Review of Troy (2004) by Giorgos T — 05 Mar 2016

Without a doubt the best portrayal of the characters in the book I've ever seen. While the characters are unlikable, that is more the fault of Homer than anyone in the movie. Paris is supposed to be a spoiled rich sissy who ends up pissing off Sparta because he took what wasn't his. Achilles was an arrogant but skilled fighter that used Agamemnon's need for his skill to spoil himself with women and drink. I could name each character, but you get the point. They pull off the characters amazingly well. The only real drawback to the movie is the rest of it, any historical accuracy is thrown out the window(the source material begins 10 years into the siege of Troy), the fight scenes, while nice, are overdone and far too well choreographed. They look more like dances than actual fighting. Take out the overdone and unbelievable fighting and put in the visceral, chaotic, and violent combat(and take everyone out of those fancy leather dresses they call armor), show just how long and exhausting the siege of Troy was, and put in the more chaotic fight scenes from Gladiator and you've got a 5 star film.

Also, ignore the critics who talk about the plot or characters, they have clearly never read the Iliad, because the acting is spot on.