She was not what 300: Rise of an Empire turns her into: a peasant girl brutalised by years of rape (this film misses no opportunity to show or imply rape) who has malevolently blossomed into Bondage Nymphomaniac Revenge Barbie. She was indeed a famous and heroic fighter, prompted to join the campaign, according to Greek historian Herodotus, "by the formidably masculine cast of her bravery". In real life, Artemisia was queen of Halicarnassus.
Xerxes is distraught so is Artemisia (Eva Green), the Achaemenids' most ruthless military commander and most total babe.
Darius is dying so slowly from his arrow wound that he has managed to travel 4,000 kilometres with it still sticking out of his chest. Reading on mobile? Watch the trailer hereĬut to the Achaemenid empire, and to a palace which is probably supposed to be Persepolis, but looks more like the headquarters of the Tyrell Corporation in Blade Runner. You know, the massive gilded embodiment of orientalism from last time round. But no, the film isn't owning up to having blooped: it is suggesting that by killing Darius, Themistocles has opened the way for Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) to take over. The Achaemenid King of Kings lived for another four years and died naturally following an illness. The real Darius wasn't at the Battle of Marathon, and Themistocles didn't kill him. "Themistocles knew in his heart he had made a mistake," intones the voiceover. He spies Darius the Great watching the battle from a ship, and shoots him with an arrow. PeopleĪt the battle of Marathon in 490BC, Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) hacks his way through a beachful of Persians.
If you love all that stuff, saddle up your battle rhino: the wilful massacre of ancient Mediterranean history that was 300 is back. The first few minutes of 300: Rise of an Empire set out its wares: there's beheading, jiggling breasts, rape, a world view derived from Fox News (Darius the Great of Persia invaded Greece, we learn, because he was "annoyed by Greek freedom"), macho military anachronism (Greek hero Themistocles is skilled in something called "Athenian shock combat"), blood and mud both spurting around in 3D on the screen like thick black slime, waxed chests, teeny tiny leather man-panties, a portentous voiceover and racism.
0 kommentar(er)
