Troy
Title: TroyGenre: Action
Rating: 2/5
Starring: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, Peter O'Toole
This film I have seen more than once, only this time I have read for "Homer", "Virgil", and "Ovid". I am sure basically all of us have heard of the "Trojan War", its causes, its heroes, and its villains, but is hearing enough? After I've seen it this time I assert no! With a budget of 175 million dollars I expected more, especially after stating in the credits that this film is based on "Homer's Iliad". If "Homer" was alive and was able to see, he'd slap every one of the film makers in the face, then go and kill himself from disappointment.
Let me start by dealing with the script. Basically, "David Benioff" slaughtered the "Iliad" in a loathsome way! To those who haven't read the original let me count some of the thing that really irritated me:
• Basically in the film we the "Greeks" camping on "Trojan" shores for about a short period of time, almost a month, while all the events of the "Iliad" took place in the tenth year, yes they have spent ten years on "Trojan" shores, before they were able to break in.
• One of the most important things in the "Iliad" is the participation of the gods in the war. Besides the grandness of watching the gods battle, they had heavy effects on the outcome of battles, and on the meaning and symbolism of the "Iliad" that made it a religious script. "David" thought that was useless.
• We have a hero like "Ajax the Great" who is briefly shown doing what he did best, mauling "Trojans". A good actor that played him. But I have to say this, he didn't die that way! He committed suicide after being driven mad of disgrace when he lost the "Judgment of Arms" to "Odysseus". "Sophocles" would like to have a word with "David" on that.
• "Menelaus" was killed early? Ohh… "Menelaus" was actually the one that returned "Patroclus's" body to the camp, bravely risking his life.
• "Achilles" falling in love with "Briseis"? I laughed so hard on that!
• The duel of "Hector" and "Achilles" was a joke.
• Many, many other great matters "David" either neglected, omitted, or changed to bring us a clichéd film, that ravished the spirit of one of the finest things ever written.
"Wolfgang Peterson" really did a good direction in "Das Boot"; I honestly don't know what happened here. Instead of bringing us something worthy of a name such as "Achilles", he brought us with cooperation with "Brad Pitt" some one suitable for a chick-flick, and this is only one example. The real "Achilles" was more ferocious and relentless, heck, the famous clash between him and "Agamemnon" was because "Briseis", a mere war trophy that only adds to his glory (He didn't fall in love with her and wouldn't care if she died) was taken away from him. For that he spent many days enraged, refusing to fight, enjoying how the "Greeks" are battered without him. "Pitt" had nothing to do with this. "Achilles" was soo feared that the "Trojans" ran away to their city at the sight of him approaching, he was even feared to the point where "Hector" himself even ran away from "Achilles". "Achilles" and "Hector" had a cat and mouse game around the walls of "Troy" three times before demise came to "Hector". All these are just ways to earn more cash by choosing some one like "Pitt" just for his star power. Did I forget to mention that "Achilles" was half a god? Also, in some scenes I felt I was watching a school-yard fight where two people would launch at each other and the others forget what they are doing just to watch,
I spoke of the choice for "Achilles", now for the other choices. The best three choices in this film were "Peter O'Toole" as "King Priam", "Eric Bana" as the noble and patriot "Hector", and "Orlando Bloom" as the carless "Paris". These three fit the description perfectly, others didn't. Why on earth would "Diane Kruger" be chosen to play "Helen"?! I laughed when I saw here. Why? Because she's supposed to be the most beautiful woman on "Earth", thus was the catalyst of the war in the "Judgment of Paris". I accepted "Sean Bean" as "Odysseus", though I wanted to see better thing done from him in the film, and also saw that "John Shrapnel" was a good "Nestor", but that's about it.
One of the best aspects of this film was the music, composed by "James Horner". It was just right, and gave a menacing feeling that suited the atmosphere. The theme song "Remember Me", performed by "Josh Groban", was the perfect song for such a film, with such a theme, and that theme is the glory.
What saved this film for me are the performances of "Peter O'Toole", we can't say anymore about a great actor like him, the performance of "Eric Bana" was the best I saw for him, and the good score and soundtrack. To those who haven't read the poem, don't get me wrong, but do life a favor and go read it then watch this film. Some might argue it's not easy to adapt such a work, but a film like "Jason and the Argonauts" from 1963 objects to these people. To those who have read "Homer", watching this movie would be a test for them to prove if they really understood what they read or not.
The film is based on the events outlined in the Iliad. Which was written over 100 years after the event, and had many of its features exaggerated (Achilles a half god? HAH). Not to mention the manner it was written leaves certain character details to a certain degree of interpretation - nobody alive knows what the characters were like beyond what is known about their actions. He HAD to change the events, as he would have pissed people off even if he kept it to the letter. I can really see a scene of Patroclese getting fucked by Achilles winning audiences.
ReplyDelete*rolls eyes*
Or did you forget Achilles was in love with his Cousin?
And how would they show the gods influences? Some hand coming down from the sky and flicking people? Maybe random lightning storms? That would look as cheesy and cliché as leaving the thanking of the gods to the discussions held.
And as for the characters of Menalaus and Ajax, they didnt have the time to go into more background details. They are full characters that have to presented in a simplistic manner for the story to work without being confusing. This is an action film, not a dramatic re-enaction. You wanted to include three different hector/achilles battles? Go into detail as to the background of each character? Document the events of the entire 10+ year war? You're talking about making a 12 hour long TV show. Not a film.
However, there were some elements that were unnecessary. Why Achilles needed a love interest at all, as well as his disdain for the gods could easily have been removed. He may not have been religious, but he wouldn't have foolishly outwardly defy them either, as well as the death (or lack) of Paris by Achilles, such events were changed for seemingly no reason.
If you're after historical accuracy, or a detailed plot, why are you watching an action film? If you're looking for action, with a splash of drama at times, this wasn't bad.
3/5