Zack Snyder is quite possibly, in my humble opinion, the most over rated director that I have ever come across.  While his film Sucker Punch is universally panned by the critics and public, people seem to love his other films.  Man of Steel ( which I will admit leaves people more split than anything), Watchmen, and 300 are praised, as being stylistic and entertaining films.  I do not enjoy any of his work, as I find Man of Steel to be an insufferable mess, Watchmen a confusing mess, and 300 a boring mess.  So, when I heard that a sequel to 300 was being made, directed by someone I had never heard of and produced by Zack Snyder, I was certainly not elated.  The film came across as 300, but with boats; nothing more, nothing less.  And that’s what it is.

The film, taking place at the same time as the original, follows Themistocles and the Athenian navy, as they fend off the much greater navy of the Persian.  If the simplistic plot of the first movie was too much for you, it will be OK.  The plot is that easy, with little in the way of twists or complications.  But honestly, what else is anybody going to expect.

I feel like the entire draw of the first movie was the stylistic violence and slow motion, as that movie had virtually no complexities regarding plot nor characters.  This movie, in that respect, is exactly the same, with its CGI blood and slo-mo fight scenes.  It’s not deep, but I don’t think anybody would expect it to be.  The choreography of the fighting keep it interesting, and the over-the-top action and blood effects give something to look at.  But the 3D is bland, and there isn’t enough substance to make the film interesting past how it looks.  That seems to be the Snyder code, style over substance.  Directors like Tarantino and Rodriguez can balance these, but Snyder and (recently) Tim Burton can’t figure out that people want more than something to look at.  If you understand what the movie is, and that’s all you want out of it, it is a decent ride.  But it doesn’t have any kind of lasting impression, and it won’t satisfy anybody looking for a fulfilling experience.