Shell of a tale....

Rating: 6/10 (7 September 2005)

Well Homer it's not. There is no way you can make a movie and not cut 80% of Homer tale. If you didn't the movie would be days long. But you don't have to change things around to make it shorter. This movie makes the war weeks (or less) long where it took 10 years, with all kinds of twists. Achilles doesn't ride in the horse (but I guess you can't kill Pitt off before the end). No reference to Odessus's 10 years to get home (yes it's another story, but a reference was expected). Cutting the gods completely out of the story was OK, yet I liked the story where they are involved. They could have shown Achilles being dipped in the river Styx except for his heal to explain his dying. But I'll take a "This is how it really happened" take on the movie. It works OK.
As for an action movie it's OK. I'm really getting sick of scenes that you know are CGI just because there is too much stuff (e.g. 1000 ships). The battle scenes are pretty good. It's no Gladiator though.
The acting was all over the place. This is Pitt's worst yet. I think this is due more to the director than to Pitt himself (e.g. See 12 Monkeys). Eric Bana does a great Hector and Bloom turns in a pretty wimpy Paris. Peter O'Toole seemed he like should retire. He walked through the movie like he wanted to be somewhere else. Although I never would have guessed I'd see a movie with a Brad Pitt and Peter O'Toole scene.
On the whole it was a fun watch. 6/10 (+6 for the action -4 for Pitts acting). Those thought provoking stares into the sunset were really bad.