The sequel to the phenomenal 2006 hit "300" was finally released. All the reviews cannot help but compare it to the original, and the high standard proved too much to conquer.

The sequel has an ambitious premise. While the first movie dealt with 300 of the greatest warriors taking a stand against the worst attacks of the biggest Empire the world has ever seen, the sequel is more encompassing. It shows events that happened before, during and after the events of the original '300' and it also shows both sides.

Perhaps it is this ambition that caused it to lack the indomitable screen presence of the original. From the LA Times: "That a narrator is necessary to walk us through the complexities might suggest there's a problem with the script. There is. For all of its hyper-realized visuals, Rise of an Empire is a very talkie film. ... But the film relies on [Lena Headey] so much that it is sometimes a shock when a character actually speaks."

The producers actually got worried that the audience may get lost following the movie. Was it because they filmed the fight scenes and the notorious sex scene before realizing that a script was needed?

Speaking of the sex scene, it must be noticed that Sullivan Stapleton, who plays the new lead "Themistocles," had the required beard and abs, but he was not Gerard Butler. From the Chicago Sun-times: "Stapleton's just fine as the male lead, though he lacks Gerard Butler's animalistic screen presence, and he seems overmatched in certain scenes - especially in one of the wildest and almost hilariously aggressive sex scenes we've seen in an R-rated movie in some time."

The new director Noam Murro clearly understood the movie's selling points and its target audience. Their presence alone was enough to propel the sequel to the top of this week's box office. There was also an added boost from IMAX, according to Entertainment Weekly: "The lure of IMAX helped. The 342 IMAX screens brought in $6.8 million (or 15 percent) of the film's weekend earnings, while 3-D showings accounted for 63 percent of the grosses. 300: Rise of an Empire is also performing quite well internationally with $87.8 million from 58 markets. Still, it doesn't even come close to Zack Snyder's $70 million March 2007 opening for 300. Nevertheless, the sequel should enjoy a healthy box office life." Also, 62% of the film audience consisted of males-probably the ones who saw the first.

Almost 2 hours of blood, grit and Eva Green is good enough to pass the time for the average male moviegoer. The problem is, since the sequel failed to deliver on elements outside the ones established by the original, they will arrive at the conclusion that if you've seen it once, you've seen it all. Third time won't be a charm anymore for the '300' franchise.