While King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans make their heroic stand at Thermopylae, Greek general Themistocles battles an invading Persian navy led by the ruthless and vengeful commander Artemisia. Facing the god-king Xerxes' overwhelming forces on the open sea, Themistocles attempts to unite all of Greece in a desperate charge that will change the course of the war.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
March 7, 2014 |
Running time |
102 minutes |
Genre |
Action History War Fantasy |
Budget |
$110,000,000 |
Box Office |
$337,580,051 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Noam Murro |
Produced by |
Zack Snyder Deborah Snyder Mark Canton Gianni Nunnari Bernie Goldmann |
Written by |
Zack Snyder Kurt Johnstad |
Music by |
Junkie XL |
Cinematography |
Simon Duggan |
Edited by |
Wyatt Smith David Brenner |
Production Co. |
Warner Bros. Pictures Legendary Pictures Cruel and Unusual Films |
Distributed by |
Warner Bros. Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #02 in 300 Collection
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The Plot
The Legacy of Marathon and the Rise of a God
The film opens on a grim tableau at Thermopylae, where the lifeless bodies of the 300 Spartans lie scattered across the battlefield. Xerxes, the towering Persian ruler, advances upon the corpse of King Leonidas and beheads him, signaling a brutal victory. As Queen Gorgo narrates the history of this violence, the story flashes back to the Battle of Marathon, the genesis of the Greco-Persian War. Ten years prior, the Athenians, led by the strategist General Themistocles, launched a surprise ambush on the Persian forces while they were still docked. Amidst the chaos of the beach assault, Themistocles seizes a critical opportunity; he nocks an arrow and looses it at the Persian King Darius, striking him in the chest. Darius's son, Xerxes, witnesses the blow with horror. Themistocles locks eyes with the young prince, realizing in that moment that his action has not ended the threat, but merely delayed it with severe repercussions for Greece.
Following the retreat to the Persian realm, the dying King Darius offers his final counsel to his son. With his admiral Artemisia—a Greek by birth but Persian by allegiance—at his side, Darius warns Xerxes to end the war, declaring that only the Gods can defeat the Greeks. However, Artemisia, consumed by a lust for vengeance against her own kind, twists the King's dying words. She manipulates the grieving Xerxes, telling him that to defeat the Greeks, he must cease to be a man and become a God King. Under her guidance, Xerxes wanders into the desert and discovers a cave containing an otherworldly, glowing liquid. He submerges himself, and when he emerges, he is transformed into a hairless, nine-foot-tall being draped in gold chains and jewelry. He returns to Persia to declare total war. To secure his absolute trust and power, Artemisia secretly murders all of Xerxes' closest associates.
A Fracture in the Greek Alliance
Years later, with the Persian invasion imminent, the Athenian council is paralyzed by bickering. Themistocles intervenes, passionately arguing that the only hope for survival lies in a united Greece, which requires an alliance with their rivals, the Spartans. He travels to Sparta to petition King Leonidas but finds the King absent; Leonidas has gone to consult the Oracle at Delphi after rejecting the Persian emissaries. instead, Themistocles is received by Queen Gorgo. He lays out his plan for a united front, specifically requesting the superior Spartan navy to aid the Athenian fleet. Gorgo, however, remains cold to his pleas. Her priority is the preservation of Sparta alone, not the abstract concept of a unified nation. Themistocles leaves with a warning: if Athens falls, Sparta will eventually follow, for freedom cannot exist in isolation.
The Battle of Artemisium
Undeterred by Sparta's refusal, Themistocles rallies the Athenian fleet and other allies to the Aegean Sea for the first confrontation at Artemisium. Before the engagement, he discovers that a young soldier, Calisto, has disobeyed his father Scyllias to infiltrate the army. Impressed by the boy's courage, Themistocles promises Scyllias he will watch over him. As the battle commences, Artemisia, observing from her massive command ship, orders her general to humiliate the Greeks. However, the Athenians are prepared. Knowing the Persian ships are vulnerable at the sides, Themistocles utilizes a formation of triremes to ram the enemy vessels violently. The Greek strategy proves unassailable, and they gain the upper hand.
From her vantage point, Artemisia watches with growing disdain as her fleet falters. She eventually orders a retreat, deciding to let the Greeks enjoy a momentary victory. Furious at the incompetence displayed, she has her general cuffed, dragged before her, and thrown overboard to his death. She recruits a new commander, but he fares no better. Themistocles lures the Persian fleet into a fog-laden, narrow strait. The trap springs, allowing the lighter Greek ships to ambush the trapped Persian vessels, securing a second, humiliating defeat for Artemisia's armada.
