Troy (Director's Cut) [HD DVD]
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Movie Reviews of Troy (Director's Cut) [HD DVD]
Movie Review: Hollywood's Enormous Trojan War Looks Amazing on Blu-Ray
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm really going to forgive some massive fundamental flaws and applaud this fun epic popcorn flick. Obviously, and it is assumed that like many cinephiles, I have a major problem with Troy's very existence to the core. Consider for a minute that the likes of Braveheart and Alexander are called "historical fiction" but they are based on people we know existed. Troy is based on The Iliad but it works in such a way that the audience is possibly being urged to believe these were real events. So the film in essence is based on the possible events that took place during the Trojan War. In fact, it doesn't even stay particularly true to The Iliad but it does try to capture the icons associated with the Trojan War and at the very least it keeps in tone with The Iliad, especially with regards to the violence in its battle sequences and the portrayal of Achilles' wrath. However, no gods or mythical figures to speak of and that is, at the very least an indirect attempt to steer the audience from believing that this is fiction. Maybe it is just because so many other epic films released are based on some degree of truth. Troy is based on myths and that's alright if you want to portray it that way. 2004's King Arthur had the same problem but with less CGI. Troy has a lot of CGI and it cost $180 million to make. They didn't need to stretch so far for believability but like I said, some movies are just worth forgiving. This is eye candy; it is Hollywood to the bone.
Nevertheless, I liked Troy and it looks incredible on blu-ray. The director's cut includes extra battle cuts, extra nudity, and it even has some scenes that assist in character development. The extra footage is actually seamless and makes the movie far longer but also far better and if there is an epic film made for superior visual technology like blu-ray, Troy is just that film. There is no pretending here, Troy is a true Hollywood production and I actually mean that with at least some degree of affection. The cast is great and includes of course Brad Pitt as the seemingly invincible and infinitely angry Achilles, Brian Cox as one of the film's real villains in Agamemnon, Eric Bana plays the heroic Trojan warrior Hector, Sean Bean plays Odysseus, Peter O'Toole plays Priam with fitting melodrama, Tyler Mane plays the chaotic and violent Ajax, and the very beautiful Diane Kruger plays Helen; the face that launched a thousand ships, or was it her breasts? All are good in their roles but no one seems to take themselves too seriously and for the most part their performances, or in some cases just their presence, work within the film.
The battle scenes in Troy are huge and absolutely second to none. There are tons of battle scenes within this 196 minute Director's cut and they just keep on going while getting more and more exciting and out of control. The soundtrack for Troy is clearly an upgrade from the theatrical version and makes the battle scenes seem even larger as it booms and powers in and out of great sky shots over the beginnings, middles, and ends of various battles. The cinematography and visual effects, whether the fake kind or the real kind, look absolutely amazing on blu-ray and the great shots never cease in Troy. The music is huge, the drama is huge, and the visuals are even bigger. It is visually one of the most impressive blu-rays so far and that is because it is a visually driven film to begin with. Troy truly is epic in every sense of the word. Well, except for that whole idea of it being based on an epic poem.
Movie Review: Okay for what it is...
Summary: 3 Stars
If you're a fan of Brad Pitt (as I am), and revisionist history (which I'm not) then you'll love Troy. It's not that Troy is a bad film, because it is most certainly not. And if you haven't read the Iliad then it's a way to ease into the story without dealing with all of Homer's language, which is beautiful but like Shakespeare can be hard to follow if you're not into it. But for those of us who have read the Iliad and love Homer's story telling ability as well as the language in which is conveys it, Troy the movie is somewhat of a disappointment. To say the very least.
While the film is action packed and fast moving it also glosses over some very important components of the original text. While trying to sanitize it for the masses it has been stripped of some key and compelling elements. The gods have been relegated to hushed background chatter; the very fact that Achilles himself is a demigod, hence his superior abilities has been completely lost. The fact that he had a weak spot to exploit (by a purely lucky shot on Paris' part) makes his death far less dramatic and quite frankly anticlimactic. And to top it all off the relationship between Achilles and Patroculos has been so homogenized as to ask the question why would Achilles mourn for him the way he did none the less go after Hector for killing him in battle.
It is a shame that apparently some of us can't get past the concept of two men can loving each other in every sense of the word and still being fierce warriors. Achilles is written more nobly in the film than he was in the Iliad because while great he was a selfish and at times childish man. Who turned his back on his people in a time of war because he was slighted by Agamemnon.
If you want some fluff, with a macho action hero punch then buy Troy, not the worst way to spend a Saturday night.
Movie Review: Great action movie
Summary: 4 Stars
After 3 years I finally got a chance to see this one. I dont know why I put it off for so long but Im glad I finally got around to it as it was great. Im not going to go into what the movie was about as there are plenty of those reviews but I will say for the home theatre buffs this is a must see. Video transfer was top notch and the surround sound was full and enveloping. The ocean crossing scene when Achilles makes his voyage to go fight really gives your subwoofer a workout as did the fireball scene with the battle on the beach. So dim the lights and crank your reciever on this movie.Movie Review: It definitely brings the movie up
Summary: 4 Stars
While this movie was not on par with the likes of Braveheart and Gladiator, this was still a decent film and the transfer to Blu-ray only helps it out. The picture is crystal clear and you can hear every sword clash and arrow flying through the air like it was all happening around you. I am indeed impressed with the quality of this transferMovie Review: Just watched the extended version
Summary: 5 Stars
A lot of well thought out and written reviews here, going into specifics on the deviations between the "Iliad" and "Troy", and if one is at all familiar with Homer, one does have to take this "sans-gods" version very much with a grain of salt. When I watched it the first time, as Menelaus bites it fairly early on, I could only wonder what the heck was going on. I just watched the extended version, my fourth viewing overall, and despite the major changes, this is a huge larger than life epic, and I still very much recommend it. The additional footage was wonderful, especially the anticipation sequence as the Trojans, knowing the Greeks were coming, getting ready for siege. Excellent. And heck, we get to see Odysseus' dog, the most famous canine in human literature.
Others also speak of the acting, and here I must disagree with most, I thought Brad Pitt pulled off Achilles very well. Both in the physical sense and in the actual performance. I have never seen the character as a bulked out brute. Good call I thought.
Peter O'Toole does steal the show as Priam and his scene seeking his son's body is as expected, the most powerful one in the film.
Action too is a sight to behold. The great fight between Achilles and Hector really stands out. It is the close up work here that is so outstanding. Yes, some of the AI crowd scenes are over done, but that is the epic aspect, and even those were pretty seamless, we have come a long way with computer crowds. As long as they don't distract from the more personal interactions, and in this movie, they don't; I had no problem maintaining my suspension of disbelief.
Sean Bean was a great Odysseus and I was grateful for his additional scenes. One really does want to see the sequel, to follow up on The Odyssey, but I am not sure that could be pulled off in a no-gods scenario, you would have to have the mythological monsters at least, or why bother? Still, it does make one wish for the other half of the bookends, for Odysseus' journey home is equally a timeless classic.
And a note to other more professional reviewers, especially those it seems, that work for Entertainment Weekly. This movie was it hit. It made a half million dollars world wide, and I am tired of seeing it linked more to "Alexander" than its proper historical and economically successful kin "Gladiator". Come on, give it a break. This is an excellent film and I hope more historical epics like this find the green light in the future.