Movie Review: 300: Rise of an Empire, an epic fail

2014-03-20 19:04:55

A scene from movie, "300: Rise of an Empire". – Courtesy Photo

In 300: Rise of an Empire, a nation will die because “she” was wronged.

Noam Murro’s 300: Rise of an Empire plays out more like a video game expansion pack rather than a full-fledged sequel to the ground breaking movie that spawned generations of Sparta-shouting memes.

The plot focuses on the Persians’ pursuit of world domination led by their God-King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) versus their major obstacle - Greek men with chiseled chests spouting glory-in-death speeches.

Sounds oddly familiar?

Unlike the original however, Rise of an Empire seems to be a small part of this epic battle. Back in 2007 when the graphic novel by Frank Miller was adapted for the screen half the original story was dropped, particularly the role of Xerxes’ general, who as it turns out, happens to be a goth-girl in chic black.

A scene from movie, "300: Rise of an Empire". – Courtesy Photo

Artemisia (Eva Green) is a Greek woman scorned, who wants to see her motherland burn. Much of the plot is a series of jumps in time exploring Xerxes and Artemisia’s origin. One gets God-hood by dipping in a pool of gold; the other is trained to kill by a “kind” killer of men (Lena Headey provides authenticity as the Spartan queen Gorgo, Leonidas’ wife).

A scene from movie, "300: Rise of an Empire". – Courtesy Photo

Other than this halfway coherent plot line, there is little focus in the film.

Yes, there is a lot of fake blood-splatter and brutally amputated limbs. Horses, jump from one burning ship to the next in a mind-numbing display of digital prowess. Heroes score impossibly long-distance kills, a father-son duo share camaraderie on the battlefield, a decapitated head gets some ‘extra loving’, and the villainess finds time to satiate her carnal desires with our battle-weary hero Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton). The skies darken, seas get angry and large-scale massacres are assumedly a discussion on freedom over slavery.

A scene from movie, "300: Rise of an Empire". – Courtesy Photo

The end.

In 300, Snyder, who adapts Miller’s “Xerxes” with Kurt Johnstad, at least had a grip on his one-track narrative. In Rise we are offered digital virtuosity in an attempt to fill in for shallowness and a lack of epic conviction expected from the 300 franchise.

In a word: disappointing.

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Released by Warner Bros and HKC Entertainment, “300: Rise of an Empire” is rated R for sex, action and mass manslaughter and simulated blood splatter.

Directed by Noam Murro; Produced by Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton, Mr. Snyder, Deborah Snyder and Bernie Goldmann; Written by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad (based on the graphic novel “Xerxes” by Frank Miller); Cinematography by Simon Duggan; Edited by Wyatt Smith and David Brenner; Music by Junkie XL; Production Design by Patrick Tatopoulos.

Starring: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, Rodrigo Santoro, Callan Mulvey and Jack O’Connell.

Enjoy The Movie

Ragini MMS 2, film review: Right mix of sex, sleaze, fear and cheap thrills

Cast: Sunny Leone, Parvin Dabas, Karan Mehra, Sandhya Mridul, Saahil Prem, Divya Dutta
Direction: Bhushan Patel
Rating: ***

Ragini MMS 2 is a thoroughly enjoyable, full paisa-vasool film in the best tradition of B-grade horror flicks from the haunted house of the Ramsay Brothers. It has the right mix of sex, sleaze, fear and cheap thrills. It titilates, has dialogues spiked with funny double entendres and shows enough self-gratification to warrant the Adults Only certification.

Right at the beginning of the film, director Rocks (Pravin Dabas) announces that he’s making a “horrex” film, horror plus sex. That’s his film. This film, Ragini MMS-2, by director Bhushan Patel and writers Suhani Kanvar and Praveen Bookwala, is more than that. It is a “ho-ho-horrex” flick. And is served Sunny side up, for your pleasure only.

The story is simple. Failed film director announces a new project starring a porn star, Sunny Leone (played by Sunny Leone, of course), in the lead role and an ensemble of TV actors. The film, based on the story of Ragini whose MMS went viral three years ago, is to be shot in the same haunted house, Patwardhan Villa, where Ragini’s MMS was shot. Ragini, since who has since been the inmate of Room No. 26 of a mental institute, either scratches the walls of her room, or sits on her bed rocking and mumbling to herself.

Rocks, Sunny, Rocks’ film writer Satya Kumar (Sahil Prem), a failed novelist who takes all this chudail business seriously, and the film’s two other actors, Monali (Sandhya Mridul), a sidey actress in search of the casting couch, and Maddy (Karan Mehra), a horny TV hero, land up in the house despite the warning put up by the ASI about staying away from the area after sunset and before sunrise. As the shooting of Rocks’ film begins, we are in the company of interesting and believable characters. And while we while we laugh at and with them, we also see a shadow lurking behind, or the sudden, quiet appearance of a child. We are privy to much more than them, and that's part of the thrill. The story, as it unfolds, is predictable. A romance, some possibility of sex, extras dying brutal deaths, and the chudail gaining power and taking posession of the most precious entity. Till, Dr Meera Dutta (Divya Dutta), a psychiatrist, arrives on the scene and the real story of the Marathi-mumbling tadapti aatma begins to unravel.

I haven’t enjoyed getting scared for years like I did today.

Ragini MMS 2 is a very clever collaboration between people who were obviously enjoying the tasks assigned to them. Director Patel has very cleverly mounted on screen a script which is packed with jokes, ghatiaya dialogue, dirty talk and even a female orgasm.

Ragini MMS 2 has the standard plot of film within a film. But it’s been used to great effect and impact here. Has just the right amount of mambo-jambo to carry the conceit of horror films forward.

The direction is all controlled, not allowing the bhoot business to go out of control, as it usually does, beginning with the soundtrack. The film, in fact, has a fabulous song to which Sunny Leone sways seductively and even flashes.

Sunny Leone has never been used more effectively and sensibly than she has been used here. And when I say used, I mean in the proper exploitative way as a hot actress is used in a B-Grade flick. She gets to wear all the sexy lingerie you wanted to see her in, and thrusts her stuff repeatedly. Luckily she’s supported by the very able team of actors, Sandhya Mridul and Karan Mehra, without whom the film would have been a big bore. They make us laugh before the director says bhau!

Enjoy The movie