The Parley and the Seduction
Realizing she has finally found a tactical equal in Themistocles, Artemisia changes her approach. She sends an envoy to the Greek encampment, inviting Themistocles to a parley on her ship, moored in neutral waters. Despite his men's fears of a trap, Themistocles accepts, eager to confront his enemy face-to-face. On board, Artemisia commends his naval brilliance. She reveals the grim reality of the war: she can sustain heavy losses for weeks, while the Greeks cannot. She claims her true desire is to have a commander of his caliber by her side and offers him a place in the Persian command.
The negotiation quickly turns carnal as Artemisia moves to seduce him. The encounter becomes a violent, power-struggle of sex; clothes are torn, and the interaction is fueled by aggression as much as lust, with Artemisia straddling him while they shout and moan. Following the act, Themistocles steadfastly rejects her offer, reaffirming his loyalty to Greece. Enraged by his refusal and the failure of her manipulation, Artemisia casts him out, promising his destruction.
Fire on the Water
The next confrontation escalates in brutality. The Persians deploy a new weapon: they pour vast amounts of oil into the sea and send forth suicide swimmers carrying explosive kegs. The water ignites, turning the battlefield into an inferno. The explosion decimates the Greek fleet, destroying many ships and causing mass casualties. In the chaos, Themistocles' close friend Scyllias is struck by an arrow fired by Artemisia herself and dies. Themistocles is thrown into the burning water when his own ship is destroyed in a massive explosion, narrowly escaping death. Seeing the Greek navy in tatters and believing Themistocles dead, Artemisia assumes total victory and withdraws. Broken and battered, Themistocles retreats with the remnants of his men, only to receive devastating news: Leonidas and his 300 Spartans have been slaughtered at the Hot Gates.
The Fall of Athens
Meanwhile, Xerxes revels in his victory at Thermopylae. He dispatches the traitor Ephialtes to the Athenian survivors with a message of impending doom. Themistocles confronts the hunchback, who presents him with King Leonidas' sword as proof of the Spartans' demise. Themistocles spares the remorseful traitor, sending him back to Xerxes with a defiant declaration of continued war. Shortly after, the Persian army marches on Athens. The city is razed to the ground, and Xerxes stands atop the ruins of the Acropolis, triumphantly brandishing the severed head of Leonidas.
Desperate, Themistocles returns to Sparta to face Queen Gorgo once more. He finds her consumed by grief. He presents her with her husband's sword, urging her to avenge Leonidas and commit the Spartan navy to the cause. Gorgo, feeling Sparta has already sacrificed enough, refuses to engage and sends him away. However, as Themistocles leaves, she is left alone to weep, pondering the weight of the sword and her duty.
The Battle of Salamis
Themistocles gathers the fragments of the Greek fleet at the Bay of Salamis for a final stand. In the Persian camp, Ephialtes brings news of this gathering. Artemisia is eager to crush them immediately, but Xerxes intervenes, advising caution and suggesting they need not fight. This leads to a sharp disagreement; Artemisia, driven by her vendetta, defies the God King's wishes and orders her fleet to attack, intent on wiping out the Greeks once and for all.
The Battle of Salamis begins with the Greeks facing overwhelming odds. Themistocles' strategy is singular: he must kill Artemisia to decapitate the snake. The fleets collide in a chaotic melee of wood and iron. Both sides suffer catastrophic losses. Amidst the carnage, Themistocles forces his way toward Artemisia's flagship. Just as the Greeks appear to be on the brink of annihilation, the tide turns—Spartan ships, led by Queen Gorgo, appear on the horizon, flanking the Persians and encircling them.
The Commander's End
From his vantage point on the cliffs, Xerxes watches the arrival of the Spartans. Realizing the battle is turning, he turns his back on his navy and retreats, leaving Artemisia to her fate. On the flagship, Themistocles and Artemisia finally engage in single combat. They duel ferociously, matching blow for blow until they reach a stalemate. Themistocles disarms her and demands her surrender. Refusing to yield, Artemisia attempts to draw a hidden weapon, but Themistocles reacts instantly, stabbing her through the abdomen. As she dies, Gorgo and Themistocles silently acknowledge their alliance. With the Persian commander dead and their fleet in disarray, the united Greek forces charge forward to finish the war.
