It does Homer justice, I think

Rating: 7/10 (29 November 2013)

This is an epic film based on an epic poem, and it is well told. There is much that is missed out and much that they've used license on but it works well and in terms of Hollywood is brilliant. Brad Pitt is superlative; beautiful, his physical presence on screen is domineering and like a ballet-dancer in the fight scenes. This is one of his best roles, and I imagine one of the most challenging; especially with all the leather mini-skirts he has to wear! It's not brilliantly acted, by all the characters, a little hammy, but in terms of CGI/SFX, production, direction and general cinematography it is superb. I would have liked to see 'grey-eyed Athena' in the film but the gods and that aspect of the story were missed out completely (except as reference, of course). As spectacle the film rivals the old Hollywood epics such as Quo Vadis and Spartacus for scale and also modern greats like LOTR.
There's lots to get your teeth into in this film; action, romance, history, good storyline and tragedy and you don't have to be a ancient Greek historian to follow/enjoy the film although you are likely to know the end given that everyone knows the story of Achilles (don't they?) The Set Design and Costume were great; just the right amount of modernity but suitable historical reference. However, it is Hollywood and you can't get away from that, but it's the kind of Hollywood like Anthony and Cleopatra, with wide angles of whole ancient cities, and a massive cast of extras which is just great to watch. I loved the score - the ancient style of chanting and singing. There's some awesome "bullet time" (Matrix) slow-mo action in the fighting which will take your breath away - and some of the action is graphic and bloody but it's not so bad that it's offensive and as it's all in keeping with the era and genre and apposite to the story.
The film makes me want to read the book again. It's not a perfect film and will never be a great classic, and the dialogue is a little confused, but visually it looks good and is an enjoyable watch if not taken too seriously.