Breaking the rules

Rating: 5/10 (3 July 2004)

This could have been great, it could have been a classic. From seeing the trailer that was indeed what I was expecting. A talented director, a great cast, enormous in scope and with great music. So what went wrong? The problem with this film is not the attempt to turn a classic book into a commercial Hollywood epic. It might have been that and still be a great movie. The biggest mistake is its breaking of the foremost rule in storytelling; create characters that the audience cares about, or everything they do and go through will be pointless. We never really care what happens to Achilles or Hector or anybody in the film when they keep reminding us that everything that happens is inevitable. None of them seem to have any choice in the matter or learn anything from their experiences. Should we root for the Trojans who are Noble but stupid? Should we side with the Greeks who are either power-mad or sheepish followers? It's the personal stories that should drive the film to a logical conclusion, but we hardly know anything about any of the characters, except the most basic information. I'm sure that given some real characters to work with, none of the performances would have been as flat and the audience would have been left not so much with an empty spectacle, but with a film that said something about human nature.
As for the empty spectacle, there's no Peter Jackson at work here, judging by scenes that were out of focus, scenes that seemed to be lifted straight from The Two Towers and music that was highly unoriginal. Every time we are supposed to feel anything a whining 'ethnic' voice urges us to (Gladiator anyone?) At times the music is strangely inappropriate (swells of heroic strings while Trojan soldiers stab Greeks in the back, or straight through a monologue by Achilles). Were the producers sleeping, or did the budget run out before anyone could say: let's do that again? This one sadly will definitely not be remembered for thousands of years.