Troy - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Troy



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Not surprisingly, Warner (through Arrow) has decided to capitalize on the success of Nolan’s The Odyssey by releasing Wolfgang Petersen’s epic film, Troy, this last week. And like most Arrow releases, it’s well worth checking out if you’re a fan of the film. I used to be a HUGE fan of this film 22 years ago when I graduated college (I went out and saw it a month after I graduated), but over the years I’ve slowly come to realize just WHY Brad Pitt wasn’t so wild about the film. It is definitely a “Hollywood” production, with overly sanitized looks on the Trojans and Greeks alike, giving it a cheesy undertone when compared against more serious epics. Pitt himself has stated multiple times over the years that he didn’t like how he was lionized in the script, and how he wishes for a more serious look at the epic Homer tale, but back in my early 20s I wasn’t so picky about my stories. It was a fun action epic that had a massive ensemble cast (seriously, one of the biggest ensemble casts that I think I’ve seen in many years), and Brad Pitt was a beast as Achilles. According to Pitt himself,f he wasn’t enthused, but that bored “I’m here for the paycheck” look he sports in the film almost does him more good than harm, as it really amps up how nonchalant Achilles was in the story itself. But I digress, while the film isn’t that awesome, I still had a fun time with it, and remembered why I loved that final scene Hector vs. Achilles for so many years (the choreography is fantastic).

The tale of Troy is pretty well known, but Petersen’s tale is a bit more succinct than the actual story by Homer. Instead of being 10 years, it’s only a few weeks and focuses on all the action in a stylized Hollywood type of way that makes it feel a bit cramped in comparison to Nolan’s companion work. The film focuses on King Agamemnon (Brian Cox) and his thirst for conquering worlds. After spending YEARS conquering the Thessalonians Greece is finally at peace, until young Paris of Troy (Orlando Bloom) decides to get a wandering eye and falls in love with Agamemnon’s sister-in-law, Helen (Diane Kruger), and steals her away in the middle of the night. At this point it’s too late for Paris’s brother Hector (Eric Bana) to turn back, and now all of Greece is ready for war (Agamemnon more so than others).

Now it’s the entire Greek army with 50K foot soldiers and 1,000 ships on their way to scale the impenetrable walls of Troy. And of course the smolderingly hot Achilles as the near-demigod warrior champion that tear it down piece by piece. The story itself is very succinct compared to the decade-long siege on Troy, but very, very polished as well. Winning Academy Awards for best costuming, it actually LOOKS as epic as it sounds. This was done in a time when CGI was used minimally, and hundreds and hundreds of actual physical extras were garbed in period piece armor to make the armies look magnificent. And frankly, it is a fun film. The story is oversimplified, with strange side quests (such as a romantic tale between Achilles and Hector’s cousin, played by a VERY young Rose Byrne), but it keeps the highlights of Homer’s tale adeptly.

Fast action, overly groomed and beautiful characters. It’s almost like a CW production without the angst. And while that may sound like an insult, I don’t mean it as such. It’s just got that early 2000’s spit and polish before everything went all brutal and dark after Game of Thrones. It’s not Wolfgang’s best work (that would be Das Boot), but it’s a fun Hollywood epic with a crazy cast that is just too massive to actually list. I absolutely adore the cinematography and the fight choreography, but at the same time it’s almost TOO polished and TOO glossy looking. Think of it more like an early 2000’s take on the 1950s epics. Clean and sanitized, without all of the truly horrific stuff that went on in the actual tale from Homer. But fun and likable.




Rating:

Rated R for graphic violence and some sexuality/nudity / Unrated




4K Video: Video:

According to Arrow’s info, Troy was restored by Arrow Films for both the theatrical and extended cuts, with native 4K masters. The Theatrical cut went back to the original camera negative from the 35mm source, and was scanned at 4K / 16-bit at Warner’s MPI studios; for the extended cuts, a 2K digital intermediate was used and then upscaled. Then finally finished off at Duplitech for the color grading, and QC was finished by Pixelogic.

I remember the Blu-ray of Troy looking crazy good back in the day, but it has been quite a few years, and better mastering processes have come and gone, so when compared to the new Blu-ray and the 4K UHD it’s not even close. This is a top-notch transfer all the way around, with a stunning clarity that can not be truly appreciated through words alone. This is 5/5 material from beginning to end, with honey colored exterior shots, deeply browned nighttime shots, and stunning clarity. Fine details are literally abounding everywhere, from the hand-fit armor on Achilles, to the dusty sand trickling down the walls of Troy during a battle (though that early 2000’s overhead CGI of the sack of Troy was pretty bad at times). Black levels are above reproach, and the Dolby Vision grading is superb. It’s not an overly shocking HDR style grading, but it adds punch to the primary colors and really adds depth to the blacks. Yellows and oranges seep through the honey tones and dark teals peek their way into the nighttime browns.








Audio:

Troy was one of the few early Blu-rays from Warner with a Lossless 5.1 PCM track (they did a lot of films dirty with their 640 kbps Dolby Digital lossy mixes back in the day), and I was actually surprised not to see a Dolby Atmos track for Arrow’s release. Instead, we have dual 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD MA tracks. And frankly, I’m pretty sure this is an audio remaster/remix, as it sounds a bit different and more forceful than my Warner Bro’s release. It’s a killer audio track, with great use of the surrounds during the copious battle scenes, amazing dialog replication, and bass that could pound you into your seat with the heavy beating of war drums. There are some wonky bits where the ADR sometimes is a bit obvious for some shots, but otherwise, this is a great mix.

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Extras:

Disc Two: 4K UHD Director's Cut

• Introduction by Wolfgang Petersen

Disc Three: BD Special Features

• In Movie Experience
• Troy In Focus
• In the Thick of Battle
• From Ruins to Reality
• Troy: An Effects Odyssey
• Attacking Troy
• Gallery of the Gods
• Theatrical Trailer
• Image Galleries
-- Stills (
-- Behind the Scenes
-- Promotional Material

Final Score: ​

I won’t say that Troy is the best of its era, but it is still a fun romp if you want a period-piece action movie with a little light drama thrown in for good measure. It’s one of those sad stories where pretty much every main character dies at the end (except for Sean Bean. For once he doesn’t die in a film), and it leans HEAVILY into the more syrupy, sanitized nature of epic films from,m s, ay the 1950s and 1960s, just in a modern era. And Arrow’s 4K UHD set is STELLAR. Killer video, great audio, featuring separate discs for the theatrical and extended cut as well as a 3rd disc crammed full of all the special features. If you like the film, this is a no-brainer. Recommended.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Julian Glover, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Diane Kruger, Rose Byrne
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
Written by: Homer (Original Story), David Benioff
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Arrow
Rated: R (Theatrical) / Unrated (Unrated Cut)
Runtime: 196 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: August 18th, 2026

Recommendation: Recommended