Elijah Throckmorton

This movie tends to get a lot of flak, but overall it is pretty entertaining. It's essentially Duncan's Highlander II, but with less aliens and slightly more believable immortals (I loved Highlander II, but the flying immortals at the beginning were a bit much). It takes place in a dystopian future where the world has descended into chaos as a result of a coming cosmic alignment. One thing audiences fail to take into account is that Highlander movies are historically low-budget, save for the first Highlander movie (its budget hovered around 15 million, about 30-35 million today). None of the movies was given a budget exceeding 20 million, and the TV series, as it was syndicated, wasn't much better off. So yes, the effects look low budget because they ARE low budget. You expect an Infinity War (or even a Matrix level) level project in 2007 at a mere 13 million? Not gonna happen. For what it was given, it was a good movie. My only qualm was the rehashing of Queen's Princes of the Universe. The song is a classic. I like Death Metal, but I didn't like the cover of POTU in this movie. I also didn't like that they gave Duncan knives near the very end but it's understandable - the destruction of his sword signifies the end of life as he knew it, as he (spoiler) was granted mortality at the end of the film. This movie does have to be read into a little deeper than what most viewers are willing to view it as. At face value - it's an entertaining 90 minutes, but it is a little absurd (especially if you have no background with the franchise), but if you look into it deeper, read between the lines of the movie, and invest yourself into the mythology of the franchise - it begins to make a lot more sense. Or at the very least you can see where they're going with the movie. Basically, it redefines what The Prize is. Historically it was unlimited power, but this movie recreates it into mortality - the thing Duncan always really wanted throughout the series. He wanted to grow old, and now he was finally able to do it. The same cosmic force that created the immortals stripped Duncan of his immortality. The odd scene at the end showing him and Anna is pretty weird, but overall it does present a nice ending to his saga. For Highlander fans, this movie is a must. If you are a fan but aren't willing to look for hidden meanings in some parts and characters of the film, watch it for closure if nothing else. For casual moviegoers, well, this may not be for you, unless you're looking for a reason to pass 90 minutes with an action movie, then give it a shot. If you don't care for this movie, try looking into the other. You may discover something really awesome.

Overall not as fun as the first movie, but still an action packed thrill ride. This movie marks a bit of a darker shift in tone from the first movie, but it's solid otherwise. Billy's still on the lamb, Doc's settled into a nice life teaching in New York, and Chavez Chavez is still getting harassed because of his race. Only this time it's by the world and not good ol' Steve. Emilio Estevez maintains the same dynamic energy as headstrong Billy the Kid that he had in the first movie. He's a bit older and a little bit wiser, but that doesn't change him much. This movie is a good example of both Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips at the top of their game, and how much they can stretch as actors. Even without Charlie Sheen on screen to serve as the perfect balancing factor of Hollywood stars, this movie still delivers. Overall this film is a little more "adult" than the last one, after the events at the end of YG I and living on their own for years it'd be hard not to be, and the action is a peg less epic compared to the first film, but it still delivers adrenaline fueled shoot out scenes, chases, suspense, and twists as well as turns right up until the very end. Of course, anyone familiar with the actual Kid or some of the history behind him and the man who claimed to be him (Ollie "Brushy Bill" Roberts) won't be too surprised at the ending. But for those of you who aren't - save the history lesson until after you've finished the movie :)

Although I enjoyed it, it definitely wasn't as good as the first 300 movie. Some people say no sequel is ever as good as the original film, and although there are many exceptions to that "rule", this movie certainly wasn't one of them. My biggest surprise came in the form of, what I thought, was a Downgrade on the CGI and slo-mo scenes. You'd think it'd be better after 7 years of advances in VFX - nope. Those scenes really don't feel as genuine and exciting as they did in the first movie, probably because the blood looks more obviously computer generated than it did in the OG film. And yes, overall it seemed much less intense than the original. I blame the lead character Themistocles for that. Sullivan Stapleton simply can't hold a candle to Gerard Butler as a hulking, badass warlord leading equally badass soldiers into battle. I mean, granted, he's an Athenian so he's not supposed to be the equal to Leonidas but the movie simply tries too hard to make him look like his equal. I did find it odd that the writers chose to include a female general in Xerxes army. It wasn't a bad move, Eva Green played the part fantastically, and in my opinion her overall performance is a saving grace for the movie. It just seemed a little out-of-character for an egocentric super-king to place a female in such a high position in his army. That all said, though, the movies obviously aren't meant to be historically accurate, and this one certainly takes the franchise further from accuracy, but it's not what you would call a bad movie. It's decent in it's own right, even though it pales in comparison to the original 300. It's got it's share of flaws, but it's entertaining, even without the sex scene. And if you're looking for an excuse to kill a couple of hours with an action movie, this is a good one. My only recommendation - pretend like they didn't include 300 in the title. The 300 died at Thermopylae, leave them there. If there ever is another sequel to the movie, they need to take it from the end of the original 300, instead of going in a completely different direction in a failed attempt to replicate the energy of the first film.