Troy, Big Star, Big Production

by ems van goth

Once again movie fans will be rushing through movie theatres to witness what might be one of the most sought after movie of the year. FINALLY, after months and months of advertisements, promotions, and seeing those huge troy poster posted in movie theatres with the words COMING SOON. The wait is finally over... BUT, is it WORTH the wait?

Undoubtedly, this movie showers us with a big production, big names from the movie industry, but are they any good? Anticipation from movie buffs as well as fans can be overwhelming, Can the walls of Troy withstand the pressure, or will they crumble under the onslaught from the critics? Can really lay claim to being a modern-day descendant of such iconic flicks as Ben Hur and Spartacus.

According to mythology, a huge number of us know the story all so well, in one version of another, but here's Hollywood's version of the story - Helen (Diane Kruger) has left her husband, King Menelaus of Sparta (Brendan Gleeson) and done a runner with Paris (Orlando Bloom), a young prince of Troy. Menelaus beseeches his power hungry brother King Agamemnon (Brian Cox) to go to war with the Trojans and let him have his revenge. Agamemnon agrees - but has his own motives - and calls on Achilles (Brad Pitt), the greatest warrior the world has ever known, to sail with him.

Pitt's reasonable as Achilles and carries off the fight scenes well (more Brad-iator than Gladiator), Sean Bean's battle-weary Odysseus brings back memories of his TV role as Sharpe while Cox snarls and rants as the power-hungry King, hell-bent on ransacking the city.

However, Troy isn't without it's problems and most of them come in the formof Orlando Bloom. Sure the lad's good-looking but he struggles to match the dramatic power of his co-stars such as Peter O'Toole and Cox with his on-screen brother, the excellent Eric Bana, dominating every scene they share.

So, for a summer blockbuster, Troy is a as good as it gets, and who knows.. It MIGHT end up in the roster of movie classics on your movie shelf. Rating: WATCH IT / BUY IT. It's worth every penny.