Troy is NO Gladiator epic...

Rating: Null/10 (16 May 2004)

Bean's narration at the beginning and at the end left me with goose bumps. Odysseus told the story through his eyes. In the opening scene when I heard the chanting and wailing, I thought it sounded too similar to Gladiator. The music lacked an orchestral touch that was evident in Scott's Gladiator or Jackson's LOTR Trilogy. The music by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerard in Gladiator complimented the films theme. For being a high-budget film, the picture quality appeared grainy. Pitt's Achilles was attractive, but his character lacked substance and passion. He was a bore. I also felt apathy for Kruger, Bloom and Bana performances, but Cox and Bean were captivating and compelling in their performances.
Director Petersen may have used Gladiator as a template for his so-called epic film, but he overlooked various important elements that made Gladitor successful: Russell's compelling acting performance, beautiful and poignant music, and excellent direction by Sir Ridley Scott. Troy was a expansive imitation of Gladiator. IMO