Better than the original

Rating: 9/10 (17 May 2004)

Homer's Illiad is a timeless epic adventure, but let's face it, it would never survive as a modern book. The characters make many long winded speeches, there are long stretches of nothing happening, and the gods are constantly (and I mean CONSTANTLY) interfering. It's incredible that the book has survived 3000 years and it's a fascinating snapshot of ancient history, but as a story, it's hard to get into.
This adaptation takes many liberties that enhance the story. Timeframes are necessarily compressed (how do you keep up the tension during a 10 year siege?) and there are a couple of love interests introduced to keep the ladies interested. (The girls are easy on the eyes for the men too.) Hector has been changed to be much more noble (pun intended), and the constant interference from deities is gone (and that's a good thing, although perhaps they went a little too far).
However, the essence of the characters and the tragedy are intact. Achilles is portrayed as a murderous thug seeking glory and missing in purpose, and the Trojans as the honorable heroes doomed to defeat. The theme and underlying feeling of Homer's story is also intact, but with incredible visuals. It's too bad the story centers on vast expanses of boring sand, but the armies and their battles fill the screen to bursting. It was also fascinating to watch ancient fighting styles. The screenplay shows us a precursor to the Roman way of fighting that created an empire.
Overall an excellent movie. Pitt's performance was the standout here. He had just the right mix of arrogance and sadness, and the moves, to be Achilles. Put this with his performance in Snatch and we see a truly good actor, not just another Hollywood hunk.