See this movie for what it is, the best of the recent epics.

Rating: 9/10 (30 January 2005)

I wasn't totally convinced this film would be as good as they made it out to be, I thought it would probably be a little cheesy, over the top, another poor attempt at an epic.
However I found it to be quite simply an excellent movie, so many reviewers condemn it but critics often condemn a lot of movies of this type, they are easy targets and if you look at a movie as simply a movie then you can really see it for what it is, credit the story for how its told, admire the performances without being spiteful for the changes in the story.
If the film had included every single part of the original tale by Homer, then it would have been far longer than it actually was (to long) and come across as a boring history lesson. Remember this is a MOVIE not a book or a poem but a movie now, changes to the story are necessary to make it interesting and watchable.
To the movie itself, the acting is by most of the cast flawless, Brad Pitt (Achilles) Eric Bana (Hector) Peter O'Toole (King Priam) Brian Cox (Agamemnon) all give top notch performances Sean Bean as(Odysseus) provides a typically excellent and often humorous performance in his supporting role. However Orlando Bloom (Paris) was as usual useless, when oh when will people realise this man (pretty boy) is not i repeat not! worthy of being a film alongside the likes of Peter O'Toole, Eric Bana and Brad Pitt. He's clearly only in the film to attract legions of teenage girls to the cinema isn't that all hes used for nowadays?
As for Brad Pitt he has for so long been an underrated actor, for far to long seen as hollywoods elder pretty boy, but hes a fantastic actor and pulls off the role of troubled Achilles brilliantly, Achilles was nothing like i expected him to be like, in most epic movies where the hero or at least legendary soldier is practically invincible, Achilles shows that he isn't invincible but instead is simply far more skilled than his adversaries.
A number of key quotes by Hector and Achilles shows that although the movie is still respecting the mythical side of the story including the all powerful gods that really its leaning to the more realistic side of the story. To the annoyance of Iliad buffs of course, but it adds substance to the movie, its annoying when you know the hero in invincible but Achilles never once claims to be so, the character has far more depth than you'd expect capable of love, compassion, and wisdom, hes not just some barbarian lunatic cutting everyone up for the sake of it. He wants to live forever and using the talents he has he intends to achieve it Pitt portrays that perfectly.
The battles are exciting and far more realistic than most battles in movies, where the armies clash and formation, tactics, strategy go out the window for 3 minutes of frenzied hacking and smashing where the viewer hasn't got a clue whats going on. They show the bravery of the common man and the heroes in the story without going over the top its truly believable. All the while though there's a sense of myth and legend in the movie which is brilliant, but the movie never once allows itself to be dragged along by it and instead offers you a story that you can believe whilst still feeling the exciting and interest that made it a legend.
To summerise, there are few negatives to this movie, there really is, Orlando Bloom is poor (but we expect that) Diane Kruger is there fittingly because Helen of Troy is meant to have been incredibly beautiful but really thats all she is a shell no depth whatsoever. The manner of Achilles death is deeply irritating, the fact the useless Paris could kill him is a disgrace especially since Orlando Bloom was a joke throughout the movie really annoying.
The true successes of the movie are these, the way the characters themselves through superb acting destroy the legend of war, Hector and Achilles both tell us war isn't a game, its not glamorous, heroes do die, men fight wars not gods, there is always room for respect and honour. This adds so much depth to the movie, which could have just been silly and over the top. The realism and dispelling of the myths surrounding the story, the humanity of the characters they feel real to the viewer.
Overall 9/10 it does not deserve a lower mark for what it was.