Interesting at least...

Rating: 8/10 (14 May 2004)

Troy was not a wonderfully magnificent, blow you out of your seat film. But it wasn't horrible either. The battles, whether the special effects or the hand to hand combat was excellent and riveting. Yes, cgi armies are getting rather old, but how else to you convey a hundred thousand soldier army? Considering the mammoth epic that this film was trying to display, the battle sequences and soldiering was brilliant.
I know the biggest complaint will be the changing of Homer's Iliad. That story is monstrous, full of characters, heroes, gods, battles, and a very complex plot. Most certainly not fit for even a two and a half hour movie for an audience who loves heroes. I give the writers props for at least attempting to convey portions of the story. I enjoyed this cut down version, it was easier to understand and easier to love the characters.
Finally, the acting. This film relies entirely on its supporting actors. Eric Bana (Hector) and Sean Bean (Odysseus) are absolutely brilliant and should be credited with holding this film together, along with Peter O' Toole's role as Priam. The acting started off rocky, Brad Pitt acted like a 21st century actor who had just been plucked off a Hollywood lot and told to pretend he was really really brave, not like he was trying to portray a legendary man. However, his acting got better, much of it due to an excellent supporting cast. Orlando Bloom was a bit of a disappointment and I found him more irritating and a wuss then the Trojan prince he becomes in the end. The final battle between Hector and Achilles was heart wrenching because you didn't know who to root for, I enjoyed both of the characters.
Overall, there are flaws, but this film is entertaining and interesting at least...