terrible adaptation - go back and READ the Iliad.

Rating: Null/10 (16 May 2004)

It's very sad reading some of these comments to realize how generally uneducated most Americans(in particular) are about the classics or they would realize how badly Wolfgang Petersen has treated this story. WARNING - POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD.
He has compressed the siege of Troy which took about 10 years, if I remember correctly, into a time period of seeming a couple of weeks. There is no sense of the passage of time at all. Several important characters such as the prophetess Cassandra and Priam's wife (and mother of Paris and Hector) Hecuba, are missing completely. Others are unemphasized in their importance like Ajax, who seems to be a miss placed Hells Angel in his brief appearance, or over emphasized like Briseis. Important events in the story are actually shown incorrectly. Menelaus was not killed during the siege, he actually left Troy - WITH HELEN. Helen didn't escape with Aeneas to any river anywhere - she went back home ultimately with her husband. Moreoever, Paris did not just steal Helen - he stole most of Menelaus treasure as well!! These are just a few points - this movie is so inaccurate on so many levels.
Petersen deliberately got so much wrong in the name of creating a spectacle and manipulating plot points and it didn't do him any good. THe movie is visually splendid but lacking in soul and depth and texture. It's plodding and one doesn't ultimately care about almost any of the characters. There is virtually no humor in this movie at all, nor any of the little incidents that epic filmakers of the past put into their movies to make the text more accessible - like interchanges between the ordinary citizens of the city, some event that shows how the men have bonded in some way other than war. I have to comment on the "music" in this movie as well - the wailing is extremely annoying, repetitive and totally unnecessary - it does not create a mood other than extreme irritation.
The one exception to this dreary failure is Brad Pitt's portrayal of Achilles. I was quite surprised and didn't think him up to it. I had forgotten Fight Club apparently. Pitt is masterful - a superb performance that totally nails the character. This is perhaps the best performance I have seen all year (in mainstream films). However, I missed the first minute or so of the opening credits but I don't believe that Petersen ever explains why Achilles is so fearless - it's because he is literally invulnerable except for a small spot on his heel. He knows he can't be killed and very unlikely that anyone would find that spot (and indeed, Paris does literally with the assistance of the god, Apollo in the Iliad). This is a major factor that creates the main character's psychological make-up and it's left out!
I would give this movie a solid 2.5 out of 4 ONLY for Brad Pitt's performance and for the staging and cinematography. If you want to see a big epic, the old ones of Spartacus, Ben-Hur, etc. are still the best. They have hearts and souls and characters one can care about - not just impressive digital cinematics.