Emily (my girlfriend) and I saw Troy this past Friday at one of our local AMC theaters (there are at least 2, if not more in easy driving distance). My first impression was one of disappointment. I haven't read the Iliad in quite a while, so I can't really compare it to the original epic poem, but as a screenplay it was just flat and full of holes. The acting was decent enough, Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Brian Cox, were all pretty solid, and Peter O'Toole provided some much needed comic relief, though I don't think that was what they were trying to achieve with his character. O'Toole saves his role by being in one of the best scenes in the movie, even if I didn't completely buy into it.
Almost every female role was a complete moron and only there to cry at the appropriate moments and to provide stunningly awkward romantic interests. You'd have to be high to buy into the Helen-Paris or Achilles-Polydora romances. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
The cinematography and production design was flat. Perhaps I've been spoiled by some truly stunning visuals in movies recently, but the production design (minus the costumes which were cool) was just plain uninteresting. The battle scenes, however, were plentiful and appropriately over the top, but came off as a re-hash of Bravehart meets Lord of the Rings meets Gladiator. Speaking of LOTR and Bravehart, the cast reads like an alumni reunion from these two blockbusters (with Orlando Bloom directly reprising his bow-wielding skills in a few eye rolling scenes).
I was entertained, but the experience felt empty and unrewarding. By the end of the summer I will probably have forgotten it.