300: Rise of an Empire makes its way to home video on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and Digital Download, and if you missed seeing in theaters because you thought it was simply a re-do of the original 300, then now is the time to right that wrong. I won’t go too much into reviewing the movie itself because I already did that when it was in theaters. 300: Rise of an Empire isn’t so much a sequel or a prequel, but an equal (or side-quel, as many labeled it). The story takes place concurrently with the events in 300, and while this movie introduces us to another army and protagonists, led by Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) and Artemesia (Eva Green) respectively, we are still following characters from the original movie on the fringes, including Queen Gorgo (Lena Heady), Dilios (David Wenham), Daxos (Andrew Pleavin), and Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro).

The movie, however, truly belongs to Green who brings a fierce determination to Artemesia. Stapleton does a fine job as Themistokles, but he doesn’t have the same presence as Gerard Butler did in 300, and he’s completely upstaged by Green who dominates the movie. In fact, Artemesia is such a distinct character, the lone woman warrior in the gigantic battle, that the rest of the soldiers register simply as handsome, impossibly buff extras whose only function is to run, yell and die. Some of them do have personalities though, like the father and son fighting side-by-side, but Green’s performance is so powerful that you just want to see more of her when she’s not on screen. She single-handedly makes 300: Rise of an Empire a much more interesting, and better, movie than its predecessor.

The movie has more going for it as well, including amazing visuals and special effects, and all of that detail is present on the stunning Blu-ray presentation. The film is a blend of partial physical sets (some of the ships were constructed with a bow and stern with CGI filling in the rest) and green and blue screen trickery, but it’s hard to tell the real from the fake (which includes most of the blood erupting from the soldiers who must have really had some high blood pressure) on the screen. The Blu-ray retains infinite detail from flecks of dust and embers floating in the air to blood specks and stubble on the soldiers’ faces. The color palette is subdued, as intended, but there are bright splashes of red (naturally), gold and blue. The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround mix will give your home sound system a real workout with an active surround field and a booming, thundering bass from the subwoofer. This Blu-ray sets a new standard for reference quality. And if you have a 3D set-up at home, be sure to take advantage of that option. While the film was a post-conversion job instead of native 3D, the effect is still stunning for the most part with only a couple of minor problems in some of the wide shots. Overall, though, the 3D version is just as sharp and stunning as the 2D version.

The Blu-ray, while lacking any director or cast commentary track, is still packed with some terrific extras that take viewers behind-the-scenes of making the movie and gives us a historical perspective on the events depicted. The extras include:

Behind the Scenes: The 300 Effect

• 3 Days in Hell (7:08) — Cast and filmmakers explain how the idea originated for the movie, and how it ties into the original movie, including how characters crossed over between the two.
• Brutal Artistry (9:08) — Filmmakers discuss the look of the movie and how it compares and builds off of the original, and how the use of 3D enhanced the new movie.
• A New Breed of Hero (4:49) — A look at how Themistokles differs from Leonidas from a historical perspective.
• Taking the Battle to Sea (8:52) — Filmmakers discuss how advanced technology allowed them to make this movie that takes place on water without any water. Also, a look at the physical combat and how the actors used partial weapons that were completed with CGI to allow for deeper thrusts into an adversary’s body.

Featurette: Real Leaders & Legends (22:52) — An in-depth look at the historical characters and incidents which became a legend which became the basis for the fiction of both movies.
Featurette: Women Warriors (12:22) — Eva Green, Lena Heady, filmmakers and historians talk about the women’s roles in history and in the movie. (Some material is repeated from the previous featurette.)
Featurette: Savage Warships (10:36) — A look at the warships, historical and fictional.
Behind the Scenes: Becoming a Warrior (4:39) — A brief look at the physical training required of the actors.

300: Rise of an Empire is a thrilling, entertaining action flick that might seem geared towards a male audience (and the original movie definitely skewed that way), but the inclusion of Eva Green should bring female viewers to the party as well. It will be interesting to see if someone at the studio will one day consider cutting the two movies together to create one giant epic.

The home video release is available in several versions including a Blu-ray/DVD Combo, a Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD Combo (the DVD itself has no extra features), and a 2-disk DVD special edition with the bonus features from the Blu-ray included on the second DVD. All versions come with a Digital (DVD) and HD Digital (Blu-ray) Ultraviolet copy. Our thanks to Warner Home Entertainment for providing the Blu-ray 3D package for review.

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300 was a groundbreaking film in terms of style, action and visuals. It really set the tone for many action movies (and cable TV’s Spartacus) to come with its use of mostly green screen filming and a completely virtual world brought to life on the big screen. Of course, there was all kinds of eye candy for every persuasion (and rumblings that even some of that was digitally enhanced … or just spray painted on), lots of slo-mo action and copious amounts of digital blood that seemed to vanish into thin air.

