Things start to improve considerably with the music for the city of Troy itself. Horner's blazing fanfare suggests a city burnished in gold and is quite splendid although, ironically, seems curiously old fashioned (although having said that, I kept imagining the Enterprise leaving dry dock while listening to it). The remaining thematic material is generally surprisingly good even if, less surprisingly, much of it is owes a debt to the classics and other scores. The main theme is stoic and noble, but pleasingly strident, while Achilles has evidently fallen through David Arnold's Stargate. A feature that is especially noticeable in the closing scenes - even my cinema going companions recognised it as being from elsewhere. Horner's four note danger motif is reworked into a more militaristic mode, which works perfectly during the battle sequences with a striking sense of menace.
As with The Missing, Troy just about sustains its typically generous running time and most of the longer tracks keep the momentum going quite nicely. The Greek Army and Its Defeat doesn't quite live up to it Alexander Nevsky inspired opening, but is still exciting enough, even if the Troy fanfare's interruption toward the end doesn't have quite the impact it should. In the pantheon of dismal Horner ballads, Remember Me is quite possibly one of the most horrible and should be avoided at all costs. Rarely have I felt such distaste when leaving a cinema to the end titles music playing than with Troy. If Homer were alive, he'd be drinking Duff. Sorry, rolling in his grave. For a rush job, it's probably better than one could have hoped for, but I suspect that any release of Yared's score (if it happens, which is admittedly unlikely) will likely eclipse Horner's efforts rather easily.
Rating ~ 
Total Time ~ 75:15