History Awesome / ThreeHundredRiseOfAnEmpire

** The fact that said ancient world naval battles are the most impressive and notable in cinema in about ''five decades''. To wit, the last memorable ancient world naval battles in movies date back to ''Literature/BenHur'' (1959) and ''Film/{{Cleopatra}}'' (1963).

[[caption-width-right:350:Small Athenian fleet: 1. / Huge Persian fleet: 0.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Small Athenian fleet: 1. | Huge Persian fleet: 0.]]

* In the opening, we saw Thermistocles leading an army of Athenians to fight the Persians when they have just landed their troops on Greek soil, weakened after travelling across the oceans. How badass was he ten years ago? Well, he slaughtered a large number of Persians before taking a bow and arrow and loosening a single shot that killed Xerxes's father Darius.

** The fact that said ancient world naval battles are the most impressive and notable in cinema in about ''50 years''. To wit, the last memorable ancient world naval battles in movies date back to ''Film/{{Cleopatra}}'' (1963) and ''Literature/BenHur'' (1959).

** The fact that said ancient world naval battles are the most notable in cinema in about ''50 years''. To wit, the last memorable ancient world naval battles in movies date back to ''Film/{{Cleopatra}}'' (1963) and ''Literature/BenHur'' (1959).

* The Greek spy aboard Artemisia's ship. Not only does he taunt her, he kills about six men and ''successfully escapes.''

** The fact that said ancient world naval battles are the most notable in cinema in about ''50 years''. To wit, the last memorable ancient world naval battle in a movie dates back to ''Film/{{Cleopatra}}''.

** The fact that said ancient world naval battles are the most notable in about ''50 years''. To wit, the last memorable ancient world naval battle in a movie dates back to ''Film/{{Cleopatra}}''.

* Themistocles's strategies and tactics in the use of naval warfare was unrivaled, and the Persians were swiftly beaten every battle in the film.

* In the opening, we saw Thermistocles leading an army of Athenians to fight the Persians when they have just landed their troops on Greek soil, weakened after travelling across the oceans. How {{Badass}} was he ten years ago? Well, he slaughtered a large number of Persians before taking a bow and arrow and loosening a single shot that killed Xerxes's father Darius.

* In the opening, we saw Thermistocles leading an army of Athenians to fight the Persians when they have just landed their troops on Greek soil, weakened after travelling across the oceans. How {{Badass}} was he ten years ago? Well, he slaughtered a large number of Persians before taking a bow and arrow and loosening a single shot that killed Xerxes's Father Darius.

** Special Mention goes to his strategy of forcing the Persian ships into a narrow bottleneck and deploying an army of Athenians to essentially massacre all the Persians trapped there, culminating in the death of the Persian General who lead the assault. [[spoiler: Bonus points for Themistocles to kill the Persian General personally.]]

* Xerxes burning down Athena to dust and ashes while holding the decapitated head of King Leonidas. Bonus points for tossing it away later when he watched Athena burn.

* The Spartan way of training, which appears to be "beat up one guy and see if he can beat up everyone else hitting him".

* Thermistocles basically refuses to kill Ephialtes and instead tells the traitor to carry a message to Xerxes that [[spoiler:the Greeks will fight to the death]].

* The whole scene of Artemisia's rise to power. Special mention goes to how she defeats her instructor in a sword fight and becoming [[spoiler:Darius's top general by bringing him decapitated heads of his enemies]].

* Artemisia utilising an oil-tanker equivalent to flood the sea with oil while sending her personal guard to suicide bomb the Athenian ships.
** Special mention goes to her single-handedly killing one of Themistocles's best warriors (and friend) with three arrows and one more to detonate the oil-flooded seawater in which the Athenians were drowning in.

*** Special Mention goes to his strategy of forcing the Persian ships into a narrow bottleneck and deploying an army of Athenians to essentially massacre all the Persians trapped there, culminating in the death of the Persian General who lead the assault. [[spoiler: Bonus points for Themistocles to kill the Persian General personally.]]

*** Themistocles versus Artemisia, fighting her to a standstill and when they lock blades he coldly told her that he refused Artemisia's offer to surrender. [[spoiler:Then he kills Artemisia by stabbing her in the stomach.]]

* Themistocles is one walking CrowningMomentOfAwesome {{Badass}}. In fact, let us count the ways:
** In the opening, we saw him leading an army of Athenians to fight the Persians when they have just landed their troops on Greek soil, weakened after travelling across the oceans. How {{Badass}} was he ten years ago? Well, he slaughtered a large number of Persians before taking a bow and arrow and [[spoiler: loosening a single shot that killed Xerxes's Father Darius.]]
** He went alone to Sparta to appeal to the Spartans for help, [[spoiler: both times talking to Queen Gorgo.]] ''He succeeds by the end of the film.''
** Themistocles's strategies and tactics in the use of naval warfare was unrivaled, and the Persians were swiftly beaten every single time in the film.

