I saw the end first... now I've seen the whole film

Rating: 8/10 (18 January 2010)

This film exceeded my expectations. I loved the recreation of Troy, the Greek ships (the thousand that Helen's face is supposed to have launched) and the full armour of the Greeks and the Trojans. I would have liked more at the beginning... Helen escaping Menelaus with Paris... Agamemnon enlisting the help of his neighbouring rulers and their armies. I also wanted to follow Odyssius home... Sean Bean is superb in the film. I would have liked a little more about Aeneas as well. This film could have two sequels. The Odyssey and The Aeneid. I look forward to them. For me, there were a few anomalies in the film. Helen lacked the charisma I expected... she should really have been stunning. I thought the bloke who played Achilles (Brad Pitt) played him a little moody and brutish for a super-hero, but, to be fair that was probably more to do with the film screenplay and direction than his acting. Because of this, I really wanted Hector to win the fight against him and all my sympathies were with the Trojans. I was quite pleased when Paris avenged his brother! Isn't it amazing that this ancient piece of writing is so compelling and well-described that the scenes in the film agreed with my imagination of them?... including the final flight from Troy. This is definitely a watch-again film... but it can continue... because Homer continued it with the Odyssey and Virgil followed the fortunes of Anaeas... these could make another two or three films!