Warner Bros. proves that they are not shy in spending money as their attempt at an early summer blockbuster reached close to $200 million and totes starring names such as Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Eric Bana, Peter O’Toole and Brian Cox in the sprawling Greek epic Troy.
Clocking in at nearly three hours get ready to immerse yourself in Wolfgang Petersen’s presentation of the Trojan War as he attempts to recreate a time based on Homer’s epic poem The Iliad created in 8th Century BC, 300-400 years after the supposed fall of Troy, with its slight variations.
Troy begins in Sparta where King Menelaus (Gleeson) presents a banquet to make peace with King Priam (O’Toole) of Troy who is represented by his eldest son Hector (Bana) accompanied by his brother Paris (Bloom). Little did either Hector or Menelaus know but Paris’ eyes were focused on a different prize, the beauty sitting to Menelaus’ right, Helen (Kruger).
Once the party ends and the Troy boys are heading home Paris reveals to his brother that Helen is aboard the boat and will be heading back to Troy with them, which is the signature on the dotted line signifying the beginning of the famous battle that would launch a thousand ships.
Menelaus gets word and seeks out his war-mongering brother Agamemnon (Cox) to help him avenge this treachery, knowing his brother’s desire to finally conquer Troy in an effort to rule all the land.
Agamemnon’s passion for rule is a driving force for the story of Troy but there would be no story without his well-known warrior Achilles (Pitt). Achilles is in search of immortality and realizes that the only way this will ever be achieved by a mortal is to capture it himself, ensuring his name will be remembered.
And so it goes, and you soon find yourself caught up in an epic love story and several scenes of war, not as bloody as I had hoped for, but bloody all the same.
While the majority of the trailers you will see focus on Brad Pitt’s presence as the ego-driven Achilles Eric Bana rules the stage with a powerful performance as Prince Hector, which helps us all forget about last year’s Hulk debacle. His acting abilities come to a head once Hector and Achilles wage battle in one of the best choreographed, scored, and drawn out one-on-one battle scenes you will see in cinema. As swords clash and the subtle thumping of drums pound between blows you will find yourself on the edge of your seat until the final swing of this fight.
Although, battle scenes asidem along with my overwhelming interest in the subject of this film, there is more to talk about than the swordplay.
Those of you looking for the addition of the Gods in this film will be slightly upset seeing how they only play a role in name, as it was thought of as a bit too Clash of the Titans to include a CGI mountain with Zeus throwing lightning bolts down, which I think was a good call since the script does play well into the cast’s fear of the Gods without going overboard.
It was also apparent that Petersen wanted to make sure you understand this war was a not only a war based on greed for land, but a war based on the love for one woman, but it didn’t always come across the way it should have. Often times cuts to Helen and Hector’s wife seem a bit cliche and out of place. The one person really driving the idea of love was Orlando Bloom as the wimpy Prince Paris. While he may talk tough he carries off the role of a weak man perfectly and his love for Helen is quite evident, but it is at the cost of his own pride.
With all there was to marvel, one unfortunate disappointment was the armor worn by the leading cast members. While extremely detailed and looking great, all the armor was obviously plastic as it bent with ease as they took it off and moved, and it didn’t play as any type of metal as it fell to the ground without even the slightest clank, even though it was brilliantly designed with a nice metallic sheen. It may be a small complaint, but for a multi-million dollar feature the right to complain is there.
Aside from minuscule details you will be duly impressed by the massive landscapes and attention to detail in the ships, Trojan Horse and palaces, which are as real as if they existed now, which some of it does in Malta and Mexico thanks to this film.
Those of you going to see this film looking for the ancient Greek world brought to life as two worlds wage war will get exactly what you are looking for, but be wary of a few cliche moments and tedious dialogue intermixed between battles.
It was nice to see Brad Pitt back on the big screen as he is one of my favorite actors thanks to films such as Fight Club and Seven and now Troy is a good addition to his resume even though the movie may not be his best to date, but it is still a lot of fun and certainly worth the price of admission.
