With The Odyssey taking the world by storm in all its cinematic splendour, many eyes have turned to a film adaptation of Homer’s other Epic Poem, The Iliad. The adaptation in question is, of course, Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy, originally released in 2004. While very different from Nolan’s, Petersen’s take on the swords-and-sandals epic is a fascinating watch alongside the recent release. Especially given that many of the criticisms of Nolan’s picture are present, yet take a different shape, in Petersen’s attempt. Thankfully, Arrow Films have made the most of this mythic moment to re-release a remastered version of Troy in a limited edition 4K and Blu-Ray.
Set years before The Odyssey, Homer’s Iliad follows the final years of the Trojan War, focusing on the Greek warrior Achilles and his role in ending the war. Troy, however, takes us right back to the start of the war, showing us its origins in the affair of the Trojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) and the Spartan Queen Helen (Diane Kruger), before heading back to Troy and an emerging battlefield. It condenses the poem’s ten-year war into something much shorter, but the resulting film is still 162 minutes, or 196 minutes if you go for the Director’s Cut (included in this boxset). It still focuses on Achilles (Brad Pitt), and how his rage was the tipping point of the war, but much like its source material, this is very much an ensemble piece, moving between all the different players in the war. Similarly to Nolan’s Odyssey, Petersen makes the choice to omit depicting the gods as tangible beings, going further to downplay their influence on the narrative at hand.
With such a big ensemble, the film doesn’t always find the balance between its subplots, and subsequently, we are not given enough incentive to truly care for these characters. This isn’t helped by the fact that a good part of the main ensemble (Bloom, Pitt, Kruger, Rose Byrne) feel somewhat miscast, with wooden performances only amplified by the lacklustre script. They are seemingly doing the best with what they’re given, but it leans into campy melodrama a lot of the time. That being said, the surrounding ensemble do some great work, whether it’s Eric Bana having to be the sensible Trojan prince Hector, or the whole host of veteran character actors playing the kings and leaders of these armies: Peter O’Toole stars as the Trojan king Priam, while Brian Cox and Brendan Gleeson play Greek brothers Agamemnon and Menelaus. Sean Bean also shows up in a small part as this version’s Odysseus (and has you wondering how he would have fared with Matt Damon’s part in that character’s tale).
As an adaptation, it also makes many confusing choices. Nolan has been blasted by some of the media for his ‘woke’ casting and for imparting Western morality onto Greek history. But Troy does this in many ways too, particularly in its portrayal of patriarchal nuclear family units— both in dialogue often encouraging men to fight for their wives, or in amplifying a love story between Achilles and priestess Briseis (Rose Byrne) while rewriting Achilles’ lover Patroclus (Garrett Hedlund) as his cousin. It leans into contemporary understanding of warriors and masculinity, but does so by wilfully misunderstanding the context in which Homer’s poem was written.
However, for all that it lacks in its script and performances, it makes up for it with stunning visual aesthetics. There is a fluidity to the cinematography that is truly dynamic, inserting you straight into the heart of the action of its tightly choreographed fight sequences. The location shoots and production design do some gorgeous worldbuilding akin to the Biblical epics that defined mid-century Hollywood cinema. The contrast of the blue of the sea and the dry heat of the beaches makes for a warmth that you can tangibly feel (and not just because of the heatwave raging during this 4K release). The costume design occasionally takes you out of the story—Achilles seems to be wearing a denim skirt of sorts in a few scenes—but the armour they wear is detailed and intricate. Rounding out the technical prowess is James Horner’s beautiful score, which imbues this epic with classicism, aided by diegetic singers mourning at the various warriors’ funeral pyres.
While Troy is not always remembered kindly, this year has seen it re-evaluated. Watching it on a glorious remastered 4K UHD disc shows the glory of its highs, but also the cringe of its woes. Either way, it’s undoubtedly an immersive three hours.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Special Features
- Brand new 4K remasters of both the Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films
- 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the Theatrical Cut
- 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the Director’s Cut
- Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Priscilla Page and Laurie Maguire and an excerpt from the original production notes
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain
- Troy Revisited, an archival introduction by director Wolfgang Petersen
- In Movie Experience, an archive picture-in-picture commentary of the film
- Troy in Focus, a series of archival behind-the-scenes featurettes
- In the Thick of Battle, an archival behind-the-scenes featurette
- From Ruins to Reality, an archival behind-the-scenes featurette
- Troy: An Effects Odyssey, an archival behind-the-scenes featurette
- Attacking Troy, an archival behind-the-scenes featurette
- Gallery of the Gods, an archival introduction to the Greek Gods
- Easter egg
- Trailer
- Image galleries
Troy is now available on limited-edition 4K and Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
