Troy

[Quelkron]

Since no one else has commented on this yet, I might as well be the first.

I went to see Troy today with some slight reservations. Were they going to botch the greatest tale ever to be told across the millennia? Sure they had some great big name actors, but that is never a guarantee (see A Bridge To Far, a decent movie, but nothing great). Obviously you could not tell the entire tale of the war at Troy in a single movie, a tale of a ten year war and the journey's home afterward would be to big for any movie, so what would they focus on? In the end not only was I not at all disappointed I think that I can safely say that the epic has been reborn in the cinema.

If you go and see the movie Troy, do not expect to see Homer's Iliad. Instead of re-telling the classic tale verbatim David Benioff took what I believe to be the best possible route by re-telling it as a new story, in the tradition of hundreds of Greek and Roman poets, singers, storytellers, and play writes.

Brad Pitt and Eric Bana dominated this film with some of the greatest acting of their careers. The rage of Achilles and the duality of Hector were played out brilliantly. Peter O'Toole's King Priam was beyond brilliant, the pain of losing a son and a city.

Spoilers to follow:

As I said before you should not expect Homer's Iliad, Troy is a re-telling of the Trojan war, not Iliad. As such, events are different, characters are changed around, all done brilliantly to bring out new and old elements of the story.

At first I was angered when Ajax of Telamon was killed so earlier in the film. In the original story he played a very important role, after Achilles is killed, of the symbolic death of the classic Greek hero to make way for the new hero, embodied in Odysseus. But by eliminating Ajax they moved that role onto Achilles, and Achilles became a classic hero and the death of classic heroes. By pushing Achilles over the edge into the classic hero area they freed Hector from the view that Homer had of him, and in turn making him a noble hero torn between was and his family.

They also greatly changed the character of Paris. In Iliad Paris was a shame to his family, fleeing from battle to Helen's arms, refusing to fight for in his own war, even Hector was disgusted by him, and Priam ashamed. In Troy on the other hand they gave Paris redemption. He starts out much like his counter-part in Homer, but he grows into a character that you can respect. He learns and works to save his people at the end.

Patroclus became less of a hero and more of an element to humanize Achilles. He retained enough of his hero status to be able to fool the Myrmidons themselves that he was Achilles.

Over all an incredible re-telling of the greatest epic the world has ever known.

[StruckingFuggle]

I didn't so much care for it. What rage did Pitt (who was way too old) give Achillies?
Besides, with the rewritten motivations, there's really only two people worth rooting for - Hektor and Odysseus. The rest of the characters are mostly fools, weaklings, or evil. (and maybe Paris, at the end... )

... And am I the only one who wondered why Greeks are speaking with the accents of the united kingdom?

[Submiqent]

I personnally felt it was a celeb-fest. It was incredibly incorrect (historically).
Brad Pitt was well, Brad Pitt, . Eric bana was flawless as usual, but Paris kept on "reverting" to Leglolas, espicially in the end scene. The movie was too shaped to retain actor's image's.

[StruckingFuggle]

"historically"? Don't you mean "mythologically"?

[lifedeath]

Guys...the film sucks...

it's a totally hollywood rip off...



as usual

[Calus]

[quote="StruckingFuggle";p="338000"]"historically"? Don't you mean "mythologically"? [/quote]

More of legend. It happened we just don't know how much of Homer's Illiad is correct.

[kaiju01]

I think people would be disappointed expecting an epic of the film.
I wasn't disappointed cause I knew it wouldn't be an epic. There were really annoying parts though, not to mention annoying theater-goers.

Highlights:
Orlando Bloom being a loser.
*Possible spoiler below*
Sean Bean NOT dying. This is only the second movie I've not seen him die in. I was very excited. Then again, I have not been going out of my way to look for his earlier works.

[Salvation122]

[quote="lifedeath";p="338170"]Guys...the film sucks...

it's a totally hollywood rip off...[/quote]
The local authority on Greek stuff has spoken; let us move on.

[SuperTylor]

Heh, I'm going to see it with my friend next week when it comes to my theatre. Her parents are landed immigrants from Greece and she doesn't want to see it or even talk about it with her mother who ranted and raved about 'Helen of Troy' for hours after watching it one night.

My friend and I, however, are apprehensive about all these fair skinned and fair haired aryans playing Trojans, though.

[Mav]

I liked it. I'll have to watch it again eventually.

[DarkWolfe]

Sad, I have yet to see it. I've heard really mixed reviews. My gilrfriend said it sucked though, so since she's already seen it, I probablly won't get to see it till it comes on video.

[Mav]

Your girlfriend is a stupid whore. It is your civic duty as a man to slap her and tell her to shut her mouth.

And then go watch the damn movie.

[Calus]

And when you find out the movie sucks you have a civic duty to for

[Eihger]

I thought it was good, because I wasn't expecting a movie made by god, I was expecting a decent movie, and thats what I got, a good movie.

Seriously, most of you have too high of standers for movies.

[Mav]

I fail to see how the movie would meet high standards. I saw the movie becuase my girlfriend has taken at least 3 years of latin, and we went with her latin teacher, and they both liked the movie.