicted to the right is of a terrible, terrible horse and rider slashing his way through the enemy. It was unnecessary, and that makes it even worse than just bad CG. The blood in this movie is much more Kill Bill than the previous movie. They amplify that by making the blood move slower than the swords or the falling people. So, you get your head cut off, you head hits the ground, rolls to a stop, and the blood is still hanging in the air.
Direction was good
Effects were okay
Acting was good
Story had holes
Action was more bland than the original
3.0/5