ONE OF THE WORST FILMS I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME

Rating: 4/10 (14 June 2004)

This movie is so bad that I kept looking for the little guys at the bottom of the screen, for I was sure I was watching an episode of "Mystery Science Theatre 3000".
I cannot begin to describe everything that is wrong with this film. Others have already done so many times over. Please read Roger Ebert's review - he nails it on the head but is still much too kind. This movie is boring, too long, and has virtually no redeeming qualities.
I NEVER walk out of movies, no matter how bad they are. Last night, while watching "Troy", I was tempted. In fact, the desperation, confusion, and uncertainty in my trying to decide whether to leave at about the 45-minute mark was more moving and involving than anything in the film! Alas, I stayed, and hence lost 2:40 of my life and $7 of my money (I used a pass).
Never mind whether ancient Greeks should be introspective (although if you believe in anything Julian Jaynes said, they probably even COULDN'T do so), this entire production was a waste of time. I can't even imagine anyone watching the dailies and thinking, "yes, that's good". This movie makes "Gladiator" look like the best movie ever made, simply because it succeeded in bringing an ancient civilization to life. After watching "Troy", you will have no clue as to what life was like in ancient Greece.
Brad Pitt and Eric Bana do a decent job with what they are given. The young woman playing Achilles' Trojan "love-slave" (I forget her name) gives perhaps the only really great performance in this movie. Peter O'Toole thinks that going bug-eyed somehow conveys some emotion, and Julie Christie is virtually unrecognizable. The woman playing Helen of Troy is not nearly beautiful enough and is a terrible actress.
Save your money. Save your time. PLEASE - you are now warned as I was not fortunate enough to be. Rating: 4 out of 10.