Troy (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Troy (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Review: In 1193 B.C., Prince Paris (Bloom) of Troy makes a beautiful Greek woman, Helen (Kruger), fall in love with him, and convinces her to follow him away from her husband, Menelaus, the king of Sparta, setting the two nations at war with each other, as the Achaean Greeks lay siege to Troy, led by Agamemnon (Cox). Bana plays Hector, the greatest Trojan warrior; Byrne plays Briseis, a Trojan vestal virgin who is taken by and married to Achilles and later appropriated by Agamemnon, causing strife amongst the Greeks.



Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Wannabe Epic Heavy on Spectacle, Light on Heart
Review: In a post-"Lord of the Rings" age, it's nothing if not ballsy to even attempt crafting a large-scale, old-fashioned epic, especially when you know it will be a mere candle when tested against that trilogy's blinding torch of greatness. Still, Warner Bros. and Wolfgang Petersen have tried anyways, casting Brad Pitt as Achilles in an adaptation of certain events from Homer's epic poem "The Iliad". The end result is an entertaining, but woefully overlong and empty wannabe epic.

The story is set into motion when young Paris of Troy (Orlando Bloom, cast accurately as a fancy pretty boy) swoops off across the ocean with Helen (Diane Kruger, beautiful, but as hollow as her porcelain doll looks suggest), who is wife of the Spartan king Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson). The spurned husband responds by enlisting his brother, Greek king Agememnon (Brian Cox, who chews on scenery as if it were tough meat), to help launch an offensive against the whole of Troy.

In command of the Greek army-or, at the very least, its inspirational mascot-is Achilles (Pitt), a warrior of amazing skill but questionable loyalty. He openly despises Agememnon, and refuses to get involved in this war until a personal loss forces him to do so.

At the head of the opposing army is Hector (Eric Bana, in a meaty performance), eldest son of the Trojan king (an excellent Peter O'Toole), and brother of the philandering Paris. He's rumored to be as great in battle as Achilles, and when the two finally meet for some one-on-one action, it's truly an awesome, intense moment.

Sadly, any such intensity in "Troy" fades soon after the swords and spears stop flying. The love story between Paris and Helen is less than involving, and, really, it's just as hard to get into the personal plights of any of the other characters, except for maybe Hector, but that's only because Bana is so damn good. Meanwhile, Achilles is presented as a quiet but cocky man, full of many pretentious musings, all delivered in Pitt's unnecessary and bothersome attempt at a slight British accent. Yet we can never really get inside this man's head, or even begin to understand what he's feeling, even though the movie makes a half-hearted attempt at doing so.

Of course, this film's real selling points are the special effects and many battle sequences. Yet, while impressive, they have a been-there, done-that feel, thanks to another epic about ancient times, 2000's superior "Gladiator". In fact, Wolfgang Petersen, a great director in his own right ("Das Boot", "Air Force One"), seems a little too "inspired" by the Ridley Scott Best Picture winner, and no scene here feels like a truly memorable original.

Still, when all the dust settles, "Troy" stands out as an above-average summer popcorn flick, with plenty of grand action set-ups and an easy-to-follow story that, while never entirely interesting, doesn't exactly bore. However, it also stands out as a below-average epic, marred by a lack of depth and too many scenes that drag. I mean, when a 162-minute movie starts feeling as long as it is, you know things are far from perfect, especially when even the star himself begins to look bored in his surroundings.

Rating:
Summary: A base hit, but no Homer
Review: Is it good account of Homer's tale? Of course not. Still, to be fair, the movie is called "Troy," not "The Iliad." The credits even say that it was "inspired" by the Iliad (an exaggeration; the movie, though often effective, is hardly inspired).

Judged in cinematic, not literary or historical terms, though, "Troy" is by no means the complete turkey that most reviewers pronounced it. The director, Wolfgang Peterson, doesn't do much that is memorable with the cast-of-thousands scenes (with their rather obvious computerized effects), but imparts some dignity and occasional grandeur to the more intimate and solemn moments. The costuming is striking and vivid without being too extravagant, and while the Egyptian-like sets of the city have provoked much scorn and are no doubt anachronistic, we don't know what the Troy of circa 1200 BC looked like, so what's the big deal? The sets, particularly the interiors, are evocative, as is the score, surprisingly exotic and spare for a "big" popular movie.

True, the dialogue is generally undistinguished and trite, and the casting includes a few damp squibs such as the amateurish Garrett Hedlund as Patroclus and an overly pompous Peter O'Toole as King Priam. But some of the acting is right on the money. Casting the great Brian Cox as Agamemnon was a smart move, and Sean Bean as Odysseus steals every scene he's in. Orlando Bloom conveys Paris's charm and impetuosity, offset by callowness. Eric Bana gives the role of Hector the authority that is needed to pull it off.

Saffron Burrows, as Andromache, and Rose Byrne, as Briseis, also distinguish themselves. Diane Kruger (Helen) is not a polished actress, but she has a rare beauty, and the costumer has added to her allure. You believe that this is a face to launch a thousand ships.

