Troy

Review by Richard Lee

Warner Bros. Pictures / 2004 / 163 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: January 4, 2005

Specifications
-DVD-Video
-DVD-9
-Region 1

Aspect Ratio:
-2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen

Audio:
-English 5.1
-Francais (dubbed in Quebec)

Subtitles:
-English
-Francais
-Espanol
-Off

Main Menu:
-Play Movie
-Special Features
-Scene Selections
-Languages

Special Features:
-See Disc 2 For Special Features

The face that launched a thousand ships or is it the movie that launched a thousand effects shots? Well, maybe not, but the story of the fall of Troy based on Homer's Illiad is brought to life here in all its Hollywood glory and is directed by Wolfgang (Air Force One) Peterson. Although stealing a man's wife wouldn't cause a large scale confrontation these days, we are led to believe, if the legend is true, that this war was fought for that very reason. Helen of Greece, played by Diane (National Treasure) Kruger, is fooling around with Paris of Troy (not of Hilton), played by Orlando (Lord of the Rings) Bloom. Her husband, Menelaus, Brendan (Gangs of New York) Gleeson, thought he was in peace talks with Paris's brother, Hector of Troy, Eric (The Incredible Hulk) Bana. But once he finds his wife gone, he asks his brother, Agememnon, Brian (The Bourne Supremacy) Cox, to go with him to Troy to get his wife back. Agememnon gladly agrees because he sees this as a perfect opportunity to conquer Troy and thus rule what was then the entire civilized world. He leads the Greek army and has at his beck and call, Odysseus, Sean (The Lord of the Rings) Bean, Ajax (not the cleanser), and Achilles, Brad (Se7en) Pitt, whose body is the closest thing to being like a Greek God in this movie. Achilles is known as the greatest warrior who ever lived but his disdain for Agememnon's rule threatens to bring a rift in the army's morale and an obstacle in Agememnon's plans. What a sad twist of fate it is that Greeks and Trojans, who were once known as the ruling civilizations of the ancient world, are now more popularly known as frat boys and contra-ceptive devices.

Picture Quality:

Ever since director Peter Jackson set the standard for a mass of warriors racing against a field toward an opposing mass of warriors in his Lord of the Rings movies, Hollywood has looked for a story so they could use a similar effect. Once you see the assault on the walls of Troy, you'll be immediately reminded of another battle, the one for Tolkien's Middle Earth. Not that there's anything wrong with that… The effect is still stunning to behold. Computer generated effects keep improving and evolving much to the benefit of modern cinema and people who love watching it. The visual impact of the vistas and wide-angle land and seascapes which depict the ancient lands of Greece and Troy and the Aegean Sea which separated them will be lost on the home viewer unless they have a projection system of considerable size. I, myself, have a 58 inch rear-projection monitor and was wishing I had a front-projector and a 10 foot screen. This movie demands a system like that. The location shooting in Mexico and Malta transfer adequately well to dvd and the overall visual effect is much like that of the sand and sandel epics from the golden age of Hollywood like "Spartacus" rather than the modern filtered-lens effect like "The Lord of the Rings". Contrasting and black levels are most evident during the indoor and evening scenes which are few because most of the movie is outdoors in the hot blazing sun. Details tend to get lost amid the mass of the CG armies and the flurry of motion that goes on during the battle scenes. This movie will be much better served when high-definition dvd hits the U.S. market.

Audio Quality:

This movie could have benefited if the dvd had included a DTS track. Such as it is, the 5.1 Dolby Digital track provided a nicely enveloping surround-sound experience. Perhaps it is a good thing that the bit-rate hogging DTS track was left off so that the remaining storage space be reserved for the picture. The surround channels come alive with James Horner's Mediterranean flavored score and pounding percussion during the scenes of battle. Distinct surrounds are most evident during the scenes on the ocean with the oars paddling the waves and during the scenes of battle with the arrows cutting through the air. The LFE channel is active mainly during battle, particularly during an evening assault using rolling balls of hay set afire. Highlights for demonstration purposes: 1. Chapter 12, 39:27 - Beach Attack. 2. Chapter 22, 77:19 - Assault on the walls of Troy. 3. Chapter 33, 1:58:44 - Duel between Hector and Achilles.

Special Features - Disc 2:

Main Menu:
-In the Thick of the Battle
-From Ruins to Reality
-Troy: An Effects Odyssey
-Gallery of the Gods
-Theatrical Trailer
-Languages

Three featurettes are included on the bonus disc. "In the Thick of the Battle" deals with the direction of the extras, who weren't computer generated, and their training with swords and lances during scenes mano a mano. We also learn what went on behind the scenes for the climactic duel between Hector and Achilles. "From Ruins to Reality" deals with location shooting and re-constructing the walls of Troy. "Troy: An Effects Odyssey" deals with the CG effects of the movie, which were used to create the thousand ships on the Aegean Sea and the thousands of warriors on the Trojan Beach. "Gallery of the Gods" is an interesting interactive learning module that gives a synopsis of several of the more widely-known of the Greek Gods. "Languages" is a mis-leading title that really only gives you the option to see the featurettes with French sub-titles or none.