Irritating summer Film

Rating: 3/10 (13 October 2005)

I wonder where the positive remarks come on this one, it really isn't very good. At least the technically the movie is fantastic, because that's it.
The acting is uneven, Orlando Bloom does well enough and so does Eric Bana. But Agamemnon manages to be painfully poorly acted. He possesses one facial expression throughout the whole film. It's painfully noticeable, and the way it remains EXACTLY THE SAME for every shot has inscribed it in my memory. Brad Pitt also can't act here, which seems odd, considering how well he can act(Fight Club).
Of course, the bad acting does little to help the story along. Troy is an Epic poem, it is not easy to put into a movie. It can be done, but if it isn't great it won't work at all. As you might expect, it doesn't quite work. Archilles comes off as a stupid jerk, the length of the war is shortened to fit in the movie, and most of the characters possess motivation that is very hard to accept. The worst aspect of all of this, however, is that Greek Gods are shortchanged. The best part of any Greek story was the Gods, seeing as they were all-powerful and unpredictable creatures.
To the give the story some credit, certain things are well written. Of course, the people who made the script are proud of their story and seem desperate to get you to notice the parts they like. A great example of this is how one of the first themes of the story is the idea of being remembered as a Hero. Sounds like a point any High-School student could make, and it doesn't help when it's made countless times throughout the film.
The end result is a film that annoys more than it entertains. After a few hours of Archilles' feminine features and arrogant actions, a few hours ham-fisted plot points, and a few hours of watching a story get terribly revised, you'll be cheering when Legolas finally offs the protagonist. But even after the movie is over, you will never, ever forget the one facial expression Agamemnon has. Can his face even move? Who knows?