300, Rise of an EmpireHonestly, the movie looks visually appealing. The sequel hasn't lost sight of what makes this franchise great, so it simply improves the graphics by making them sharper and the camera transitions smoother. But the story isn't as compelling. The film focuses on Themistocles and Artemisia I of Caria, as well as Xerxes I of Persia. The Battle of Artemisia was a naval engagement, contemporary with the Battle of Thermopylae, and was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states and the Persian Empire in September 480 BC, in the strait between the mainland and the northern tip of the island of Euboea. It is the sequel to the 2006 film 300, taking place before, during and after the events of that film. The cast includes Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Hans Matheson and Jack O'Connell. The trailer for 300, Rise of Empire, incorporates eye-catching locations, contrasting wars and dramatic sound effects to advertise the film about the effects of war during the Roman Empire. The long-gestating sequel to 300 is finally here. After what seemed like years of chatter, 300, Rise of an Empire is the sequel that will tell the story of what happened after 300 Spartans died trying to repel Xerxes' Persian forces. There are many different beliefs about how and why the Roman Empire ended. It was founded on geography, military strength and wise leadership. The Roman Empire spread throughout Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa. The causes of the fall of Rome were multiple, including economic reasons, political disputes, military invasions, and threats from both internal and external forces. The subtitle Rise of an Empire may be a nod to many of the film's supposed plot points, including the revolt of the Greeks up to Persi... at the center of the card... which the film leaves the audience to believe the Spartans were the only Greek forces to lead an attack against the Persians. Along with Eva Green and Rodrigo Santoro, the cast of 300, Rose of an Empire will feature some relative unknowns including Animal Kingdom's Sullivan Stapleton as General Themistocles, the leader of the Greek army. . As with the first film, Warmers presumably hopes to use the promise of crazy action to attract audiences rather than an A-list star cast. However, it will have been almost seven years since 300 when this sequel comes out, which leaves us wondering if audiences are still interested in returning to watch part two. Films like 300 pioneered a very specific style of filmmaking that was memorable at the time, but after countless disappointing imitations, may not generate as much interest in today's movie audiences..