Well Brad Pitt�s naked in it so it was never exactly going to be chore watching this film- and it�s not that bad even when he is wearing clothes! Troy is about, well, Troy, though more specifically centred on the character of Achilles (Pitt) than Homer�s original tale of heroes and gods. Indeed, the gods are conspicuously absent in corporeal form, though mentioned regularly in passing. Peterson has made numerous changes to Homer�s Iliad which whilst understandable, might make it a little difficult to make is swallowable as Classics revision I�m afraid. Characters die in the wrong places, or just die when they aren�t meant too, or are completely changed/deleted (sig. Cassandra). In some respects these make sense, I don�t know how ready the world is for an extrovertly gay Brad Pitt in the form of Achilles, so reducing Patroclus to just his cousin is reasonable. However, it does make his reaction to Patroclus� death a little extreme. I also had a problem with the level of viciousness that the character reaches especially as he�s meant to be the hero. For me the �redemption� at the end just isn�t far enough.

In all, this is an enjoyable, if inaccurate, rendition of the Iliad and parts of the Odyssey. Not Lord of the Rings epic levels, but definitely falling in the �epic� genre. Worth seeing even if it�s not going to be your favourite film of all time.

P.S. It appears that on some level Orlando Bloom may indeed be able to act.