300: Rise of an Empire is a 2014 American epic action film directed by Noam Murro, written and produced by Zack Snyder. It is a sequel to the 2007 film "300", however the events in the two films take place almost in parallel, and the later is based on the historical Battle of Artemisium and Battle of Salamis.

300: Rise of the Empire @ Amazon.

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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In 490 BC, the emperor Darius I of Persia devastated the cities of Ionia and sent a fleet to destroy the Greeks. Travelling on ships, the Persians landed at Attica and were defeated by the Greeks led by the Athenian General Miltiades at the Battle of Marathon.

Ten years later, Darius' successor, Emperor Xerxes I, sent a large army overland to Greece. After being held back by the Spartan King Leonidas I at the Battle of Thermopylae, Xerxes managed to turn defeat into victory, killing Leonidas I and entering Attica, defeating and burning down Athena.

The Athenians withdrew from the city by sea, and under Themistocles' command they defeated the Persian fleet at the Battle of Salamis. A year later, the Greeks, led the Spartan General Pausanius, defeated the Persians at Plataea.

THE ORIGIN OF KING XERXES

According to Queen Gorgo, during the Battle of Marathon 10 years ago, Themistocles of Athena (Sullivan Stapleton) was the one who shot the arrow that decisively killed King Darius of Persia. Darius' son Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) witnessed his father's death and was told by his father not to continue the war because "only the gods can defeat the Greeks".

Darius' Navy commander Artemisia told Xerxes that Darius' last words "were not a warning...but a challenge" and sent Xerxes on a journey through the desert. Xerxes eventually reached a cave and bathed in an otherworldly liquid, transforming himself into an 8-foot (2.5-meter) tall "God-King". Xerxes returned to Persia and declared war on Greece to avenge his father.

THE ORIGINS OF ARTEMESIA - THE PERSIAN NAVY COMMANDER

Artemisia (Eva Green) was born Greek, but defected to Persia when her entire family was raped and murdered by Greeks. She was made a sex slave and then discarded on the street.

She was saved and adopted by a Persian messenger, training in combat skills. Artemisia rose to prominence as an assassin with Persia's top swordsmanship skills and was quickly adopted by King Darius, who made her the naval commander after she slained many of his enemies.

Artemisia has an undying hatred for Greece and the Greeks, and she vowed to return as the land is in a sea of fire and blood.

THEMISTOCLES WINS THE FIRST BATTLE ON THE SEA

As Xerxes' infantry force advances towards Thermopylae, Themistocles meets the Athenian Council and persuades them to provide him with a fleet to engage the Persians at sea. Themistocles then goes to Sparta to ask King Leonidas for help, but by that time Leonidas had gone to the high mountains to consult the Ephors.

Themistocles then leads his fleet of fifty ships and several thousand men, including Scyllias, Scyllias' son Calisto, and general Aeskylos to the Aegean Sea, beginning the Battle of Artemisium. The soldiers of Athens are mostly peasants, unlike the Spartans who are the most skilled warriors in Greece.

On the first day, they use the tactic of ramming their ships into the Persian ships, causing them to sink. The next day, the Greeks feign their retreat and take the advantage of the fog to lure a unit of Persian ships into a rock trap.

The Greeks attack the Persian ships from the cliffs above and make them completely overwhelmed.

THE INTERCOURSE BETWEEN THEMISTOCLES AND ARTEMISIA

Impressed with Themistocles' battle talent, Artemisia invites him aboard her ship for negotiation, and asks him to submit to the Persians, becoming Artemisia's deputy - the No. 2 in Persian Navy.

The attraction of each other cause Themistocles and Artemisia to plunge into a long, passionate and violent love affair. However, after having fun, Themistocles refuses Artemisia's offer.

ARTEMISIA'S WRATH

Angry at Themistocles' refusal after their making love, Artemisia resolve to destroy the Athenian fleet at all costs.

The Persians pour tar into the sea and send suicide bombers to swim to the Greek ships with fire bombs. Next, Artemisia and the gunner fire burning arrows and hurled flame torches to ignite the tar, creating a firestorm that engulf the Greek ships.

Themistocles is thrown into the sea in an explosion and nearly drowned before being rescued by Aeskylos. Believing Themistocles was dead, Artemisia withdraws her ships.

THEMISTOCLES' CONTINUED REQUEST FOR SPARTAN HELP

After recovering from his wounds, Themistocles learn that only a few hundred warriors and six ships survived from the attack. Themistocles is also informed that Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and the 300 Spartans had died in battle after Ephialtes betrayed the Greeks to follow Xerxes.

Themistocles returns to Athens and is told by Ephialtes that Emperor Xerxes planned to attack and burn down Athens. Themistocles visits the widowed Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) in Sparta to ask for help, but Gorgo is angry that the goal of a united Greece has cost her and her people so much, including her husband's life.

Before departing, Themistocles gives Gorgo the sword of Leonidas delivered by Ephialtes, with the reminder of "revenge".

THE BATTLE OF SALAMIS

Upon learning that Themistocles was still alive, Artemisia immediately gathers all of her navy for the battle at Salamis, despite Xerxes' dissuade that it could be a trap.

The remaining Greek ships ram the Persian ships, and the two sides engage, beginning the decisive Battle of Salamis. Themistocles and Artemisia dueled, but their fighting are evenly matched and both are seriously injured.

At this time, Queen Gorgo suddenly appears with Sparta's fleet of ships, along with ships from many Greek cities including Delphi, Thebes, Olympia, Arcadia.

They set up a siege of the Persian navy.