** Themistocles meeting Artemisia alone on neutral waters and returning alive, and basically doesn't even bat an eyelid when she threatened to destroy his outnumbered ships.
** He basically refuses to kill Ephialtes and instead tells the traitor to carry a message to Xerxes that [[spoiler: the Greeks will fight to the death.]]
** Hoo boy, The FinalBattle is a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.
*** Themistocles riding a horse in a ''naval'' battle. Across burning ships and killing many Persian soldiers along the way, many of them who are Artemisia's guards.
*** Themistocles then going through Artemisia's PraetorianGuard like hot knife through butter, special mention goes to the scene he impales one with his sword and fights three more in which he won against every single one of them, even though he was fighting all three at the same time.
*** Themistocles versus Artemisia, fighting her to a standstill and when they lock blades he coldly told her that he refused Artemisia's offer to surrender. [[spoiler: Then he kills Artemisia by stabbing her in the stomach.]] Utterly {{Badass}}.
*** Themistocles fighting with [[spoiler: Queen Gorgo and the Spartans at the ending.]]
* The Persians have also quite a few awesome scenes too.
** The whole scene of Artemisia's rise to power. Special mention goes to how she defeats her instructor in a sword fight and becoming [[spoiler: Darius's top general by bringing him decapitated heads of his enemies.]]
** Artemisia gets one when she kills off Xerxes' old supporters one by one in a variety of murderous ways, which include drowning and slitting of throats.
** She gets another when she identified the Athenian spy within the ranks of her soldiers by simply looking at their hands. [[spoiler: The reason for this is that she has whipped almost everyone on her ship, and the Athenian spy did not have any lashes on his hands.]]
** Artemisia utilising an oil-tanker equivalent to flood the sea with oil while sending her personal guard to suicide bomb the Athenian ships is a scene of villainous awesome.
*** Special mention goes to her single-handedly killing one of Themistocles's best warriors (and friend) with three arrows and one more to detonate the oil-flooded seawater in which the Athenians were drowning in.
** Artemisia dual-wielding her swords and facing off against Themistocles at the FinalBattle. [[spoiler: She died, but at least she fought Themistocles to a stalemate.]]
*** Her guard of Immortals prove to be able to tear through anything less than Leonidas' hand picked guards. A handful of them slaughter an entire Greek ship.
*** Artemisia herself was no pushover too. She killed many Athenian warriors too, and cut them down rather easily with her two swords.
** Xerxes giving a RousingSpeech to his Empire to start a war against the Greeks.
** Xerxes burning down Athena to dust and ashes while holding the decapitated head of King Leonidas. Bonus points for tossing it away later when he watched Athena burn.
** Xerxes again, when he witnessed [[spoiler: Artemisia's defeat]] and then walked back to his Persian army, which was huge and spread out like a sea of troops behind him at the end of the film.
** The second Persian general. While he did get lured into narrow cliffs, his final stand with two of his guards against dozens of Greeks is heroic.
* The Spartans' BigDamnHeroes scene near the ending when they joined in the naval battle with Queen Gorgo at the front wielding [[spoiler: her husband's sword.]]
** The scene just before that, when the camera pans out on the spartan navy, unfurling their sails, with Queen Gorgo standing at the front of the ship with the DramaticWind blowing around her.
** We also get a very good slow-motion look at the Spartans killing Persians when they boarded the Persian ships.
* The Spartan way of training...''holy damn''. Must be watched to be believed.
* "I'M NOT HERE TO BE A WITNESS!" Just the way that line is said and the action that follows.

*** Themistocles fighting with [[spoiler: Queen Gorgo and the Spartans at the ending.]] That is all.

* "I'M NOT HERE TO BE A WITNESS!" Just the way that line is said and the action that follows.

* The Spartan way of training...''holy damn''. Must be watched to be believed.

*** Themistocles versus Artemisia, fighting her to a standstill and when they lock blades he coldly told her that he refused Artemisia's offer to surrender. [[spoiler: Then he kills Artemisia by stabbing her in the stomach.]] Utterly {{Badass}}.

*** Special mention goes to her single-handedly killing one of Themistocles's best warriors (and friend) with three arrows and one more to detonate the oil-flooded seawater in which the Athenians were drawing in.

** The second Persian general. While he did get lured into narrow cliffs, his final stand with two of his guards against dozens of Greeks is heroic.

** Xerxes again, when he witnessed [[spoiler: Artemisia's defeat]] and then walked back to his Persian army, which was huge and spread out like a sea of troops behind him at the end of the film.

** Hoo boy, The FinalBattle.

*** Themistocles versus Artemisia, and when they lock blades he coldly told her that he refused her offer to surrender. [[spoiler: Then he kills Artemisia by stabbing her in the stomach.]] Utterly {{Badass{}}.
*** Themistocles fighting with [[spoiler: Queen Gorgo and the Spartans.]] That is all.

* Themistocles is one walking CrowningMomentOfAwesome {{Badass}}. In fact, let us count the ways: