Plot: What’s it about?
In the times of cell phones, the internet and iPod’s it’s nice to see a good, old-fashioned war epic. Director Wolfgang Petersen is certainly one of the more talented directors out there and if anyone can bring a movie like this to the screen, it’s him. Petersen is best-known for his works at sea in “Das Boot” and “The Perfect Storm” and we’ll just try and forget that he recently helmed “Poseidon”! In this loose re-telling of Homer’s “The Iliad”, we get to experience what it was like in 1200 B.C., long before all of the advances in technology and medicine that we enjoy today. These people lived in a time where a “bad day at work” usually meant you were dead. Let us not forget that the Kings ruled with an iron fist and had entire countries at their disposal. Factoring everything in, it would be a little hard not to get a God-complex and it’s personified by Agamemnon. However, for those not familiar with the works of Homer, here’s the story…
For a movie with a cast of thousands, we really only focus on the main players. Paris (Orlando Bloom) is the son of Priam (Peter O’ Toole) and has fallen in love with Helen of Troy (Diane Kruger). And the phrase “the face that launched a thousand ships” does come into play, albeit later on in the movie. Her affair with Paris isn’t something she understands, but yet she knows it will work. Her husband, Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), is none too happy once he finds out Helen has left with Paris and asks his brother, Agamemnon (Brian Cox) to go to war with the Trojans to get her back. And, in a phrase taken from the 21st century – it’s on. The Spartans are a mighty force, but in most part due to Achilles (Brad Pitt), he’s a mighty warrior and his only drawback (aside from his heel) is that he lacks the proper allegiance to the King. A rebel and a renegade, there’s no matching his skills on the battlefield and he even manages to bed several young ladies along the way! The other major plotline involves Paris’ brother Hector (Eric Bana), as the eldest son he’s next in line to rule though his wife is none too happy with the situation. Naturally, we see lots of action on the battlefield and the inevitable showdown between Hector and Achilles. Let the games begin.
“Troy” didn’t quite live up to the hype a few years ago but with all of the hype put on movies, very few actually do. I rather enjoyed it and the movie will no doubt draw comparisons to “Gladiator” and “Braveheart” in both style and subject matter. Granted, both the aforementioned films took home the coveted Best Picture Oscar whereas “Troy” didn’t (and wasn’t even nominated) but it’s a great movie nonetheless. For those who love epic stories of love and war, this one certainly fits the bill on several levels. But let’s call a spade a spade…this movie is pretty much all about Brad Pitt. He’s made out to be the antihero and showcase his body, which he does. I can see a variety of actors in the role, but Pitt brings a charming charisma to his character and it’s one of the main reasons that the movie works. If gladiators and violence aren’t up your alley, you might want to steer away – otherwise prepare to be entertained.
Video: How does it look?
“Troy” makes its appearance on HD DVD and I have to say that although I was impressed, I felt there was some room for improvement. The 2.40:1 HD transfer certainly looks impressive in the massive battle scenes and every inch of the picture is used for the wide scope of the movie. I did a comparison between the older standard DVD and this new HD one and though the difference is noticeable, it’s not something that leaps out at you. Edge enhancement, of course, isn’t an issue and the overall sharpness of the picture is something that the average viewer will pick up on in an instant. Flesh tones seemed a bit off the mark, but many of the scenes have a very stylized look and feel to them, which might have been the reason. On the whole, “Troy” has certainly never looked better and it’ll be hard to improve on this HD transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
“Troy” has some ups and downs when it comes to the Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. The battle scenes sound amazing; with the clashing of swords echoing out of every speaker possible, but the movie also has a lot of quiet dialogue. I had a hard time hearing some of it and though I don’t really blame the soundtrack, it was something that made me turn up the volume a few times (or maybe my ears were overloaded due to the battle scenes). Surrounds are active for the majority of the film and there’s a constant ambiance that does the soundtrack justice. While it’s not a bad soundtrack, I suppose I was expecting just a bit more – but it’s nothing to balk at.
Supplements: What are the extras?
If you own the Two-Disc standard DVD you’ll be happy to know that all of the supplements from that set have been ported over plus a feature that’s unique to HD DVD – the In Movie Experience (more on that later). First up are five featurettes that encompass the entire scope of the movie. “In the Thick of the Battle” showcases the battle scenes, how they were laid out and some behind the scenes footage on them. “From Ruins to Reality” pays attention to the set and production design and what it took for the filmmakers to bring Troy to the screen. Next up is “Troy: An effects Odyssey” which gives us the inside track on the special effects (you didn’t think they really built 1000 ships now, did you?). Finally we have “Gallery of the Gods” which is an interactive feature on the Greek myths. Lastly, we have the In Movie Experience in which director Wolfgang Petersen talks us through the movie. It’s like a video commentary but a whole lot more. We get some never before seen footage and some interview materials with the cast and crew as well. Suffice it to say that this is a pretty cool little feature and there’s plenty of information to be had in this 162 minute film. This is only the third title to have the In Movie Experience (“Constantine” and “The Dukes of Hazzard” being the other two), so hopefully this feature will find its way onto more HD DVD titles.
