Troy

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2008)

Troy- Troy the movie is a retelling of the Iliad. The main character is Achilles (Brad Pitt), the tormented warrior. He cares of nothing but war in the beginning of the movie, all he wants to do is fight, and have his name go down in history. He hates Agamemnon, the king of Greece, who thinks of nothing but himself. Agamemnon thinks it is a great opportunity to conquer Troy when Helen leaves his brother with Paris (Orlando Bloom) one of the princes of Troy. The movie was exceptional and I highly recommend it to all (except those that are squeamish and/or prudes).
The movie took some serious artistic license because they changed a lot of facts from history. For one the thing the actual Troy was smaller, and Menelaus wasn't killed by Hector to name a few. In some stories Helen went willingly with Paris to Troy (like in the movie) but in others she was abducted. Achilles relationship with Brisies might upset fans of the Iliad. For example Brisies is a priestess of Apollo in the movie, therefore a virgin. In the Iliad she is widowed. I give the accuracies of the movie B plus. I personally loved the story line but I know some people who were upset with how much they changed.
One thing the movie did get right was the costumes, amazing set design, and not to mention the special effects. The men wore what looked to be primitive soldier outfits, including skirts. The woman wore dresses that fits what you expect a women in that time and place to wear (no corsets). Helen wears the typical Helen white dress, and Achilles in his world famous armor. When you first see Troy on the screen it looks like an actual place with big buildings, houses, and lots and lots of extras. The thousand ships that sail to Troy look real not like computer images and then of course there is the army. Not all of those people could have been real, they must have had some digitally animated. I give the effects an A plus, the costumes an A plus, and the set design a B plus, Troy was actually much smaller in reality. The last thing is the acting. With a movie featuring so many well known faces you know that it will be great, and it was. Brad seemed to bring Achilles to life on screen. He portrayed the strong warrior perfectly so that you liked him even when he wasn't being so nice. Paris was very likable, unlike in the Iliad (although I kind of hated him in the end of the movie when he killed Achilles), and Orlando bring a certain something to his character. Briseis, played by Rose Byrne, is one of my favorite characters. She's self riotous, strong, independent, and kind all at the same time. She's so wrong for Achilles, she's perfect for him. The chemistry between the two is amazing and you see sparks from the very beginning. Eric Bana plays Hector. Hector is smart and likable. Unlike Achilles he doesn't kill because he wants to but because he has to. He is the one that shows his wife the secret passage way out of Troy which saves many Trojans. Helen is played by Diane Kruger. While she does not have many scenes she is obviously important. After all if she hadn't left their would be no war, something she feels very guilty about. I did not find her acting very good to be honest. She just wasn't right for the role. I give the acting an A plus, excusing the miss casting of Helen.
Overall I really liked the movies. Historians will want to see it for the facts, movie goers will want to see it for the great plot line, and romantics will want to see it for the love scene which are manly between Briseis and Achilles, and Helen and Paris. The whole entire move deserves an A plus but I have to make it an A minus because of some messing with historical facts, and the horrible casting of Helen. I highly recommend the movie.