A disappointing "epic"

Rating: 5/10 (13 April 2005)

Completely overshadowed by "Braveheart" and "The Return of the King" in the "genre" the fight for right, Troy doesn't make up for the key elements that it lacks. Great battle scenes and visuals just don't overcome wooden acting and sloppy storyline.
Paris (Orlando Bloom) simply won't get away with stealing Helen of Troy. He's had one too many "nights" with the lady and the idea of stealing her away is completely preposterous, especially since she is married to the king of Sparta. Was it not based on a true story I'd be laughing in sheer disbelief at the lack of common sense in Bloom's character.
Anyhow, since it did happen, you can guess what's to follow in such barbaric times. The king immediately wages war, picking up Achilles (Brad Pitt) along the way. If you want to win the greatest war, you need the greatest warrior...
So a suitable premise, and for the most point, Troy delivers. It's the fact that it tries to be deep. There is completely where it fails. Did it stay with what it probably should have been (a passable popcorn flick) it would have been entertaining. But it delves far to deep into sentimentality and utter stupidity that its unbearably shallow characters cannot handle.
Visually superb, Troy passes the eye test. But with wooden acting, weak characters and utterly unbalanced screenplay, Troy is enjoyable but just as silly.
Evaluation: 5 out of 10