300 was brawny entertainment back in 2006, pumped full of radioactive testosterone. But this feeble sort-of sequel exhibits a warrior well past its prime. Weak and saggy, the once-chiseled abs have melted into sludgy flab.

300: Rise of an Empire is a Gladiator-themed game of Battleships between Eva Green’s Artemisia and Sullivan Stapleton’s Themistocles – except only 10% as interesting. A tangled mess of flashbacks, slow motion and spluttering jugulars, it’s a bargain basement version of its predecessor – with water.

It might well be awash with blood and guts, but 300: Rise of an Empire has no brains.

Boring, numbing, unnecessary. In 300, Gerard Butler screamed “This! Is! Sparta!” In 300: Rise of an Empire you may find it is you that’s screaming: “This! Is! Awful!”

RATING: 1/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, Callan Mulvey, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro, Jack O’Connell, Andrew Tiernan, Igal Naor

DIRECTOR: Noam Murro

WRITERS: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad

SYNOPSIS: Greek general Themistokles leads the charge against invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.