Having Read Homer's Iliad...

Rating: 7/10 (15 May 2004)

I took Western Mythology in high school, and I read the Iliad. If I hadn't read the book, or epic poem, whatever you wish to call it, I probably would give this movie a nine or ten.
As it were, I think this film is worthy of an eight. The action was excellent, Eric Bana and Brad Pitt were fantastic, and the sets were amazing.
The only thing I was disappointed in were the inconsistencies between the movie and the Iliad. First off, Menelaus and Agamemnon do not die in Troy. They are both killed in their homes. Ajax (or Aias, as he was called in the book) also doesn't die until after the war. He loses a footrace to Odysseus for Achilles' armor and kills himself because he felt like he was cheated. I didn't mind Ajax being killed as much as the others, because it did help in the progression of the movie, and portraying Hector as a great warrior and a hero for his people.
I did not like that there was no indication of how much time passed during the course of the war. The Trojan War was ten years long, and there was never any mention of that.
Contrary to what people have been saying, Orlando Bloom did an excellent job of portraying Paris. Paris is by nature a coward, and selfish. He does not think of others before thinking of himself. The role was played well, and the part was written accurately.
One thing that was integral to Achilles' return to the battle was left out. When Patroclus wore his armor into battle, and Hector kills him, Hector takes Achilles' armor and wears it on the field. Achilles is brought new armor, made by the gods, by his mother Thetis, a goddess, who played too small a role (you only see her picking up seashells before he leaves for war), I felt.
Aeneas' involvement was also something I felt was missed. You only meet him in the movie when Paris gives him the Sword of Troy and tells him to take the people through the tunnel. Aeneas was Troy's best soldier after Hector, the son of a goddess. He is wounded by Diomedes (a character I was disappointed didn't make an appearance) and is taken off of the field of battle, which leads to his journeys in Virgil's Aeneid.
One thing I loved, Sean Bean as Odysseus. I loved him in this role. I would very much like to see him play the same character in an adaptation of The Odyssey.
Achilles also lived far too long in the movie. He did not live long enough to see the inside of Troy, he dies on the battlefield, and never sees the Trojan Horse.
One simple thing the peeved me, the pronunciation of Brendan Gleeson's character's name. They pronounce it "Men-uh-louse" when the recognized pronunciation of it has always been "Men-uh-lay-us."
Don't get me wrong, overall, it was a good film, well acted, well shot, well edited. I just would have enjoyed it so much more if I hadn't read Homer's Iliad, or if they had been more true to the story. This is the best film I've seen based on the Trojan War, though.
Eight out of ten.