Having seen the theatrical version, I thought to give the director's cut an opportunity at winning me over. Totalling at a gargantuan 196 minutes, the additional 30 minutes of swords and sandals certainly justify the elongated runtime. But alas, even with all the blood and guts, it's hindered by a lacklustre screenplay. Loosely based on Homer's epic poem Iliad, depicting the Trojan War and the sack of Troy, which happens to be Homer's second poem Odyssey. A war of powerful greed, lustful pride and embellishing love, the Trojan War is one of the most famous wars in Greek Mythology. Director Petersen manages to convey the central theme of immortality through vivid battles and ultimatums, with little assistance from Benioff's screenplay. The sheer lack of characterisation, particularly from Paris and Achilles, resulted in a monotonous story about honour. There was no emotion. Understandably it is a period war epic and so the sprawling battles take precedent, and they are entertainingly violent. But when so much time is spent establishing these characters and the relationships between them, you would've thought some emotional resonance should've naturally transpired. Acting was functional, mostly focusing on the physicality of their roles, with Pitt and Bana being the standouts. The duel between Hector and Achilles remains one of the most engrossing battles put to film. The inventive sword and shield choreography was outstanding. Despite having wealthy mythological source material, Benioff managed to make several changes that lead me questioning particular choices, especially condensing a decade long war to a mere week or two. Being a fan of Greek Mythology, I found it difficult to believe certain aspects. Some characters died when they shouldn't have, romances bloomed that didn't exist. Yet, for mainstream audiences that are uninitiated with such backgrounds, this remains a well paced action epic with visceral violence and a solid cast. Just don't expect an honest translation of Homer's poem.

One of the worst films ever seen. Nothing in comparison with the myths of the Trojan war. Lot of Hollywood nonsense just to make money.

I turned off "Troy" after about 45 minutes. I turned it off not because the film is bad. I turned it off because I have no interest in this part of human history. What I did watch is a film executed very professionally in all aspects (acting, photography, action, etc.). The only negative is the love story, done 1,001 times already...and counting. But if one is not interested in the topic of the film, it is difficult to be attentive to the film. "Troy" is, as the expression goes, "not my cup of tea." Maybe another look is necessary, but with my fast-forward in my hand.

I recently had watched Troy on DVD at my house and I felt that the movie was underrated but still had a lot of issues. First of all the way Dir. Wolfgang Peterson told the story wasn't very effective. They told it from the point of view of the Trojans as well as from the Greeks which made the audience not care for another character over another because their wasn't any real protagonist. This was the my main issue because it derived the story of all emotion and suspense. Another one of my issues was with the Trojan horse. Out of nowhere, the horse enters Troy, this was semi effective until the final battle. The whole time I was expecting for them to come out of the horse and destroy Troy. This was the one suspenseful moment but it was sadly ruined because they just wait until night to come out of the horse. The battle was meant to show the destruction of the Great city of Troy but we didn't have any connection to Troy because we didn't have a protagonist or antagonist. In general, the story was extremely bland with a significant amount of dialogue. In my opinion, the movie is semi entertaining but if you are looking for a war movie with a good story I recommend "Dunkirk."