A Flawed But Entertaining Epic

Rating: 8/10 (2 December 2014)

I've never really understood the immense hatred that Troy received. Even in a year where we had failed epics like King Arthur and the atrocious "Alexander," people still considered this to be a terrible attempt at adapting Homer's The Iliad. While I certainly agree that the movie could have fixed a few things, I can't help but have a lot of fun every time I watch this.
The biggest thing I loved about this movie was that it felt like a tribute to the epic sword and sandals movies of the 50s and 60s. Everything from the sets, costume design, and even the running time of the movie screams epic. There are incredible battle sequences that never seize to amaze, and Brad Pitt does a good job playing the almost invincible hero Achilles. Even when the movie was at its downtime, I was still invested in its characters and story.
The actors all do an excellent job. As I mentioned, Brad Pitt does a very good job, and definitely fills the presence of an unstoppable fighter. Eric Bana does a great job as Hector, and Peter O'Toole almost steals the show as King Priam, for the little bit that he is in the movie. I also really liked the performances of Rose Byrne as Bruseis and Sean Bean as Odysseus.
And like I said, everything technical about this movie is stunning. The sets, particular those set in Troy, are beautiful to look at, and you can definitely see the attention to detail there as well as in the costume and weapon design. The musical score by James Horner is pretty good, though it can feel a little too bombastic at times (there is a loud female shout every once and a while). And the action sequences are perfectly choreographed and entertaining on many levels.
Unfortunately we do have to touch on where the movie gets it wrong, and largely it seems to stumble when it comes to its dialogue. A lot of the dialogue here does come off a little clichéd and cheesy, and some of the actors aren't able to live up to their co-stars. Orlando Bloom, for example, seems like he is struggling to show himself as intimate and a boy in love, which may be because of how he's gain this persona as a elf warrior badass from Lord Of The Rings. Diane Kruger is a little stale as Helen, and sometimes Brian Cox feels a little over the top in his acting. Some of the death scenes also come off a little awkward, particularly the aftermath of Paris and Menelaus' one on one battle.
Still, while these flaws are prevalent, Troy still is able to succeed due to its attention to artistic detail, entertaining action sequences, and solid actors whose characters we can connect with and enjoy watching. As far as epics go, this one isn't among the Bravehearts and Ben-Hurs of the world, but it still is better than a lot of the more recent epic action films we've seen as of late. I recommend checking this one out.