Heh. Well, actually one thing I LIKED is that they made it a point to actually paint various parts of the Iliad as myths. Now, I haven't read the Iliad, but I can safely assume by the posts here and by the fact that it's a Hollywood movie that it was NOT true to the writing. However, there are parts of the movie that at least attempt to show how real events could lead to myths. A child near the beginning of the movie says he he's heard that Achilles is invulnerable, which Achilles scoffs at. And when Achilles is shot through the heel, that single shot alone doesn't kill him, because he is also shot at least twice in the rest of his body.
As far as how good it was as a movie... well, not perfect of course, but not too bad either. I enjoyed it. Corny at times, but fairly good overall. But seeing it just reminded me why I don't go to see a movie more than about once a month, if that.
There's some girl down the hall who has a cover of a magazine with a shot of Orlando Bloom in some armor that I suppose he wore for the movie. What we learn from this is that Greeks, Trojans, and -hell- mediterrean folks in general are completely free of body hair. It's an amazing historical find.
There's some girl down the hall who has a cover of a magazine with a shot of Orlando Bloom in some armor that I suppose he wore for the movie. What we learn from this is that Greeks, Trojans, and -hell- mediterrean folks in general are completely free of body hair. It's an amazing historical find.
By the way, I still want to see it.
And Pitt's profile is not greek at all. Actually it's kinda monkey-ish.
I didn't have high hopes, but I wanted to see it anyway. I remember studying the Iliad back in college and wanted to see it "played out."
You know, I can understand "abridging" stories for the screen, but whoever wrote this script had NO idea what made the Illiad a story that has endured for (literally) thousands of years. I mean think about it, this story has captured people's imaginations, at least in concept, for a few millineum and they couldn't make it work.
I realize they (whoever "they" are) were trying to take the story of the fall of Troy and make it historical, rather than re-enact the Illiad. But it just doesn't work. All the intirigue between Hera, Apollo, Athena, and company is just too much a part of the story--it's not a war story, it's a SOAP OPERA in Greek clothing.
And I found turning a 10 year seige into 14 days, well, highly annoying. AND Agemmenon is supposed to get killed by his WIFE.
And it's too bad, because visually it's very appealing. Maybe it should watched with the sound off?
I don't think Sean Bean got the credit he deserves as Oedipus (a part that is not even hinted at in the trialers I've seen).
This is another Jerry McGuire! I went to see a Greek vs Trojan epic and a love story broke out..a few times!
My thoughts.
Eric Bana as Hector Great role for Bana. Hector is my favorite in the story. Humble yet stern leadership. Emotion and compassion. This is the most well written character IMO.
Brad Pitt as Achilles Bad role for Pitt. His strength is playing modern characters but he is woefully inadequate as in period roles like this. Of course though Hollywood is banking on his star/sex appeal. Folks get ready for a "sensitive" Achilles LOL
Brian Cox as Agemmemnon Cox played this character a little over the top. They should have shown why Agemmemnon was the ruler of Greece. Here he simply comes off as a brutish thug and you are left wondering just how he got there.
Orlando Bloom as Paris Legolas in Troy. Bloom does a decent job. The Paris role suited him fine. Bloom is of small stature and it was comedic watching him fight Brendan Gleeson. I think Bloom is better suited to roles like this. He's effeminate and likely won't do well in "rugged" roles.
Peter O'Toole as Priam O'Toole did good things here. I think they could have used him a bit more and focused less on Pitt. O'Toole kind of tempered the over the top acting of some of the other cast.
Troy is nowhere close to being LotR quality. The writing and even directing just aren't there. This movie was/is about eye candy, sizzle vs steak as opposed to being crafted carefully. I didn't mind the CGI, the battle scenes were fine. The score was a disappointment. While not being bad it just reflected the movie...drab. You will watch Troy and after almost 3 hrs you will realize that there are no scenes that really stand out as memorable. The dynamics of this movie are squashed. You neither feel a deep sense of dread or elation during the high points. It's a worthy watch at matinee pricing.
..........Maybe it should watched with the sound off?
the whole thing should have been a silent movie---between the cratered dialoge and Pitts "acting" I cringed with pain at every word. No worn-out sterotypical movie line was spared---it was like a root canal with no anesthesia. At one point I thought I could hear muffled cries for help in the theater---and something that sounded suspiciosly like a dentists drill. The original story was burned beyond recognition by Hollywood's groupthink---they will need dental records to identify the original author.
The thing that bothered me with Bana's Hector was he slipped up in the first 10-15 minutes of the movie, and I hear that downunder drawl---just for a brief moment; after that I kept waiting for him to confide to Paris: ---'aw, sheeit, once that first spear flys past yer head, all the politics goes right out th' window........
THE PAIN!!--THE PAIN!!!! MY EYYYYYYYYYESSSSS!!!!!! MY EYYYYYYYYES!!!!!!!!!!
They butchered the story, they fucked up the soundtrack and some of the acting and directing sucked.
That said, it was a much better movie than i expected it to be. If you look for entertainment, sun-tanned men in skirts, and mmm some hollywood emotions done gritty enough to come off as somewhat edgy and authentic at the time of viewing: this is your movie.
It's actually a comment many people made: it isn't a great movie for many many reasons, but it's still a damn enjoyable one.
One of the strangest pieces of news I've learned about Troy is that the site of the battles of Gallipoli are within eyesight of the ancient city of Troy.
It is getting mixed reviews and I really do not see why. It is a good little movie. Brad Pitt does a good job playing the arrogant Achilles. Peter O'Toole does a great job as Priam, Eric Bana does a magnificent job as Hector.
It is long (163 minutes) and it doesn't follow the story to the letter, but I don't really care about that because it is not like it is actual history. If anything, it tries to be more realistic than the stories. If you are looking for The Clash of the Titans you will be disappointed. If you are looking for the gods to play a role you will be disappointed.
*SPOILER (though it shouldn't be)*
When, at the end, you see Achilles dead with an arrow through his heel it makes you think of how the legend might have grown instead of the character actually dying because of some gap in his mystical power.
*END SPOILER*
I cannot wait for people (not necessarily here) to whine about how it wasn't fantastical enough. How idiotic and lame would it have been for gods to intervene? Campy and horrible.
I'm not sold on this whole Troy thing. Since when has this been such a hot subject matter? We need more Robot movies. Yeah, and a Jurrasic Park 4. Yeah.
Comments
Originally posted by Luca
Heh. Well, actually one thing I LIKED is that they made it a point to actually paint various parts of the Iliad as myths. Now, I haven't read the Iliad, but I can safely assume by the posts here and by the fact that it's a Hollywood movie that it was NOT true to the writing. However, there are parts of the movie that at least attempt to show how real events could lead to myths. A child near the beginning of the movie says he he's heard that Achilles is invulnerable, which Achilles scoffs at. And when Achilles is shot through the heel, that single shot alone doesn't kill him, because he is also shot at least twice in the rest of his body.
As far as how good it was as a movie... well, not perfect of course, but not too bad either. I enjoyed it. Corny at times, but fairly good overall. But seeing it just reminded me why I don't go to see a movie more than about once a month, if that.
There's some girl down the hall who has a cover of a magazine with a shot of Orlando Bloom in some armor that I suppose he wore for the movie. What we learn from this is that Greeks, Trojans, and -hell- mediterrean folks in general are completely free of body hair. It's an amazing historical find.
By the way, I still want to see it.
Originally posted by Splinemodel
There's some girl down the hall who has a cover of a magazine with a shot of Orlando Bloom in some armor that I suppose he wore for the movie. What we learn from this is that Greeks, Trojans, and -hell- mediterrean folks in general are completely free of body hair. It's an amazing historical find.
By the way, I still want to see it.
And Pitt's profile is not greek at all. Actually it's kinda monkey-ish.
Originally posted by soulcrusher
And Pitt's profile is not greek at all. Actually it's kinda monkey-ish.
Monkey-boy!!
You know, I can understand "abridging" stories for the screen, but whoever wrote this script had NO idea what made the Illiad a story that has endured for (literally) thousands of years. I mean think about it, this story has captured people's imaginations, at least in concept, for a few millineum and they couldn't make it work.
I realize they (whoever "they" are) were trying to take the story of the fall of Troy and make it historical, rather than re-enact the Illiad. But it just doesn't work. All the intirigue between Hera, Apollo, Athena, and company is just too much a part of the story--it's not a war story, it's a SOAP OPERA in Greek clothing.
And I found turning a 10 year seige into 14 days, well, highly annoying. AND Agemmenon is supposed to get killed by his WIFE.
And it's too bad, because visually it's very appealing. Maybe it should watched with the sound off?
I don't think Sean Bean got the credit he deserves as Oedipus (a part that is not even hinted at in the trialers I've seen).
