SCORE: B
I think this film is actually much better than it's predecessor. Sure the original 300 film was new and cool, but that's all it was. This film has better acting and a better story.
When the first film came out all the History Channel shows said things like, "While the film focuses on the small battle led by Leonidas, the REAL battle happened at sea, with Themistocles leading the Greek navy." This film is all about that. It rises above being simply cool and is actually good.
There's a line that I couldn't stand, though. Near the beginning, Themistocles is speechifying to his troops to pump them up for the battle. One of his lines is, "Fear is freedom!" to which all the jocks shout "Yeah!" But I think this is a terrible message to be sending out, namely because certain political parties in this country operate under such ideas.