Paul W. Anderson & Uwe Boll. Stop making bad video game movies.
Paul W. Anderson & Uwe Boll. Stop making bad video game movies.
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Based on Homers epic tale "Troy" begins with a diplomatic embarkment into the Aegean Sea ironically leading to all out war. Paris, a young trojan prince, has been engaged in an affair with Helen the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta. Finally because of their growing affections they decided that they must be together whatever the risk. When Paris sails off that very morning with his older brother Hector, Helen stows away secretly with him. Intially furious with his brothers actions Hector reluctantly decides to sail on in order to protect his brother and his lover. Menelaus soon learns of his brides escape with the trojans and enlists the aid of Agamemnon to bring her back for brutal retribution. Agamemnon more than willing to add to his sizable empire and wealth sees this as a legitamite means of seizing Troy. However in order to secure victory Agamenmnon is advised strongly to enrole the help of the unpredictable Achilles.
Despite Achilles open hatred of Agamenmnon it is the words of Oydesseus, King of Ithaca, that persuade him to get involved. And so the scene for the greatest battle of all time is now well and truely set.
Director Wolfgang Petersen takes a much more historical approach to this mythological tale. Rather than have element of the mythical sense incorporated but rather he opts to provide a sense of where the myth may have evolved. People who are fimilar with even minor elements of the story of Troy will pick up on these little instances which often raised a smile in my case. In a sense this gives it a more realistic feel and yet still pays homage to Homers original portrayel. This comes across as a nice touch as Petersen has worked hard to provide a realistic adaption but has strayed too far from the movies roots.
The pivotal role in this film is of course that of Achilles, played by none other than Brad Pitt. I cant actually imagine another person in this role which is a credit to his portrayal. He accels in this rol as the antagonistic and self assured legendary warrior. Achilles is put across as a man who is ruthless in battle and yet seemingly wants no part in the glory of the greek empire. Rather in the end he goes to war because its where he accels and ultimately to gain rememberance. hes definately a man of contrasting characteristics.
Hector, the brother of Paris, is played by Eric Bana. He plays this role strongly and after seeing his robotic performance in the Hulk its a welcomed return to his usual standerd. Hes definately a man who has seen enough of war in his life and would be more than happy to live in peace. His affection for his family is evident throughout and in the end his protective nature towards Paris proves to be the beginning of the seize of Troy.
Paris the man whos love affair sparks this battle is played by Orlando Bloom. This is one aspect of the film i felt could have been handled better. He was unconvincing and really didnt seem to fit this role in any shape or form. Maybe he was just there to fill in the numbers but in the end i felt he went all legolas towards the finale. His romance with Helen seems a little stale and unnatural. I was more intrested in anything but their relationship.
Other performances were worth noting such as Sean Bean as Odysseus playing a rather reserved yet very wise king. Brian Cox as the war hungry Agamemnon was convincing as an ever greedy tyrant.
The battle scenes in this film were both impressive visually and in their originality in style. It sometimes took a long time to get down to the action sequences in this 3 hour long movie but despite its pacing being a little slow a times i was never bored. One scene that looked really stunning was that of the Trojans attacking the Greek army at night. The various fiery projectiles being cast at them was really impressive.
Ultimately this movie is denied the stature of films such as Gladiator because of a few weak aspects in the story. Its pacing may also aggitate a few individuals but the battle scenes are worth waiting for. Orlando Bloom was a big disappoinment in this film and moreso because of the closing moments. However its flaws are outweighed hugely by its greater moments. It lacks the edge of a downright classic but its certainly worthy of mention when i comes to epics.
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Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
There are many reasons to recommendTroyas a good ol' fashioned Hollywood epic, especially ... more
if you've never read Homer's The Iliad. Dispensing with Greek gods altogether, this earnestly massive production (budgeted at upwards of $200 million) will surely...
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For honour... In 1193B.C. the dandy Trojan prince Paris (Bloom) irresponsibly spirits ... more
away the unhappy wife of Menelaus (Gleeson) the Spartan king. Demanding the return of Helen the Greeks launch a thousand ships and lay siege to Troy. Under the com...
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Advantages: Fantastic cinematography, Great acting by Bana and Pitt especially, Gripping battle sequences Disadvantages: Bloom and Bean's performances are flawed , Slightly over-long
![Troy : The Movie&More (2 Disc Special Edition) [2004] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78483204.jpg "Troy : The Movie&More (2 Disc Special Edition) [2004] [DVD]")
![Troy (2-Disc Edition) [DVD] [2004]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78503902.jpg "Troy (2-Disc Edition) [DVD] [2004]")
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