In 2007, audiences were greeted by a new action film called 300. From the work of Frank Miller and directed by Zach Snyder, 300 found a place in pop culture thanks to its ridiculous action and “This is Sparta”. For the longest time, you would assume that 300 was just a one-hit wonder, but apparently there is more to tell in the upcoming sequel: 300 Rise of an Empire. The film continues the war of the Persians as well as tells the story of Xerxes. This sequel/prequel will be out in theaters next spring, so it seems to high time o get the full trailer out to see. That is exactly what  we got today, and we’re going to see how this new film fairs in this addition of Trailer Analysis.

An interesting back story.

Rise of an Empire is going into the story of Xerxes and his rise of power; however this trailer brought something I didn’t expect. According to the preview,  Xerses’s rise to power comes from the aid of his sister, Artemisia (Eva Green). It almost looks like Artemisia is manipulating Xerxes for an unknown reason. Either that or she is very loyal to him. Either way, this brings an interesting narrative to the story.

A story of revenge of survival.

In the first film, it was about 300 Spartans taking on the entire Persian army. Now all of Greece is fighting the Persia. This story seems to be expand the issue that the Persians represents, while continuing the story of the Spartans. We see that in the character Queen Gorgo (Lena Headly), who seems to be seeking revenge for her fallen king and husband.  Needless to say, Rise of an Empire‘s plot shaping to be more complex then its predecessor. That’s not saying much, but still, this could be good for the overall movie.

Action!

It just wouldn’t be 300  if there wasn’t any action in this trailer. The preview feature plenty of action scenes, especially several naval battles. While the action is playing to trend set by the first film, it just seems bigger. Perhaps it’s because the stakes are higher, and thus the action to this film looks better.

When I first heard about this film, I really wasn’t too thrilled. However, after watching this trailer, there might be more to this sequel. It looks like there will be a stronger story and more intense action; everything you should have in a good sequel. Then again, this is only if the film lives up to the preview.

300: Rise of an Empire hits theaters March 7, 2014.

Next Trailer Analysis: The Amazing Spider-Man 2.