peterson couldn't have screwed this story up if he tried!

Rating: 9/10 (28 May 2004)

having read the illiad, aenied and odyssey i went to see troy expecting another piece of classic literature to be ruined by Hollywood. however, from the moment brad pitt appears as achilles i was enthralled with the film and not once during the next two hours or so could i take my eyes from the screen.
pitt's presence is amazing with bana taking what little bit of the screen was left. bloom, who is the most overrated actor of the moment, was perfect as weakling and prettyboy Paris while the rest of the cast make troy a joy to watch. o'toole's priam makes one genuinely sad at times.
despite the battle scenes being a bit rushed and the odd token cheesy line (paris saying "i'll feed us, i'll hunt deer and rabbits" being the one that tickled me most), the one on one battle of achilles and hector is one of the best in recent cinema, right up their with yoda vs dooku! all in all an excellent movie, Hollywood couldn't have ruined this story if they tried and the superb effects,complimented by superb performances by pitt and bana in particular, make this worthy a worthy screen depiction of homers epic.