An Epic, Almost...

Rating: 6/10 (16 May 2004)

This is an OK film.
It's shame that the director, Wolfgang Petersen, seemed to over concentrate on the big ticket items and ignored the details that could have made the film a true masterpiece. The dialogues are not period. It would probably be much better if Mr. Petersen had the actors speak in ancient Greek. The battle scenes lack the intensity of those in 'Braveheart' and 'Gladiator'. It is already an R-rated movie; I don't understand what was holding Mr. Petersen back.
In addition, although Mr. Pertersen mentioned to the press that he intended to put together a beautiful ensemble of cast, I believe that casting Orlando Bloom as Paris is a mistake. So is casting Diane Kruger as Helen. There is little chemistry between Orlando and Kruger. Bloom looks more like a valet in the movie. And, although Ms. Kruger is a very pretty person, she looks more like a fancy urban woman than the cause of the greatest war the world has ever seen. As for Brad Pitt, I found his performance lacking certain depth. In the scene where he, as Achilles, is standing outside of Troy calling Hector for a fight, he looks more like he is p***ed off than occupied with extreme anger. When he was wrapping up Hector's body for returning to Priam, king of Troy, he failed to convey a frustration stemmed from conflicting beliefs and to show that he is sadden and humbled by the ultimate devastation. I wish that his performance is as good as that in 'Legends of the Fall (1994).' However, I have to mention that the performance of Brian Cox and Peter O'Toole is generally good.
All in all, this is an OK film, but I believe it will probably soon be forgotten, despite its high budget and its cast.