Talking in theatres

Rating: 8/10 (1 June 2004)

Big stuff, The Illiad. Trying to sandwich all that into three movies would have been quite a job, and it would have probably muddled the idea before it was through. Selecting a heavy important slice of what the Illiad is about and building a film -around- that idea worked pretty darn well.
In the age of Digital crowd scenes and computerized destruction, we have come to simply expect huge, big, large and enormous. And Troy has all of these. Extra heapings of each, actually. And yeah, it's lost its surprise but if you hadn't seen half a zillion spear wielding farmers advancing on the walls of Troy there's no doubt you'd miss it. O.K. so visually the story has lots of armies and fighting. Got it.
What else? Well, if you ask Jerry Bruckheimer, there's not much else needed except good looking people being given excuses for kissing each other. The final product of this here film however is why Bruckheimer's head should be placed on a a pike on Sunset blvd. as a warning to Roland Emmerich. The relationships shown between the various characters here are proof that action films can indeed have substance and story and humanity.

Eric Bana is particularly terrific as the level-headed hero, Hector. Brad Pitt IS a god as Achilles. Rose Byrne's Briseis was particularly engaging. Brian Cox's Agamemnon is a highly watchable king S.O.B. but without being a caricature. Orlando Bloom on the other hand is a trifle ham-fisted. His face is pretty expressionless. Bummer there, Legolas.
Don't let the big budget prejudice you. This is a good movie and it's very well done. Filling in the slots between the battles with these character's relationships was not only necessary it was executed with aplomb. Seriously happy I saw this.
Now to see about that pike on Sunset Boulevard...