Eva Green
IN PHOTO: Cast member Eva Green poses at the premiere of "300: Rise of an Empire" in Hollywood, California March 4, 2014. The movie opens in the U.S. on March 7. REUTERS

There is no doubt about the fact that 300: Rise of an Empire has already left its mark at the box office as it already managed to collect $45.1 million. There are some other heavy-budgeted movies in the line-up in March, including Muppets Most Wanted and Need for Speed. Let's see how the move turned out to be on the critical front.

The Cast

Rodrigo Santoro, Eva Green, Sullivan Stapleton, Callan Mulvey, Yigal Naor, Jamie Blackley and Farshad Farahat

Director

Noam Murro (The earlier movie 300 was directed by Zack Snyder)

The Story

To put it in a few words, the sequel is about Greek general Themistokles, leading the attack against Persian forces which are led by Artemisia and Xerxes who are mortals-turned-gods. The movie is about the fight between two forces, but in a movie like this, not everyone is bothered about the story much. They are more concerned to know how visually stunning the movie is.

The Highs

Eva Green's portrayal of Artemisia, the sultry adviser of Xerex (played by Rodrigo Santoro), is probably one of the very few things which will impress the viewer. According to CNN critic Chris Nashawaty, the movie "belongs" to her.

The Lows

The Washington Post critic Ann Hornaday finds "no fun" in the movie. She does not find the movie "family-friendly" with its "gloppy bloodletting" and near-pervert sexuality which includes a sex scene when a major character has sex with one disembodied head. According to Mark Kermode, The Guardian movie critic, the sequel even lacks the "visual wit" of the earlier movie as well even though some critics find the visuals "sincere" enough.

The Verdict

Even though about 57 per cent U.S. movie critics did not feel good about the R-rated movie, the general public found it good enough, if not excellent. Cinemascore reported that the movie received B grade from the audience. Critics described the movie with adjectives like "soul-draining" and "silly." Still, if you like mindless visuals, you can go watch it.

The Rating

4/10