History Teachers this is the movie for Students

Rating: 9/10 (14 May 2004)

Troy
History has another take on the lives of Helen of Troy and Paris. According to history, Queen Helen of Sparta was indeed the worlds most beautiful woman. Back then, royals believed they were impregnated by gods. Helens father was Zeus. This parentage made sex with her very desirable to Greek kings.
In Troy we are first introduced to the brilliant warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt), the most fearless and invincible warrior of the time,in battle. Achilles is so legendary a warrior that he is brooding, self-centered, and at odds with King Agamemnon (Brain Cox).
The plot is well known: Paris, Prince of Troy (Bloom) on the eve of a peace treaty with rival Greek King Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), spirits away Menelaus wife Helen (Diane Kruger), setting off a Greek-Trojan war. Menelaus joins forces with his powerful brother/king Agamemnon (Brian Cox), who raises an army to assault and conquer the high walls of Troy a feat reputed to be impossible. One of the Greek kings pressed into service for the attack is Odysseus (whose trials returning from this war are chronicled in Homers The Odyssey) and Odysseus in turn convinces the famed warrior Achilles (Pitt) to seek fame in the battle. On the Trojan side stands Paris, his brother Hector (Bana), and their father/king Priam (OToole) and the battle for Troy rages for the bulk of the film. The story is told on an epic scale. Reports of a ballooning budget plagued this movies production. After watching it, I can tell you that it was time well spent. A combination of enormous sets, a cast of thousands, and the magic of computer-generated imagery bring this story to life to such a degree that it appears as if it was filmed in an ancient Greek city rather than on modern sets. The sheer look of this movie is entertainment enough. Only one element is missing from this modern retelling, and that is the Gods themselves. While in the original tale, and in the Classic Comic version for that matter, the Gods played active roles in the battle, here they are worshiped, but never make an appearance. It gives the story a more realistic tone, but I do wish the filmmakers had found a way to work them into the movie. If there is one weakness to the film, it is the somewhat melodramatic dialogue. But this is a Greek tragedy and it fits the mood of the story.
The cast is superb, with Pitt and Bana getting the best roles. Bloom, in a bit of bravery as an actor, plays a moment of cowardice as Paris, which had several members of the audience actually booing him. A buffed up Pitt gets the sexier role as Achilles, but it is Bana as Hector who is the real hero of the piece. And of course, Peter OToole brings a bit of old time movie acting class to the modern production.
History or Mythology teachers looking for a way to get their students into Greek mythology have a new tool to make learning exciting and action fans have a new film to add to their must-see summer movie list. (9)