The (more) realistic approach

Rating: 7/10 (2 December 2007)

For better or for worse, this doesn't feature any of the gods of the myth. In fact, it apparently takes steps to eliminate the mythical aspects from Homer's epic poem... again, not everyone is going to like that. So this is a realistic(somewhat... it *is* Hollywood) retelling of the much-disputed story. Technically speaking, the film is good. The production values are rather high. The cinematography and editing are both quite skillful, and the epic shots covering the mass armies and locales are well-done. The acting is great, all-round. The story is played around with, details changed around, to fit the film they wanted to make. This tells both the story of the fall of Troy, and the stories of the people(though perhaps more the men than the women) on both sides of the conflict. The film will appeal to both genders, us men can look at all the war scenes, and the women can look at Pitt and Bloom bare-chested. The action is fairly accomplished... the camera-work, editing and choreography are all reasonably well-done. There is intensity in the fights and war scenes. There is some sexuality in the film. There is also violence, which I thought was the right choice, to not water down scenes of war(ones that may have actually been fought, no less). I don't know that it was ever gratuitous or over the line. I suppose this is a good watch for those who don't want the gods and other mythical elements(I won't say "the story", because I don't know that this is particularly accurate, in fact, all I've heard indicates the opposite to be far closer to the truth), and/or those who want to watch action set during that period. I recommend this to those who fall into the aforementioned groups, but any historians may want to steer clear, as well as anyone else looking for an account that sticks to the known facts closely. 7/10