Critics Peg "300: Rise Of An Empire" As One Big Bloody Mess. Literally.

Today is the day. After months of eye-popping, but low on story trailers, Noam Muro’s 300: Rise of an Empire hits theaters today. It was written by Zack Snyder, so regardless of which side of the Snyder divide moviegoers stand on, it’s fairly obvious what to expect from this film. Even so, early reviews are controversial at best.

But the woman to watch in this one is definitely Eva Green’s Artemisia and, according to The Chicago Tribune’s Michael Philips, Green easily dominates the proceedings. In fact, he says, the lack of nuance in Frank Miller’s original story means that this film “wouldn’t be much without Green” adding some much needed depth.

Watch Green in her element as Artemisia in the clip below.

Most critics aren’t overly impressed with Rise, but while some can find one or two redeeming aspects, The Washington Post’s review is clear – any moviegoer’s money would be better spent elsewhere. According to Anne Hornaday, this sort-of sequel doesn’t have the visual style of the Zack Snyder-helmed original. Without it, it’s just: “a series of lazy filmmaking tics, including fetishistic slow-motion shots of blood, water and sweat, as well as sundry dismemberments, impalings and decapitations” – and those are its better moments.