why downgrade all the great causes to love?

Rating: Null/10 (24 May 2004)

So, couple days ago, exactly the day after the school year ends, I turned 20, not sth. I was looking forward to. Usually, I spent the special day of the year with friends, either in movie theatre or soccer pub, no exception this year, spent the night for TROY. So far, I have hated being 20 here in states, not young enough to do stupid things anymore, but not old enough to do cool things yet. Okay, so, first, for TROY. Epics have never been my favorite, i'm more a weird movie person, movies such as Fight Club, Kill Bill, ChungKing Express just click me right away. But it's funny how it's really every time I watch an epic can I really feel the unlimited power of cinema.
As for the movie itself, I don't even think Troy is that great. The storyline is kinda retarded, I hate the fact that they downgrade everything to the cause of love. The best thing about the Iliad is that you know that human beings are so easily manipulated by the Gods, and the same are doomed too, however, they don't give up, they don't just wait there and be like, yes, let the Gods decide what to do, otherwise, there won't even be this war. They believe in and respect the Gods, but when they are angry, they are brave enough to attack the Gods too. They know their fate, they know they're doomed, but they are men enough to take it, to try everything they can, not trying to change the fate, but to live the most out of the limited life. They look for their personal values under doomed fate and limited lifetime, this value cannot be simplified as sth. like love. I admit the fact that the Iliad is also a fiction that's created by Homers, so it's true that the screenwriter has his right to create a new version, but I just don't like this Hollywoodized storyline. The power of the cinema is that even with disliking the whole story, I cannot resist the charm of the movie itself. The setting is great, this whole copper tune brings everyone right back to 3200 years ago, bring you right into the world of heroes. The costumes and make-ups, man, if you look at how the actors look like in real life and look at their characters again, you cannot help thinking 'wow, that's really like magic', that's the beauty of cinema, it turns imagination into fact. And the music, scored by James Horner, who did Brave Heart, Meet Joe Black and Legends of the Fall and lots of others, the perfect guy for an epic movie. With Josh Groban's deep voice, the theme song is like Archilles' song. The battle scenes are great, especially the fight scene of Archilles' v.s. Hector and the play scene of Archillles with his cousin, As a girl from China who's totally obsessed with Chow Yun-Fat's action movies, it's amazing for me to see how classic a western style fight scene can be.
I think the action guys really find the exact move for Archilles, swift like wind, but strong as giant, he is a LION. I believe that scene will be remembered., just as this movie will not be forgot. As for the characters, I think Brad Pitt's Archilles would be perfect without this little love thing. I love it so much that this movie is so much about the contrast between the two heroes, Archilles and Hector. They're both great men and warriors, yet, they're so different in a way that Archilles is rebellious, angry and ' he is allegiance to nobody but himself', while Hector, just as good as a warrior, he is mighty, responsible, has deep love for his family and country, lives by this simple code'honor the Gods, love your women and defend your country'. But this stupid love thing of Brad Pitt, which I would admit does add some charm to him ( well, there's no doubt that Brad Pitt is just the perfect lover in the movie, he looks sooooo hot especially when he's being a great lover), totally have ruined Archilles character and this contract between the two heroes. I think in a way that Archilles is more like the gods because he fears nothing but also loves nothing, as Odeysseus said 'fear could be a good thing', and Hector, is still a human, he has too many to fear and too many to love. That's why Archilles is admired but Hector is loved by the audience. And Paris, can't believe Orlando Bloom just keeps getting this kinda pretty innocent boy roles, although he does look like it. I guess people generally don't like him in the movie, which makes sense since he's such a coward. But I think it's not fair to Paris, only because the movie is full of warriors doesn't mean everyone was born and trained as brave.
Well, in the poem, Paris was kinda annoying coz he's just like a woman-killer and player, and also, on the field, he appears to be brave until he sees Manelaus, then he hides behind his solders. But they apparently tried to make Paris more pitiful in the movie, in which he is this little pretty boy loved by everyone in the family who has never fought in a war and never seen anyone die. Then, I think there shall be no blame on him that he gets scared in a real fight, after all, he is a LOVER, but not a FIGHTER, at least in the movie. And he does have some courage and responsibility that he suggests the idea of fighting Manelaus himself and refuses to leave when the city is burning. The irony is that both the heroes died, but Paris, killed the greatest warrior ever born and survived. Overall, I think Eric Bana and Peter O'Toole deserved the most for their acting, Eric Bana literally brought Hector to life, coz I don't think Hector would have been that great or at least that touch me if it was someone else. Orlando Bloom had a lot of cheesy lines, but he's the lover in the movie and I think he does well in that. Brad Pitt, Archilles benefits from more of Pitt's good look than his acting, although he does seem to have done a pretty good job. It's a pity that no women in the movie really had any space to develop their characters, after all, this is a war movie, but I expected more from Helen, which didn't happen in the movie. Anyways, It has a lot of weaknesses as an epic, but it's worth seeing, and could be movie of the year if there's nothing fantastic coming out till next year. I like it this way to start my journal in the 20th year with a movie review(well, not really review, I guess).