Brad Pitt as Achilles is, I think, the film's main weakness. His performance is all sensitive-hulk notes. You're not drawn beneath the surface; he doesn't project what it was in Achilles's character that made him the central figure in an epic.

The scriptwriter had a serious problem on his hands -- making the status of Briseis and the actions of Paris acceptable to modern audiences. In the Iliad, Briseis is -- in line with the mores of the Bronze Age -- no more than a captured slave, a bit of crumpet who precipitates the great stand-off between Achilles and Agamemnon but is otherwise unimportant. Brad Pitt could hardly be portrayed as a brute arguing over a slave girl, so in this version Briseis is a "priestess of Apollo," and Achilles's love interest.

Paris couldn't be presented as a royal yob dragging Helen off to Troy by the hair, so this movie gives us the two as hot young love birds.

(And to ward off any suspicions of a homosexual attraction between Achilles and Patroclus, they have been made into "cousins.")

So I can understand why lovers of the Iliad would find this something of a travesty, and there are other mistakes, such as turning Agamemnon into such an unsympathetic rotter that it destroys the tragic element of two great figures locked in a clash of wills. (And having Briseis [!] slit Agamemnon's throat in the midst of the Greeks' overrunning Troy deprives Aeschylus of some of his best source material.)

But while the movie is in no way on a par with reading Richmond Lattimore's translation of the Iliad, or probably any other translation, it has its pleasures. Take it for what it is.

The letterboxed DVD is an excellent transfer, with richly glowing, natural colors and sound to match. You will of course want the widescreen edition.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and True to the Spirit
Review: Troy does a wonderful job of retelling Homer's epic. While it does not play verbatim to The Illiad (and how could it?), it stays true to the spirit of the work. By eliminating the petty squabbles of the gods and providing a more believable (if not more historically accurate) portrayal of the fall of Troy, we can focus more intently on the characters. Both Pitt and Bana are superb as Achilles and Hector, and the final fight between the two is both gorgeous and tragic as both their fates are sealed.

Rating:
Summary: Movie of the Year
Review: Troy is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It has action, love, and drama. I know alot of people say its a bloody movie, but people fought bloody wars with swords, arrows, and many other blood drenching weapons long ago. Besides the battle scenes, this movie has deeper meaning. It potrays the lust for power and glory, then lets the main character realise that there is more to life than fame. Their is love, honor, and the usual good things in life. I like the fact that there are no gods and goddesses or any other mythical characters in this movie. It tells the story of humans and their struggles which gives the viewer a sense of being able to relate to the characters.

Rating:
Summary: The Trojan War in a Nutshell
Review: Well, now...aside from condensing a 10-year seige into a 2-week affair, I'd have to say that this film has some REALLY impressive elements.

Brad Pitt--Hey, that fancy battle move is worth the whole price. I thought Pitt did a wonderful job of conveying the "victory or death" credo of the Greek warrior. He's a deliciously moody Achilles; and the nuances of soldiering philosophy "a conscience does not become a sword." is well carried off. Pitt often gets less credit than he deserves, I think, because he makes it look too easy, and his performance in TROY is much more than adequate. He creates an Achilles worthy of Homer.

Olando Bloom and Eric Bana are equisitely matched at brothers Paris and Hector. Eric Bana, especially, delivers a stirring performance of the antithesis of Achilles--a warrior with a conscience, a soldier with a reason to live (loving wife and family), a man who fights for his country, not personal glory. Bana probably should have been considered for an Oscar. Orlando's looks and the youthful impetuosity he gives Paris are nicely done.

Great to see Sean Bean as Odysseus. He was everything that planner should be--manipulative, winning.

Peter O'Toole--Well, what can one say? His performance as Priam is exquisite--especially as he pleads with Achilles for the body of his beloved son. Unfortunately, Peter learned a long time ago that Oscar hates him...sad, isn't it?

The weakest link is probably the portrayal of Helen. She's the one character you'd probably want to know more about and yet she impresses the audience as a dishrag...it's a wonder Hector didn't feed her to Agamemnon for dinner just to be rid of her cow-eyed whinning. I think maybe Paris might have helped him do it, actually. She certainly was tiresome. I think Helen just might have had a little more back bone than that--after all, she certainly wasn't ignorant of what the result of her actions would be.

BUT...This film, for any flaws, has an "old-time-epic" feel about it that I don't think has been that well captured since BEN HUR. The thousand ships, the Trojan Plains, the City Gates...it's all pure majesty.

My family was mixed...My daughter, husband, and I liked it very much. My son villified it for not being chapter and verse to THE ILLIAD. But the bottom line is, it's worth a look...it'll make a rainy afternoon fun!



