Matthew’s ProFan Review: 300: Rise of an Empire – The Art of the Film

Hey there, ProFans! Today we’ve got a treat for both fans of 300 and ProFans of the artsy variety! What ended up on my desk is the art book for the upcoming movie 300: The Rise of an Empire. Yes, Leonidas and the 300 Spartans perished at the battle of Thermopylae so a sequel is odd. But if you know your history, the battle didn’t end there. The Persians kept marching, and while the Brave Spartans fought in the shade, Themistokles fought the Persian Hordes on the water. But this isn’t a history lesson, folks; this is a review of the art book: 300: Rise of an Empire: The Art of the Film

This is exactly what every page is. You’ve got shots from the film, carefully dissected from pre-rendering to finished product. You’ve got character blurbs, concept art, stills, even storyboard art with the director notes. Peter Aperlo authors this book with a foreword by Noam Murro and an afterword with Zack Snyder. For those familiar with Snyder and Aperlo’s work, they both worked on Watchmen, another great comic book adaptation. I sat down and studied this book with my dad who’s a history teacher, and we both thought this was a damn cool book to enjoy. If you loved the first flick and plan on seeing the next one, you should pick this up.