The story was pretty slim, based on a historical event as told through a graphic novel, featuring the legendary 300 heroes of Sparta as they battled to defend their land from the Persian empire under the leadership of the God King Xerxes. The Spartans, lead by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler), never really stood a chance and they fought a valiant battle, but what became of Sparta?

If you’re expecting an answer to that question from 300: Rise of an Empire, you may be disappointed. The new film is not a sequel to 300, but rather a side-quel taking place a bit before, during and a bit after the events of the first film. In the new film, Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) is aware of a coming Persian invasion and he sets out to gather all the armies of Greece to fend them off, and that includes the Spartans who want nothing to do with the rest of Greece.

Leonidas is already meeting with the Persians, according to his queen Gorgo (the returning Lena Heady), and she pretty much sends Themistokles away with no pledge of assistance. Themistokles and his army prepare for battle with Xerxes but it turns out they’re really fighting his more cunning sister, Artemisia (the excellent Eva Green), who has massive ships at her disposal. She, however, is not prepared for the Greeks to have their own ships or their military expertise, losing many ships and soldiers in the first few days of battle. She wants Themistokles to join her, but he’s having none of it (well, he does get a little, if you know what I mean) and the battle resumes until one or the other triumphs.

The story proper ends at about the same place as the original 300, but it’s not over yet … until it all ends rather abruptly. Is this a cliffhanger? Is there a third film planned that’s actually a proper sequel? Did I fall asleep and miss something? They seem to set you up for more with Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), who is barely in the movie (although we do get to see him at the beginning before he becomes a god), and then it just ends in the middle of another battle. Which was a major disappointment.

Other than that, I rather enjoyed the film a bit more than the first movie. New director Noam Murro, handling his first big action epic, retains the visual style set in the first film by Zack Snyder (who co-wrote the screenplay and was one of the many producers) and handles the action very well. While Stapleton is an adequate surrogate for the absent Butler (who we do see in “flashbacks” or sideways glances, as it were), the film’s real casting coup is Eva Green. Green’s Artemisia is deceptively wicked, twisting her father’s dying words into a challenge for her brother to go and become a god while she takes control of the Persian navy, using all of her cunning skills to avenge her own tragic childhood (she’s Greek by birth, but raised Persian) and keep her men in line. You do not want to be on her bad side. Green totally makes the movie even more watchable than it should be.

My biggest quibble, besides the abrupt ending, is the blood. There are heads and limbs being sliced off left and right with gallons of blood spurting like fountains and burst balloons, yet no one ever seems to get bloodied in battle … not even the ground! That bugged me about the first movie, and I found it distracting here again. You may see a puddle here and there, but honestly, there should be rivers of blood on the ground for the amount that is spilled in battle. Other than that, I found 300: Rise of an Empire to have a decent story with some great action (and some beautiful 3D) and a truly standout performance by Eva Green. And even if you haven’t seen the first movie, you should be able to follow this one since it’s taking place concurrently. I’d really love to see someone edit together a massive epic with both movies someday, but for now this one will suffice rather nicely. Except we still don’t really know what happens to Sparta or the rest of Greece by the end of the movie. Time to hit the history books (or Wikipedia).

*It should be noted that 300: Rise of an Empire is also based on the Frank Miller graphic novel Xerxes, which is a sequel to his 300 graphic novel … and which at the time of this film’s release is still apparently unfinished.

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All passes have been claimed. Please follow @CliqueClack on Twitter for contest alerts, news and reviews.

CliqueClack has partnered with Warner Brothers Pictures and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore and DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new movie 300:Rise of an Empire starring Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, Rodrigo Santoro, Callan Mulvey, David Wenham, Jack O’Connell, Andrew Tiernan, Igal Naor and Andrew Pleavin.

Based on Frank Miller’s latest graphic novel Xerxes and told in the breathtaking visual style of the blockbuster 300, this new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield — on the sea — as Greek general Themistokles (Stapleton) attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. 300: Rise of an Empire pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Santoro), and Artemisia (Green), vengeful commander of the Persian navy.

The screenings will take place on Tuesday, March 4 at the following locations and times:

• Regal Majestic, 900 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring, MD, 7:00 PM
  
• AMC White Marsh, 8141 Honeygo Blvd., White Marsh, MD, 7:30 PM

A very limited number of passes are available for each location on a first come, first served basis. Simply comment on this post with either DC or BALTIMORE and we will send you a unique code by email to claim your passes. Please make sure you have entered your email address correctly! As passes are limited, we will accept one comment per person/per email address/per household (this is not a random drawing so if you’re a couple, only one of you need comment!). CliqueClack reserves the right to discard any duplicates or comments that appear to be duplicates. Multiple comments from a single person will result in complete disqualification. Please keep these offers fair for everyone.

This offer will be valid until all passes have been awarded or on the day of the screening, whichever comes first. Have a look at the trailer below and then let us know where you want to see the film. 300: Rise of an Empire opens in theaters on March 7.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3Rzy7YqUVU

Visit the film’s official website by clicking on the image below.