Rating:
Summary: Homer And Hollywood: An Epic Movie
Review: Wolfgang Petersen's film adaptation of the Illiad is good material for a traditional blockbuster movie. It's the number one film in theatres right now. Wolfgang Petersen has made several movies loosely based on novels before, including the children's fantasy The NeverEnding Story in 1984. Starring Brad Pitt as Achilles, Brenda Gleeson as Helen, Orlando Bloom as Paris, Eric Bana as Hector and Peter O Toole as King Priam. It's a visual masterpiece, big battle scenes and epic sweep, but it's a big cake with no substance.

He has completely changed Homer's classic Illiad and cut out several significant characters and made alterations to suit a Hollywood epic starring of all people Brad Pitt as the warrior hero Achilles. Women are not portrayed in a good light, eventhough in the Illiad this remained true, but many important female characters did not feature in the movie. Queen Hecuba, the wife of Priam, is no where to be seen and we are lead to believe King Priam (Peter O'Toole) is an old widower. The blind prophetess Cassandra, who predicted the fall of Troy, is not in the movie either and neither is the old prophet Laoocowom who warned the Trojans of the danger of the Trojan Horse the Greeks left on the shore. The Illiad is completely butchered. Ajax, another warrior is not supposed to die in combat either. Brisceis is a princess and not a temple priestess, something to which even Wolfgang Petersen's script contradicted. In her first meeting with Brad Pitt's Achilles, he tells her she is royalty eventhough she's been a priestess in the temple. With a lot of inaccuracies, this film merely serves as a big Hollywood version of Troy. There have been many versions, in old films and in the summer of 2003 a made for cable series. This film is enjoyable to watch at a purely Hollywood level- brand name celebrities like Brad Pitt in a role he's not used to doing. Impressive yes and good music. Oh, and the gods do not make any appearances, and the gods- Athena, in particular, had a very prominent role in the Trojan War. Also, it's assumed everyone has read the Illiad because there is no explanation for Achilles dying when Paris shot an arrow on his heel. Read the classic Greek legend
cycle instead...it's superior in every way and a treasure of Greek historic literature. Homer would not be proud of this movie even if Hollywood audiences are.

Rating:
Summary: Greek Queens Prefer Trojans . . .
Review: You may take my review's headline any way you care to.

I think I would have liked this movie better had I not been put off by an opening text, not to mention ambient music provided by a wailing woman, that should give the producers of "Gladiator" grounds for copyright infringement. I won't go so far as to call this a rip-off -- I have too much respect for Wolfgang Petersen -- but studio execs do prefer repetition to innovation. At least this is a genre that deserves a rebirth. (So when are Steven Pressfield's "Gates Of Fire" and "Tides Of War" going to make it to the silver screen?)

The casting of Brad Pitt as Achilles may have put the derrieres of young women in the seats of theaters, but he still comes across more as a male model who practices Pilates than a great -- in fact, the greatest -- warrior of Greece. In his opening scene, it was hard to distinguish his fluid figure from those of the women he was sleeping with. The Thessalonikan champion was a hoot -- I had no idea franchises of Gold's Gym, not to mention anabolic steroids, were available in ancient times. (Again, in comparison, the undefeated champ that Maximus faces in Gladiator is much more believable -- big, muscular, and paunchy, a la George Foreman. And he has been retired for five years, undoubtedly to start his own brand of indoor grills.)

Orlando Bloom was a perfect choice for the love-struck Paris. His youthful demeanor lends inself to adolescent impetuousness; his brother Hector (the actor's name has just flown out of my head) at least sports a beard and a believable British accent; my money would have been on him to kick the living daylights out of Brad's way-too-pretty-for-a-warrior, uh, warrior. Not to harp, but Pitt might have been better cast as Helen; even to a dedicated heterosexual (me), he impresses as being more beautiful and ladylike than the actress' face (again, memory fails me as to her name)that might have caused a trailer-park redneck, armed with chewing tobacco and a shotgun, to launch his bass boat, but not, in my book, a thousand warships. Besides, everybody's in near-drag right out of the chute.

O'Toole is at his understated best ("I'm not a Trojan king, I'm a movie star!"), and Cox, who brings a leonine fierceness to Agamemnon is very well cast, although Sean Connery in "Time Bandits" was a more avuncular fellow.

The cliche of the rebellious hero ("Hey Mav, we're goin' BALLISTIC!") is a tiresome theme in American cinema. Even Kevin Costner's Elliot Ness in "The Untouchables" doesn't become a real hero until he commits murder (re: Frank Nitty on the rooftop). And Achilles' motivation -- to be remembered in history -- again, the talk of "eternity" sounds hollow next to that of Russel Crowe's Maximus, who, like E.T., really only wants to go home -- makes him a vainglorious simp who would have been more convincing as a member of Ben Stiller's Viper team in Dodgeball.

Still, overall, this is an entertaining flick. As an afficionado of the history of ancient warfare (and, yes, I've read Herodotus in ancient, Ionian Greek, thank you), it's pure fun for me to root for everybody in sword-wielding, arrow- and spear slinging mayhem; war, after all brings out the best, as well as the worst, in humanity. But it's been asked before, and I'll ask it again: Does every European speak in American idioms using the Queen's English?