It Could Be a Satirical Troy !

Rating: 3/10 (28 December 2008)

Hollywood wanted to make the tale of "Troy" starring (Brad Pitt) as Achilles, and so it did. The original story is supposed to be big, but Hey.. (Brad Pitt)'s name is sure bigger, so not to care much about anything but the star's stardom. Therefore, they put some storylines around him that would make enough movie. However, to tell you the truth, I think casting (Pitt) was Achilles tendon of this movie! He didn't convince me, whether by the look or by the performance, that he is the strongest soldier in the history. Sometimes he seems laughable like a delusional college boy who thinks himself the legendary hero!
Generally, despite the huge look, it was average. Just few lines captured my attention. The editing was about making a distinctive personality for the movie unlike most of the contemporary movies, but it didn't wholly work since the story itself doesn't want to be that distinctive. (Peter O'Toole) as (Priam), and (Brian Cox) as (Agamemnon) were great though in not a great movie. And I hated the nudity, it's Hollywood's adolescent way to attract audience, which cheapens its movies highly!
It's provocative to see all of these cold shots for endless warships, or innumerable armies (read: CGI, NO, rather Cee.. Gee.. AHHHHYYY!) THEN you know about the 200 million Dollar budget!! It's irritating since it wasn't that portly sight after all. I hankered after Stanley Kubrick's (Spartacus); which was made 40 years earlier, and without Computer-generated anything! I bet the budget went like this: 50 million for the CGI young men who worked in front of their computers, 50 million for the costumes, sets, etc, 50 million for the cast (Pitt alone took 18 million), and 50 million for the most deceiving publicity at all; imagine how they pay too much for the guys who come up with resounding taglines that appeared eventually as naively general like: "For Honor, For Victory, For Love, For Troy"!
(Wolfgang Petersen) always has that special quality; he mastered here some artistic sad cadres like sublime drawings. But it shows that he wasn't enjoying making an old war movie (I believe Ridley Scott was jealous). The scenes weren't stately as they should be. The legendary halo is taken, and not for the sake of human look inasmuch as the sake of making another flick. The fights weren't unique or memorable. Yes, (Petersen) managed to do it fair, but without so many brilliant moments, or deep meanings. Unless my belief that the story works perfectly as a deliberate satire against the American war on Iraq, since the mighty force can make wars, kill thousands, destroy a world for pure foolishness, or pressing instinct, where absolute power is absolute corrupter. So the old empire is nothing but the new empire, being dull, possessive and mad as its kings; which could explain the obvious sense of bewailing at the soundtrack with all the long, gone too long, mourner female vocal while Troy was being destroyed for no fault it did.
If that wasn't right and I'm having delusions, or very rare coincidence, so this is just an ordinary Hollywood blockbuster, that evoked the missed sword and sandals movies of the 1960s. But it didn't outclass its antecedents of classic epics, or leave a weighty mark as a drama or as a war movie. Even the well-meaning idea of being a satirical Troy wasn't fully played, or boldly aimed. Anyhow, a (Brad Pitt)'s fan will be happy, though maybe Achilles in his grave won't!