This is another Jerry McGuire! I went to see a Greek vs Trojan epic and a love story broke out..a few times!
My thoughts.
Eric Bana as Hector Great role for Bana. Hector is my favorite in the story. Humble yet stern leadership. Emotion and compassion. This is the most well written character IMO.
Brad Pitt as Achilles Bad role for Pitt. His strength is playing modern characters but he is woefully inadequate as in period roles like this. Of course though Hollywood is banking on his star/sex appeal. Folks get ready for a "sensitive" Achilles LOL
Brian Cox as Agemmemnon Cox played this character a little over the top. They should have shown why Agemmemnon was the ruler of Greece. Here he simply comes off as a brutish thug and you are left wondering just how he got there.
Orlando Bloom as Paris Legolas in Troy. Bloom does a decent job. The Paris role suited him fine. Bloom is of small stature and it was comedic watching him fight Brendan Gleeson. I think Bloom is better suited to roles like this. He's effeminate and likely won't do well in "rugged" roles.
Peter O'Toole as Priam O'Toole did good things here. I think they could have used him a bit more and focused less on Pitt. O'Toole kind of tempered the over the top acting of some of the other cast.
Troy is nowhere close to being LotR quality. The writing and even directing just aren't there. This movie was/is about eye candy, sizzle vs steak as opposed to being crafted carefully. I didn't mind the CGI, the battle scenes were fine. The score was a disappointment. While not being bad it just reflected the movie...drab. You will watch Troy and after almost 3 hrs you will realize that there are no scenes that really stand out as memorable. The dynamics of this movie are squashed. You neither feel a deep sense of dread or elation during the high points. It's a worthy watch at matinee pricing.
Originally posted by Fangorn
..........Maybe it should watched with the sound off?
the whole thing should have been a silent movie---between the cratered dialoge and Pitts "acting" I cringed with pain at every word. No worn-out sterotypical movie line was spared---it was like a root canal with no anesthesia. At one point I thought I could hear muffled cries for help in the theater---and something that sounded suspiciosly like a dentists drill. The original story was burned beyond recognition by Hollywood's groupthink---they will need dental records to identify the original author.
The thing that bothered me with Bana's Hector was he slipped up in the first 10-15 minutes of the movie, and I hear that downunder drawl---just for a brief moment; after that I kept waiting for him to confide to Paris: ---'aw, sheeit, once that first spear flys past yer head, all the politics goes right out th' window........
THE PAIN!!--THE PAIN!!!! MY EYYYYYYYYYESSSSS!!!!!! MY EYYYYYYYYES!!!!!!!!!!
That said, it was a much better movie than i expected it to be. If you look for entertainment, sun-tanned men in skirts, and mmm some hollywood emotions done gritty enough to come off as somewhat edgy and authentic at the time of viewing: this is your movie.
It's actually a comment many people made: it isn't a great movie for many many reasons, but it's still a damn enjoyable one.
?
It is getting mixed reviews and I really do not see why. It is a good little movie. Brad Pitt does a good job playing the arrogant Achilles. Peter O'Toole does a great job as Priam, Eric Bana does a magnificent job as Hector.
It is long (163 minutes) and it doesn't follow the story to the letter, but I don't really care about that because it is not like it is actual history. If anything, it tries to be more realistic than the stories. If you are looking for The Clash of the Titans you will be disappointed. If you are looking for the gods to play a role you will be disappointed.
*SPOILER (though it shouldn't be)*
When, at the end, you see Achilles dead with an arrow through his heel it makes you think of how the legend might have grown instead of the character actually dying because of some gap in his mystical power.
*END SPOILER*
I cannot wait for people (not necessarily here) to whine about how it wasn't fantastical enough. How idiotic and lame would it have been for gods to intervene? Campy and horrible.
Good movie, definitely worth seeing.
http://forums.appleinsider.com/showt...threadid=42055
Got him!
From the comics to tagging Big Daddy G-rat, good stuff!
Oh, and the movie was ok, not bad at all...
Troy was just horrendous and Homer is definetly turning in his tomb.
No role of the Gods (which was the WHOLE POINT OF THE STORY), nothing mythological, hardly any coherence to th real twists and turns...
All in all... a perfect movie for the mindless crowds out there.
And WHATEVER YOU DO, don't tell your students to see the movie to get a "feel" for what the Illiad and odyssey__is about.
I can see the future generations saying "yeah, but this book is wrong, because in the movie Brad Pitt..."
horrible... boo... hisss