Not Your Father's Illiad

Rating: 10/10 (16 May 2004)

This is a very different interpretation of the Illiad than any I've seen.
Gone are the meddling gods; this is a war between men. And it is fought for greed, honor, and religious fanaticism--not entirely unlike the war we're fighting today. Achilles and Hektor are no longer pawns on the chessboard of the gods, but two noble heroes fighting each other for ignoble causes.
This allows Achilles to finally become sympathetic to the modern audience.
(And as much as it makes me grind my teeth to admit it, Brad Pitt did an excellent job.)
It takes a lot of cajones to change the greatest masterpiece in the history of mankind, but the changes they made were, in most cases, necessary for the sensical abridgement of the story or to explain things without using the gods. In all cases, the changes were extremely respectful to the original.
Gone is Achilles hiding in a dress. Gone is Patrocles as the lover in exchange for Patrocles as the ward (which humanizes Achilles greatly). Gone is Briseis as mere war-trophy. She is transformed by a compelling actress and a vital role in the story. And thank Apollo, gone too is the profound injustice the Illiad does Hektor's courage.
Unfortunately, also gone is the most recognizable and poignant scene of the Illiad--Hektor, his son, and his helmet. It is not quite made up for by the poignant scene of Priam in Achilles' tent. But Peter O'Toole does a masterful job there at realizing the undercurrent of the real Achilles story--this is, after all, where Achilles grows up.
The eye-candy in this movie is extraordinary, and I'm not talking about Brad Pitt's butt. Looking at the Greek ships from the walls of Troy is a heart-stopping visual. The war scenes are wonderful. The confrontation between Achilles and Hektor is quite good. I'm not sure why the critics have chosen this movie to gripe about 'boredom' with computer generated scenes--perhaps we should blame Van Helsing.
Yes, there are special effects and CGI, but it doesn't lose its focus, and the sight of Troy is a beautiful one. Hektor's fighting seems mortal next to Achilles', but Achilles himself does not seem a God. It is a glorious fight scene.
Nothing can really be done to make Helen or Paris sympathetic, but blame Homer for that. There's also the moment when Paris is shooting arrows, and you suddenly think, "It's Legolas!" For that you can blame the casting director. There is also the brief, eye-roll inducing, guest-appearance of Aenaes.
Purists may be disappointed in this movie, but historians and general movie-goers needn't be. It is a valiant effort and a respectful ode to Homer.
It actually attempts to answer the question: 'What was the Trojan war _really_ about and what was really behind the Achilles hero-worship'. It offers a thoroughly banal and Hollywood answer--but it at least tries to answer the question.
Most significantly, this movie does the impossible for the modern audience: it makes the Illiad Achilles' story again, not Hektor's. As classics majors everywhere know, that's no mean feat.