Troy (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Troy' is one of those old-fashioned grandiose Hollywood epics; directed by Wolfgang Petersen, & inspired from the famed tale, The Iliad, by Homer. It is unfortunate that changes must be made to the source material, but the movie is great, regardless.
Helen, Queen of Sparta (Diane Kruger), falls in love Paris, Prince of Troy (Orlando Bloom). He takes her back with him to Troy. Helens' husband, King Menalaos (Brendan Gleeson), is enraged and, enlists the help of his brother, King Agamemnon (Brian Cox), to set sail for Troy to retrieve her. But Agamemnon would use this affair as an excuse to commence war with Troy in an attempt to claim it as his Greek territory. 1,000 ships land on Troy's shores & battles commence before Troy's fortress city (reminiscent of the battle on the Pelennor fields in Return of the King). Along with their 50,000 soldiers, Greece would unleash their tempestuous #1 warrior, Achilles (Brad Pitt). Troy's #1 man is Prince Hector (Eric Bana), Paris' brother. These two, along with thousands of other proud men, fight for honor, love, land, & most importantly ... glory. In the end, as in most wars, no one side truly wins.
Brad Pitt makes for a solid Achilles; and it is astoundingly impressive how he bulked for this role. He certainly looks like the strongest, fiercest warrior in the world. Eric Bana is magnificent as Hector. He's the truest character onscreen -- he WAS his role. And his one-on-one combat scene with Achilles in front of the fortress is incredible. Orlando Bloom is decent as Paris. To his credit, it must be difficult to be such a headline star and then have to play such a cowardly, useless man. It must also be difficult to be a young, fairly inexperienced film star and to then live up to expectations from his breakout role as Legolas in LOTR. He won't always be handed roles like this on a platter.
Peter O'Toole is fantastic as King Priam of Troy. His scene with Achilles at the camp is touching & earnest. One side note on Priam: his character seems too easily swayed by his priests; appearing nonchalant considering the enormity & precariousness of the situation he's in. Brian Cox is great as the loathsome Agamemnon. You almost feel bad for the Greeks that they had to follow his dictatorial rule. His demise in this film is different from the one in 'The Iliad', but it's still very effective. Sean Bean portrays a commendable & likeable Odysseus ... a king who understands & sympathizes with friend, Achilles, but also has loyalty to his people, & amazing strategic capabilities in battle. I also liked the female actresses, however underwritten they are. Diane Kruger is a stunning Helen. Rose Byrne is a likeable Briseis. And Julie Christie lends gravitas in her small screen time as Achilles' mother.
The special effects in 'Troy' are fantastic! The only time something looks fake is the way the water laps against the side of the ships as they tread the Aegean Sea. The cinematography, ancient sets, ornate costumes ... all superb. The music is intense & emotional; even though its distinct Middle Eastern theme reminded me too much of The Passion of the Christ. Another distraction is the absence of the Gods (a large part of Homer's tale). But just how long should this film be? At 140 minutes, is it possible to incorporate the Gods into the script? Some do not like that fact that a 10 yr. war is condensed into a 2 week war for movie purposes. I say, for what the film is attempting to do, and sans a few slow scenes, the length is just about right.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It is flawed; but what movie isn't nowadays? I'm just relieved that it is far superior to the train wreck that was the last movie I viewed, Van Helsing. In fact, 'Troy' reminds me of one of my other favorite epics of all time, Gladiator. 'Troy' will be appealing to nearly all moviegoers. Most women will go to see - as my female friends put it - 'glistening Gods'. Most men will see it to enjoy the battle sequences. And everyone in-between will want to see all that encompasses a sweeping epic based on one of the oldest stories of all time. Big thumbs up for me.
Helen, Queen of Sparta (Diane Kruger), falls in love Paris, Prince of Troy (Orlando Bloom). He takes her back with him to Troy. Helens' husband, King Menalaos (Brendan Gleeson), is enraged and, enlists the help of his brother, King Agamemnon (Brian Cox), to set sail for Troy to retrieve her. But Agamemnon would use this affair as an excuse to commence war with Troy in an attempt to claim it as his Greek territory. 1,000 ships land on Troy's shores & battles commence before Troy's fortress city (reminiscent of the battle on the Pelennor fields in Return of the King). Along with their 50,000 soldiers, Greece would unleash their tempestuous #1 warrior, Achilles (Brad Pitt). Troy's #1 man is Prince Hector (Eric Bana), Paris' brother. These two, along with thousands of other proud men, fight for honor, love, land, & most importantly ... glory. In the end, as in most wars, no one side truly wins.
Brad Pitt makes for a solid Achilles; and it is astoundingly impressive how he bulked for this role. He certainly looks like the strongest, fiercest warrior in the world. Eric Bana is magnificent as Hector. He's the truest character onscreen -- he WAS his role. And his one-on-one combat scene with Achilles in front of the fortress is incredible. Orlando Bloom is decent as Paris. To his credit, it must be difficult to be such a headline star and then have to play such a cowardly, useless man. It must also be difficult to be a young, fairly inexperienced film star and to then live up to expectations from his breakout role as Legolas in LOTR. He won't always be handed roles like this on a platter.
Peter O'Toole is fantastic as King Priam of Troy. His scene with Achilles at the camp is touching & earnest. One side note on Priam: his character seems too easily swayed by his priests; appearing nonchalant considering the enormity & precariousness of the situation he's in. Brian Cox is great as the loathsome Agamemnon. You almost feel bad for the Greeks that they had to follow his dictatorial rule. His demise in this film is different from the one in 'The Iliad', but it's still very effective. Sean Bean portrays a commendable & likeable Odysseus ... a king who understands & sympathizes with friend, Achilles, but also has loyalty to his people, & amazing strategic capabilities in battle. I also liked the female actresses, however underwritten they are. Diane Kruger is a stunning Helen. Rose Byrne is a likeable Briseis. And Julie Christie lends gravitas in her small screen time as Achilles' mother.
The special effects in 'Troy' are fantastic! The only time something looks fake is the way the water laps against the side of the ships as they tread the Aegean Sea. The cinematography, ancient sets, ornate costumes ... all superb. The music is intense & emotional; even though its distinct Middle Eastern theme reminded me too much of The Passion of the Christ. Another distraction is the absence of the Gods (a large part of Homer's tale). But just how long should this film be? At 140 minutes, is it possible to incorporate the Gods into the script? Some do not like that fact that a 10 yr. war is condensed into a 2 week war for movie purposes. I say, for what the film is attempting to do, and sans a few slow scenes, the length is just about right.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It is flawed; but what movie isn't nowadays? I'm just relieved that it is far superior to the train wreck that was the last movie I viewed, Van Helsing. In fact, 'Troy' reminds me of one of my other favorite epics of all time, Gladiator. 'Troy' will be appealing to nearly all moviegoers. Most women will go to see - as my female friends put it - 'glistening Gods'. Most men will see it to enjoy the battle sequences. And everyone in-between will want to see all that encompasses a sweeping epic based on one of the oldest stories of all time. Big thumbs up for me.