Good Entertainment - go see it

Rating: 9/10 (16 May 2004)

OK, first things first: It is a great movie and I'm certainly going to buy the DVD. And: Forget about the Iliad - it's not there. So just sit back and enjoy.
Having read all those negative reviews in here my expectations were rather low but at the very least I thought I might enjoy all that "eye candy" everyone was talking about. So I went and I was agreeably surprised in many respects.
Brad Pitt was entirely believable in his role as proud and fearless hero Achilles. Determined to make a legend out of himself. Beautiful to behold. With fascinating fighting technique - I especially liked how he used his shield. And he had some great lines like: "Go. It's too early in the day for killing princes" Such noble gestures, delivered with such complete self-assurance. True hero stuff. Great performance - Congratulations !
The second most impressive figure was, in my opinion and to my own surprise, Brian Cox as Agamemnon. He impersonated that ruthless and powerful king so well and with such obvious relish that it was a real pleasure to watch. I actually liked him better than Peter O'Toole's Priam.
Third one to mention must of course be Eric Bana. I DO think that Eric Bana was a very good Hector but maybe not the best possible. Guess it's a rather difficult character to cast - find a compromise between wit and muscles. After all, Hector is the (unheard) voice of reason in all this drama and not just Troy's war hero. An actor like Sean Bean might have added a little spice (though maybe not the muscles...) to a truly valiant and likable but rather boring character.
Speaking about Sean Bean - what about Odysseus? Sean Bean is a superb actor and was perfect for the role. He easily delivered the irony and mischievousness that one would expect of Odysseus. It would be great to see him in the Odyssey.
Everybody is praising Peter O'Toole's performance to the sky and he IS a good Priam. But then he's Peter O'Toole and one would expect no less from him. I don't think that the scene in the tent with Achilles is the best in the film though. (My favourite is the one at the Apollo temple with Achilles and Hector)
I also would like to mention the incredible blue eyes of Vincent Regan as Eudorus.
So what about Orlando Bloom? Being the despicable and cowardly Paris with those inane lines did nothing for his reputation as an actor. A little less empty pathos and a bit more charm would have improved that character no end.
And what about the girls? They were all pretty and all rather unremarkable. Rose Byrne as Briseis had the advantage of a love scene with Brad Pitt (who wouldn't envy her there...?) and a few more meaningful lines than the other women. But all in all they were just decoration. I liked Julie Christie as Thetis though her role was tiny.
The story: Well, it was based on the Iliad but mostly ignored it. Never mind, it's still fun to watch.
Computer graphics: Others said it before me and I have to agree. It was not as good as LOTR. Nothing spectacular and often quite obvious.
Costumes: Now that was a real disappointment. Sometimes it looked like as if they were just wearing some towels or bedsheets. Armour often looked like plastic. What was really, really good: The wigs! All those ppl had great hair :-)
Music: After watching the trailer I expected great music but must say that it was nothing special.
Still, it was very good entertainment: Go see it. 9 out of 10