hyped and nearly lives up to it

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2005)

This film was heavily hyped and I believe many people were expecting more than they saw. Certainly this film was epic in scope and I thought was technically very well done. The story is the classic Iliad story as told by Homer. The acting is absolutely top-notch. Look for fantastic performances from Brian Cox, Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Peter O'Toole, Eric Bana and Brendan Gleeson. I don't see what caused people to give this film lower ratings. I thought it was quite good. There is awesome scenery, epic set design, love, action, battle, blood and gore aplenty, beautiful women, intrigue and suspense. What more can one film provide? Yet there is something missing, apparently. While initial Box Office returns were healthy, the film's final total was a disappointment to the Producer(s). DVD sales, however, seem to be fairly brisk. So this was a film NOT to see in the theater, but to see at home. I only gave this film an 8. I can't quite figure out what was missing but something was. (Stupid review, isn't it?). Overall, this is a very good film, but it just isn't quite what I expected it to be. Am I sorry I bought it? Not at all. I will watch this film at least 2-3 more times. Who knows, maybe I'll decide I like it better next time. Meanwhile, I give it an 8 and I think it'll be a popular film on DVD.