Below average fare

Rating: 4/10 (31 January 2009)

Very interesting to see the previous review from 'Leontion', the comments on validity versus Homer's epic and subsequent texts are enlightening and should be of interest to anybody who wants to judge the storyline of the film against historic texts. Having said that the fates of both Agamemnon & Menelaus in this film are surely not a common interpretation from any age? A Cassandra cameo would surely have raised a smile or two as well.
However I would prefer to judge this as a film experience, and in this respect I feel this is at best an average movie. Dialogue is poor, characterisations are two dimensional and direction & camera-work during the 'epic' scenes is average to say the least.
Brian Cox & Peter o' Toole are simply going through the motions and add much less weight to the film than their acting talents deserve.
The battle scenes are poor, relying on scale via CGI, with overall tactics again (like many other films) relying on 'chaarge!!!' rather than any approach that may tax the viewer with complexity. Choreography of the individual duel scenes again lack drama and finesse, particularly the scene between Hector & Achilles which had far too many cuts to 'audience' and lousy continuity.
The orchestral score (a specialist area of mine) was particularly poor for a film of this budget; varying between bland arrangements and sub-standard emulation of Lisa Gerrard (think 'Gladiator') style vocalisation in the 'poignant' sections.
I cannot recommend this film, and will not watch it again. On a level which I cannot defend with facts, I feel that realism aside, and from my own study of the classical world, the Spartans would have smiled and approved heartily of the manner of their portrayal in 300; in Troy neither side would have enjoyed their representations.