Disc Reviews
Troy 4K Review
So, Chris Nolan’s The Odyssey has come under fire for not being strictly true as an adaptation of Homer’s epic text. Well, guess what! Over 20 years ago, Wolfgang Peterson’s adaptation of The Iliad came under similar fire. Yes Troy! – which actually also forms a lot of the narrative of Nolan’s The Odyssey, was made in epic detail back in 2004. It was a hit; it featured a lush score, sweeping visuals, a largely talented cast – although most of them used their normal dialects – Seriously! Irish Menelaus, Scottish Agamemnon, and Sean Bean’s Northern England Odysseus? But now, it’s become part of this film’s charm and formed what has largely become a proper guilty pleasure for many. And let’s not forget that they crunched a 10-year war down to a few days. So, it took liberties. The gods were mentioned in name only but never seen. This was all about the people on both sides battling it out. You have good and bad on each side, and every death in the film is a loss, rarely a cheer.
Brad Pitt heads up the ensemble as a very headstrong but physically strong Achilles. All but forced to fight on the side of the Greeks invading the beaches of Troy, after young Paris (Orlando Bloom) has run off with Helen (Diane Kruger), the wife of Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), who happens to be the brother of overreaching warlord and conqueror Agamemnon (A wonderfully OTT Brian Cox). Paris and Helen seek refuge firstly behind Paris’ brother Hector (a superb Eric Bana), but also behind the walls of Troy, where his father, Priam (Peter O’ Toole), is their leader.
The Greeks land but seem to have zero chance of getting behind those walls, so we have various skirmishes beforehand – each presenting something of worth for us to see, and fighters to fall in the process. Characters are given stakes, standards and very human moments as the action proceeds, and the outcome of actions very much does dictate what surviving characters then proceed to do, or how they behave. Upon the death of some characters, friends or loved ones get vengeful, but also sometimes you see characters acting remorsefully or seeking pity in the face of their enemies. It’s more complicated than people remember, and Peterson knows how to deliver big.
Pitt does stand out as leading man here. He put himself in the right shape and honed in on the part to show Achilles’ beautiful aesthetic side, and the inner ugly turmoil and temper that he has that befalls his friends as well as his enemies. There doesn’t seem to be a person in sight that he doesn’t fight with, aside from, say, Sean Bean’s everyman Odysseus. His vocal sparring with Brian Cox’s Agamemnon, though, is a particular highlight. A shame then that the Greek side had such a fiery leader in him, and on the other side is withered and pathetic old man Priam played by withered old Peter O’ Toole. But O’Toole himself does have a stand-out scene (and again, with Achilles) late on in the game that shows the effects of war on parents.
No emotional stone is left unturned in this tale of legend, and the acting parts and prowess are just one slice of the cake.
The production design and stunt work are probably where the biggest praise should be laid. James Horner’s score, as I say, is lush, but anyone overly familiar with his work will notice his repetitive nature, and he’s got one of his trademark sounds throughout this film that he had used well before this film came out and would use again well after. But it still works.
Let’s have a look at the three discs that come with this set.
Disc One hosts the theatrical version. Despite all the adaptation issues, Troy, being well over two hours and forty minutes, still felt rushed in places, and some characters missed some needed beats. But the film still plays well enough for what it is.
Disc Two hosts the superior Director’s Cut at well over 3 hours and 15 minutes. Over half an hour of restored footage, with some additional adjustments made to other scenes, makes for a stronger narrative. There is a two-minute intro from the director for this version.
And that’s kind of it for the first two discs. Two epic versions of the film, a couple of audio options and subtitles. No other supplementary materials, not even commentaries. This is surprising as Arrow usually can dig out commentators of their own to talk juicy points over such films, but not even on the third disc do we see any of their usual video essays. This could be down to contractual agreements with the whom they are leasing the film, but it seems like a very big missed opportunity to bulk this release out with modern-day viewpoints.
Disc three comes with some lovely supplemental value. There is a composed picture-in-picture of the theatrical version of the film featuring the director and others.
This is also where you find the archival featurettes. Production design, FX, the action set pieces, and the adaptation are all covered and spoken through the words of the filmmakers both behind and in front of the camera.
Despite the gods being named only in the film, there is a 10-minute look at the most famous of the gods and what they represented. It’s little info nuggets like this that remind you of the glory days of physical media when studios went as far as they could to inform the audience as well as entertain them. So, anyone not familiar with the source material has plenty here to sink their teeth into.
Well managed, well packaged and well timed. Well done.
Steven Hurst
4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• 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
• 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
DISC 1: THEATRICAL CUT (4K ULTRA HD)
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the Theatrical Cut
• Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio plus stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
DISC 2: DIRECTOR’S CUT (4K ULTRA HD)
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the Director’s Cut
• Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio plus stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Troy Revisited, an archival introduction by director Wolfgang Petersen
DISC 3: EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)
• 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 4K is released on 17th August