Homer's The Iliad inspired director Wolfgang Petersen's much-anticipated sword 'n' sandals epic Troy, which pits Greeks against Trojans in a mythical war - oh, and something about a wooden horse... Starring a shiny Brad Pitt as Achilles (sweat and suntan oil), this may be "pure Hollywood sensationalism, but it's also poignant storytelling," however some critics and classicists disagreed. Nonetheless it was a No 1 hit across the world, making a bona fide star out of Eric Bana and fuelling the fire around homegrown pretty boy Orlando Bloom.

Achilles' Heel

Rather than inflict a typically homogenised behind-the-scenes featurette, this two-disc edition provides three unusually in-depth investigations into the making of Troy. Combining cast and crew interviews with behind-the-scenes access and rehearsal footage, In The Thick Of Battle deconstructs the film's major set pieces and what Pitt calls the "brutal, brutal, brutal" training regime - brutality which thousands of extras also had to endure. Rubber swords, paper arrows, and sophisticated CG wizardry all went into creating these grand-scale sequences, but Petersen reveals that the one-on-one showdown between Achilles and Hector (Bana) was just as a complicated. Stifle a snigger as Pitt reveals that shooting was held up for weeks after injuring his Achilles tendon...

An Effects Odyssey is a fascinating journey through big budget moviemaking and presents an army of (invariably British) special effects experts who helped Petersen realise his bold vision - from an armada of 1000 ships sailing across the Aegean to the spectacle of tens of thousands of warriors clashing beneath the walls of Troy. These ambitious scenes were first tested using previsualisation, essentially CG animated storyboards - examples of which are shown here and juxtaposed against the final cut. Cameras also venture into the sound suite, where the clank of sword on shield and the whoosh of an arrow cutting the air are recreated through surprising means.

Behind The Wall

Historians and filmmakers discuss the archaeological evidence and artistic licence that contributed to Petersen's representation of the city of Troy in From Ruins To Reality. Referencing the original concept art, production designer Nigel Phelps explains that Troy, as it's recognised by the scientific community, was a lot smaller and less grandiose than it appears in the film. The lavish set, erected on Malta, was handcrafted down to the finest detail - Eric Bana admitting that he was often distracted from his work by the awesome grouting. Of course the best part was burning it all down for the finale.

For those who mourned the absence of the Olympian gods in the film, The Gallery Of The Gods is a beautifully ethereal interactive feature that introduces Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite et al and explains their respective roles in the Trojan war as told by Homer. But if that sounds a little too educational, click on the mane of the Trojan horse in the special features menu and you'll be treated to a delightfully bizarre previz animation that finds giant rubber ducks floating alongside ancient war ships and a couple of Greek soldiers fumbling with their armour in a public urinal. No homoerotic subtext, obviously.

Disappointingly there are no commentaries to accompany the main feature, although Petersen, screenwriter David Benioff, and the film's central players scatter their profound words of wisdom throughout the three main featurettes. In spite of this hole in the wall, Troy makes for solid entertainment on DVD.

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