To follow the book or not follow the book, that is the question.

Rating: 5/10 (4 May 2004)

I was fortunate enough to get in to a free screening of Troy two weeks before the official release. For one of the summer's biggest blockbusters it fits that bill. The action sequences are very good though not the best i've seen. The acting is mediocre and the plot is somewhat muddled. Brad Pitt does an excellent job as Achilles and more or less carries the movie on his own. Orlando Bloom still can't act and was comical at some points without intending to be. I have read the Illiad so i feel i had an easier time identifying the myriad of characters portrayed in this film. With no background in mythology it may be difficult to keep track of all the players at times. The drawback to having read the Illiad is that the movie takes some liberties with the telling of the story. There are major differences between the book and the movie which will bother the purists out there like me. Overall the movie is about what it should be; a summer blockbuster. Full of action and plot holes that never really lives up to the massive hype around it. Worth seeing, but only once.