The device is a sneaky way to make history fun for kids, kind of like cheese sauce on vegetables, and I bet most parents will probably appreciate a little extra learning tucked into a Saturday matinee. The basic premise involves Peabody, Sherman, and Sherman's classmate, Penny, traveling back in time and experiencing famous moments in history first-hand: Hey, there's Leonardo da Vinci painting the Mona Lisa! Whoops, we're in the middle of the Trojan War! Over there, is that Marie Antoinette? Let them eat cake! And so on. They also frequently travel back in time because, of course, Mr. Together they live in a killer penthouse apartment in a big city. Sherman is his 7-year-old glasses-wearing adopted son. Peabody, you may recall, is a glasses-wearing beagle that not only talks, he's the smartest creature to ever live.
Peabody and Sherman, who were first introduced in segments during the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" TV cartoons of the 1950s and 60s. Peabody & Sherman text: Rated PG, Three-and-a-half out of five starsįor most kids today, this will probably be their first run-in with the characters of Mr. Arrows and spears flying at your face, blood squirting past your head every couple of minutes - this is what 3D was made for, right? The battle scenes are crisp and clear, and it's not hard to follow the action. While I'm not typically a fan of the technology or the higher ticket prices, it's worth it here.
Oh, and for maximum enjoyment, see it in 3D. "300: Rise of an Empire" is all about blood, battles and strong babes, and on that level it doesn't disappoint. But this isn't "Gladiator," nor do I think that's what this is aspiring to be. I didn't really find myself emotionally involved at any point and some of the plot lines fail to connect, like a father and son we're supposed to care about. There's a lot to like in "300: Rise of an Empire." It looks great and delivers on the action, though personally, I would have enjoyed a little more heart to the story. His first was the 2008 comedy "Smart People." But fans of the visually stunning and innovative original won't notice Snyder's absence from the director's chair - which is pretty impressive, considering this is only Murro's second feature film. Snyder wrote and directed "300" and serves as writer/producer this time around. Though they're the only two women in the film, these ladies aren't relegated to the meek damsel-in-distress roles you normally find in movies like this.ĭirector Noam Murro also deserves kudos for being able to deliver Zack Snyder's trademark look and feel. The same could be said of returning Spartan Queen Gorgo, played again by Lena Headey. In the hands of a less-skilled actress, Artemisia probably would have devolved into an overly sexualized cliché. She's a woman hell-bent on revenge, and Green does a great job portraying her as a dark, manipulative warrior who uses her sword, not her sexuality, to crush foes. We're meant to be rooting for the Greeks here, but Artemisia is by far the most interesting character in the story. The story focuses on two new characters: the aforementioned Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton), who commands the Greek ships, and his beautiful but deadly Persian counterpart, Artemisia (Eva Green, last seen in "Dark Shadows"). It focuses on another conflict happening at around the same time, involving clashes not between Spartans and Persians, but between the Greek and Persian navies. "300: Rise of an Empire" doesn't pick up where "300" left off, after the battle of Thermopylae.
But it's not a one-trick skull-crushing pony - there's enough here to enjoy even for the friends or dates dragged unwillingly to see this sequel. This orgy of battle-porn panders right to its audience without shame. They're going specifically for all of the blood, and severed limbs, and killer horses that graphically crush skulls beneath their hooves. Not that the target audience of "300: Rise of an Empire" will be complaining. Let that be a warning to all: the subtitle to this film should have been "There Will Be Blood." Even the film's poster is a blood-red tidal wave enveloping the main character, Themistokles. I wouldn't be surprised if at least half of the film's budget was for red dye and corn syrup. When the original "300" came out in 2006, the fancy 3D technology of today didn't exist, so this time around the filmmakers use every possible opportunity to make that blood fly right at you.
You walk out of "300: Rise of an Empire" feeling like you were just at a Gallagher show, only swap the watermelon remnants for fake movie blood.