According to history, a year after the Battle of Salamis, the Greeks, under the Spartan general Pausanius, defeated the Persians at Plataea. Athens then turned to drive the Persians out of the Aegean Sea, and gradually acquired much land, power and wealth to become the center of power in Greece.

Sullivan Stapleton...Themistocles

Lena Headey (Cersei - Game of Thrones)...Queen Gorgo

Sullivan Stapleton...Themistocles

Sullivan Stapleton...Themistocles

Rodrigo Santoro...King Xerxes

Rodrigo Santoro...King Xerxes

Rodrigo Santoro...King Xerxes

Lena Headey (Cersei - Game of Thrones)...Queen Gorgo

Jack O'Connell...Calisto

Jack O'Connell...Calisto

Sullivan Stapleton...Themistocles

Sullivan Stapleton...Themistocles

Eva Green...Artemisia

Eva Green...Artemisia

Eva Green...Artemisia

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TRENDING

Gerard Butler...Leonidas

David Wenham...Dilios

Lena Headey (Cersei - Game of Thrones)...Queen Gorgo

Giovanni Cimmino...Pleistarchus

Dominic West...Theron

Vincent Regan...Captain Artemis

Tom Wisdom...Astinos

Andrew Pleavin...Daxos

Andrew Tiernan...Ephialtes

Rodrigo Santoro...King Xerxes

Michael Fassbender...Stelios

Peter Mensah (Spartacus)...a Persian messenger

Kelly Craig...Pythia Oracle

Eli Snyder...young Leonidas

Tyler Neitzel...young Leonidas

Robert Maillet...Über Immortal

Rodrigo Santoro...King Xerxes

Sullivan Stapleton...Themistocles

Eva Green...Artemisia

Caitlin Carmichael...8-year-old Artemisia

Jade Chynoweth...13-year-old Artemisia

Jack O'Connell...Calisto

Hans Matheson...Aeschylus

Callan Mulvey...Scyllias

David Wenham...Dilios

Yigal Naor...King Darius I

Andrew Pleavin...Daxos

Ben Turner...General Artaphernes

Ashraf Barhom...General Bandari

Christopher Sciueref...General Kashani

"300" is a 2007 epic historical action film directed by Zack Snyder, based on the 1998 comic book series of the same name by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. Both the book and the film are fictional retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae during the Persian War, and are often seen as a historical drama.

@ Link to watch the movie near the end of the article..

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300 OVERVIEW

Set around 478-481 BC, the film follows King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) of Sparta, who leads 300 Spartan fighters to join the battle against the Persian "King-God" of Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), with an invading army of more than 300,000 people.

As the battle rages on, Leonidas's wife Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) tries to rally support in Sparta to aide her husband's battle but failed. The story is told through the words of Dilios (David Wenham) - the only warrior who survived the battle.

THE THREAT FROM PERSIA AND THE TREASON OF THE EPHORS

The story begins with a description of Leonidas I's life from childhood to his slaying a beast and becoming king of the Spartans. Persians, who had now taken over most of Asia, sends a messenger (Peter Mensah) to threaten and demand Sparta's submission to King Xerxes. Leonidas responds by throwing the emissary and his escort into a deep well.

Afterwards, Leonidas gets to the Ephors - members of the Council that have the power to decide on important Spartan political matters. He proposes a strategy of building a wall to push the Persians down a narrow path between the rock and the sea: nullifying the Persian numerical advantage, while taking the advantage of the Greek heavy infantry.

The Ephors consult the Oracle, and decide that Sparta should not enter the war. In fact, the Ephors had received the bribe by the Persians before.

LEONIDAS AND HIS 300 SPARTANS' INITIAL VICTORY

Because the Ephors did not allow him to mobilize his army, Leonidas gathers 300 of his best soldiers and sets out, legally describing them as his "guards" instead of army. On the way, they are joined by a force consisting of several thousand Arcadians and other Greeks, most of them are not professional warriors. At Thermopylae, they build the wall, using slain Persian scouts as mortar.

Ephialtes - a disfigured Spartan asks to meet Leonidas, begging to join Leonidas' army to redeem his parents' reputation, and warns Leonidas of a secret route the Persians could use to spill out and besiege the Spartans. Though feeling sympathetic with him, Leonidas rejects Ephialtes due to his deformity making him unable to join the shield formation.

Into battle, the Spartans' advantage of the Hot Gate and their superior fighting skills help them overpower and repel each wave of Persian attacks.

King Xerxes personally meets Leonidas, offering him wealth and power in exchange for his submission. Leonidas refuses and mocks at Xerxes, prompting him to mobilize his elite guards, the Immortals, to attack the Spartans. Again, the Spartans with the little help of the Arcadians also manage to stop them.

On the second day, Xerxes sends a large army gathered from all over Asia including fighting elephants, but to no avail.

EPHIALTES' BETRAYAL AND LEONIDAS' FORESEEN FAILURE

Meanwhile, the vengeful Ephialtes turns to Xerxes, revealing a secret path leading to the Spartans in exchange for wealth, status, beautiful women, and the Persian uniform. The Arcadians withdraw upon learning of Ephialtes' betrayal and the impending danger, but the Spartans are determined to engage in the final battle.

On the third day, the Persians, led by Ephialtes, pass through the secret passage, surround the Spartans, demanding their surrender. Leonidas seems to kneel in submission, but only as a way for Stelios to jump over him and kill the vanguard general. Enraged, Xerxes orders his troops to attack. From a distance, Leonidas throws his spear at Xerxes, but only grazes his face, leaving a slight wound.

Leonidas and the remaining of the 300 Spartans fights to their last breathe under a rain of Persian arrows.