King Leonidas who?

The sequel to “300” is nothing less short of exciting and action-packed. “300 Rise of an Empire” no longer focuses on King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans, but Admiral Themistocles of Athens. To compare the Spartan king to an Athenian is atrocious, but Themistocles, played by Sullivan Stapleton, is able to step out of his shadow.

Producer Zack Snyder and director Noam Murro do an excellent job of topping the first movie with new heroes and old enemies.

God King of Persia, Xerxes, is determined to set fire upon Athens and let the city burn to the ground. After defeating the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, Athens is in his sight along with the help of a military commander in Artemisia. Eva Green, who stars as Artemisia, is superb in her role of evil villian. Xerxes is in the back seat of this battle watching Artemisia do what she does best: win.

With a $46 million opening weekend, it was 45 percent lower than the $70.9 million opening weekend of the original “300.”

“300 Rise of an Empire” does not disappoint those who enjoyed the first one. There is an equal amount of action to compare, if not more. The movie is focused more on blood, action and war than Oscar-nominated acting.