mmrosa

Slow, boring, predictable. There is nothing in this movie that is worth recommending (unless you like the sight of Keira Knightley painted blue).

Acting is below par, casting is just bizarre, accents are shocking and I only just mentioned the best things about this movie. The plot is so pedestrian it could have been written by a high school reject, come to think of it, it probably was judging by the poor character development, flat, linear story and dialogs so cheesy they almost melt the screen. I haven't read any reviews before I've seen this movie so my hopes were pretty high after the opening credits stated the movie is based on latest "historical findings" - yeah right, this movie comes as close to history as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Note to British, please do not try to make movies Hollywood style, it's not worth it and it will only make you look bad. 3 out of 10, and 2 points out of 3 are for some nice nature shots.

Not a bad movie but it just doesn't have any soul. Comparisons to some recent movies are pretty obvious – LOTR, Peter Jackson's baby was full of its directors love and admiration for the original book, 'Gladiator' was obviously Crow's labour of love. Those were two great movies with lots of character – 'Troy' is a good movie too, it just doesn't have that special 'it'. I went to see the movie really expecting the worst after reading some reviews from reviewers whom I usually trust and respect – actually I didn't want to see the movie, but my wife really wanted to see Mr. Pitt – this time however I don't agree with most nay-sayers. I guess my partial approval for that movie comes from the fact my expectations were so low, but anyway, some aspects of it are OK. Eric Bana is very good in the movie. I can still remember him playing little comedy sketches on Australian TV and I was really unconvinced of his abilities as an actor (well, 'Chopper' should have changed my mind I suppose) but he proves to be a very good and versatile one in this movie. He plays the role of Hector with a lot of dignity and pride. He is THE star in 'Troy' I think. Brad's Achilles is very different to Homer's Achilles. I guess that's how the character was written, not really Pitt's fault, but I didn't find him very convincing as such. If anything, he inspired me to work out harder at the gym – perfect six-pack, oh where are thou? – so I guess his role wasn't totally wasted. As to the rest, Helen was pretty badly miscast I think (the actress playing her is quite beautiful but not nearly goddess-like as I believe is required by this character), Peter O'Toole is very good (as always), Sean Bean acts quietly somewhere in the background and that's pretty much it. The battle scenes are good but only just good. LOTR really raised the bar of battle scenes and 'Troy' unfortunately never cleared it. One-on-one fight scenes however are very good, Achilles vs. Hector is IMHO one of the best duels ever. Cinematography is solid but uninspired, score is bland and as I have already mention, the movie just doesn't have that special 'it', simply has no soul. Perhaps one of the reasons for it, is that it's just too short for what is was trying to show. I would have to sit longer in the cinema watching it but I wouldn't mind watching 4-hour long DVD special versions (perhaps one close to the original). Oh, the original. At least I'm glad they called it 'Troy' and not 'Iliad'. The plot, the characters, the story is changed so much there are just shades of the original there – don't watch it if you love Homer's classic, it's going to break your heart. One could only imagine what would happen to Peter Jackson if he had taken so many liberties with LOTR – I'm sure he would get lynched by Tolkien's fans! I give it 6 out of 10. It's not as bad as some make it to be, but classic it is not. Anyway, I'm off to the gym to work on my abs!

Bad news for non-Polish viewers - this movie is not for you. It's based on a classic and very well know stage play, its characters are well known to everyone in Poland, it's read, analysed in school but it's unfortunately quite hermetic to non-Polish viewers. The play is a part of Polish psyche but it does not translate well internationally like for example Shakespeare's plays. The adaptation is very good, obviously by moving the setting from a stage to a silver screen there is much more scope for the director, he can fluently move from place to another without worrying about usually limitations of a theatre scene. Acting is generally pretty good, with Janusz Gajos and Roman Polanski being quite exceptional. The only character that seems to be miscast is Agnieszka Buzek who just doesn't look the role. I give it 7 out of 10.