Stars: Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Peter O'Toole, Eric Bana, Diane Kruger

Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Summary: This is the story of ancient Greece when men fought for glory, honour and sometimes love. Paris (played by Orlando Bloom) is Prince of Troy. He falls in love with the wife of King Menelaus, Helen, Queen Of Sparta (played by Diane Kruger). Such is his obsession with her that he abducts her. King Menelaus (played by Brendan Gleeson) is beyond reason when he discovers this crime. His brother, King of the Myceneans, Agamemnon (played by Brian Cox) is deeply insulted and family pride dictates that a war is the only way to respond.

With soaring photography that circles from above then swoops in for the action, TROY is Wolfgang Petersen's majestic presentation of the classic Greek legend. It tells the story of an epic battle over Helen (Diane Kruger), the queen of Sparta, who is kidnapped by her lover Paris (Orlando Bloom), the prince of Troy. This infuriates Helen's husband Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), whose brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox) convinces him to invade Troy and kill Helen. They recruit Achilles (Brad Pitt), the best warrior in Greece, whose bravery, quick feet, and remarkable swordsmanship (not to mention tan biceps, short kilts, and blond locks) have earned him a reputation that is almost as impressive as his ego. Achilles agrees to fight for Sparta, if only for the fame it will bring him. Even Achilles' mother, in a touching scene, advises him to forget mortal achievements and become a hero who will be remembered throughout history. Along with the invasion of Troy, a series of duals must also be fought: Paris, who is heartbreaking in his lovestruck naivety, must go up against the enraged Menelaus; and Achilles must settle a score with Hector (Eric Bana), who is fiercely dedicated to protecting his brother Paris and their father, the frail king Priam (Peter O'Toole). When the war finally ignites in its massive proportions, the action is awesome. And as the increasingly dramatic events play out, TROY earns its own timeless reputation among other action-adventure epics such as GLADIATOR and SPARTACUS.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

Reviewed by: lmacdon2@student.ednet.ns.ca
Posted on December 7, 2005 6:35 PM

I loved this movie. It had great effects and made you feel for every character, even the bad one's. It is a great movie to watch, more than a couple times and is one of the best movies I have seen.

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

There are many reasons to recommend Troy as a good ol' fashioned Hollywood epic, especially 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 offend historians and devoted students of the classics. But there's politics aplenty in the grand-scale war that erupts when Trojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) makes off with Helen (blandly beautiful German model Diane Kruger), wife of Spartan ruler Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), whose brother, the Greek king Agamemnon (Brian Cox) prods him into enraged retaliation. Greek warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt) brings lethal force to his battles (and there are many of them, mostly impressive), and his Trojan counterpart, Paris's brother Hector (Eric Bana), adds even more buffed-up beefcake to a film so chock-full o' hunks that there's barely room for Peter O'Toole (doing fine work as Trojan king Priam) and even less for Julie Christie, appearing ever-so-briefly as Achilles's melancholy mother. The drama is nearly as arid as the sun-baked locations (Mexico and Malta) that stand in for the Aegean coast, and many critics suggested that Pitt (who valiantly tries to give Achilles some tormented dimension) was simply miscast. But when you consider that Wolfgang Petersen also made The Perfect Storm, there's nothing wrong with enjoying Troy as a semi-guilty pleasure with a touch of ancient class. --Jeff Shannon

Aspect Ratio:	2.40 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	In The Thick Of The Battle, From Ruins To Reality, Troy An Effects Odyssey, Theatrical Trailer, Easter Egg
Subtitles:	Danish, English, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish
Year:	2004
Release Date:	October 25, 2004
Runtime:	156 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 028411 S
Keywords:	Action, Two, General, Wide, Screen, Troy, Adventure, Discs
Genre:	Action/Adventure