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jchrisobrienThe short version:
Brad Pitt: "I'm the prettiest."
Eric Bana: "No, I'm the prettiest."
Orlando Bloom: "No, I'M the prettiest!"
Sean Bean: "I get to live!"
Diane Kruger: "Shouldn't I be the prettiest."
All: "SHUT IT, HELEN!"
I often seem to like a lot of films most people don't. It could be because I have not taste, or it could be because I have a lower expectation of films, and am easy to please. What's closest to the truth is that I can read between the lines, and answer my own questions about why things play out the way they do in films. Whatever. The point is, I enjoyed Troy. This is not to say that it was a great movie, or even a good one. Opinions vary widely on that. I can say what I liked about it, and that will be enough.
Troy is basically this year's Gladiator, but not as good. One difficulty with Troy is that there are a lot of unlikable characters. Achilles is self righteous and arrogant, Agamemnon is drunk with power, Paris is vain and self centered. Helen is fairly bland, and she makes a huge error in judgment, but she was trapped in a loveless marriage, and who can be truly angry with her leaving her lout of a husband? Hector was, well, the shit. He was a very sympathetic person, probably the best and most well rounded character of the film.
It's hard to like a film when you have so many people that are unlikable. I, however, liked them because they were flawed. It's one thing to have heroes like Aragorn and Legolas, who always seem to do the right thing. It's another to have characters that do something horrible wrong, try to make up for it, FAIL, and try again with moderate success. Paris was a ho, but tried to put an end to what he helped start. His cowardice, and having to live with his shame afterwards, allowed his character to continue to change and grow. I got the sense that he might someday grow to be the man Hector was, if he learns from his mistakes.
Now I don't mean to sound all gay or anything, but Brad Pit was a hot Achilles. He was a god walking among mortals, his power in battle only exceeded by his pride. I think he could have pulled off the brooding part a little better (see Christopher Lambert in Highlander) but I really got the sense he was a force of nature. I haven't read the Iliad recently, but I'm sure his romantic interest was grafted in there. It didn't annoy me, but we probably could have done without it. Brad in battle was damn cool and his battle with Hector? Truly epic.
Despite the fact that this Helen wasn't that notable, let's cut her some slack. Helen was supposed to be the hottest thing under the sun. In the Iliad, Paris picked her over the goddess of love herself. These days, people would have probably wanted her dead for getting them involved in a war. But, again, she was supposed to be the very definition of beauty, and we all know that people cut Beauty a lot of slack. Especially if you are living in the mightiest fortified city in the know world. Plus, they played the loveless wife angle with Helen. The movie may not have gone far enough to establish the relationship between Paris and Helen, but I understood it as Helen finally found someone she loved, and Paris found someone that would make him give up his philandering ways. If this were a modern story, they would probably end up in a divorce six months down the road, but this is an epic. True Love, and all that.
Troy is the kind of movie that I will end up owning. Even if I just watch the fight between Hector and Achilles. And Achilles showering. AHEM! I mean Helen. Yeah. That's it.
Brad Pitt: "I'm the prettiest."
Eric Bana: "No, I'm the prettiest."
Orlando Bloom: "No, I'M the prettiest!"
Sean Bean: "I get to live!"
Diane Kruger: "Shouldn't I be the prettiest."
All: "SHUT IT, HELEN!"
I often seem to like a lot of films most people don't. It could be because I have not taste, or it could be because I have a lower expectation of films, and am easy to please. What's closest to the truth is that I can read between the lines, and answer my own questions about why things play out the way they do in films. Whatever. The point is, I enjoyed Troy. This is not to say that it was a great movie, or even a good one. Opinions vary widely on that. I can say what I liked about it, and that will be enough.
Troy is basically this year's Gladiator, but not as good. One difficulty with Troy is that there are a lot of unlikable characters. Achilles is self righteous and arrogant, Agamemnon is drunk with power, Paris is vain and self centered. Helen is fairly bland, and she makes a huge error in judgment, but she was trapped in a loveless marriage, and who can be truly angry with her leaving her lout of a husband? Hector was, well, the shit. He was a very sympathetic person, probably the best and most well rounded character of the film.
It's hard to like a film when you have so many people that are unlikable. I, however, liked them because they were flawed. It's one thing to have heroes like Aragorn and Legolas, who always seem to do the right thing. It's another to have characters that do something horrible wrong, try to make up for it, FAIL, and try again with moderate success. Paris was a ho, but tried to put an end to what he helped start. His cowardice, and having to live with his shame afterwards, allowed his character to continue to change and grow. I got the sense that he might someday grow to be the man Hector was, if he learns from his mistakes.
Now I don't mean to sound all gay or anything, but Brad Pit was a hot Achilles. He was a god walking among mortals, his power in battle only exceeded by his pride. I think he could have pulled off the brooding part a little better (see Christopher Lambert in Highlander) but I really got the sense he was a force of nature. I haven't read the Iliad recently, but I'm sure his romantic interest was grafted in there. It didn't annoy me, but we probably could have done without it. Brad in battle was damn cool and his battle with Hector? Truly epic.
Despite the fact that this Helen wasn't that notable, let's cut her some slack. Helen was supposed to be the hottest thing under the sun. In the Iliad, Paris picked her over the goddess of love herself. These days, people would have probably wanted her dead for getting them involved in a war. But, again, she was supposed to be the very definition of beauty, and we all know that people cut Beauty a lot of slack. Especially if you are living in the mightiest fortified city in the know world. Plus, they played the loveless wife angle with Helen. The movie may not have gone far enough to establish the relationship between Paris and Helen, but I understood it as Helen finally found someone she loved, and Paris found someone that would make him give up his philandering ways. If this were a modern story, they would probably end up in a divorce six months down the road, but this is an epic. True Love, and all that.
Troy is the kind of movie that I will end up owning. Even if I just watch the fight between Hector and Achilles. And Achilles showering. AHEM! I mean Helen. Yeah. That's it.
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no subject
Date: 2004-05-16 10:25 pm (UTC)I'm going to be a huge lit geek and correct you here. Helen was a bribe. Aphrodite told Paris that if he chose her as the most beautiful goddess, she would give him the most beautiful woman in all the world, ie Helen. Remember the whole thing with the golden apple, the goddesses fighting over who "the fairest" was, and them deciding to have a contest with a mortal male (Paris) as the judge, and each of them trying to bribe him?
no subject
Date: 2004-05-17 06:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-16 11:10 pm (UTC)Go see TROY!
-blah blah blha-
ending with
P.S. Their Ajax is taller but our Ajax could take him.
and yes, they mean STEVE!
no subject
Date: 2004-05-17 06:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-17 06:20 am (UTC)At this point, Trojans started to gain land and push the Greeks back to the boats. Achilles his best friend (and rumored lover), the noble Patroclus convinces Achilles to let him borrow his armour to raise morale and drive back the Trojans. Patroclus succeeds, but is killed by Hector at the walls of Troy.
In the book, it is the grief over loosing Patroclus that drives Hector into a frenzy and leads to the killing of Hector at the gates.
Having heard that the movie nearly gets rid of Patroclus's role altogether, I'm curious as to how they get Achilles to the gates.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-17 06:30 am (UTC)Patrolces, pissed off at being told to guard the boat, takes Achilles armor and leads the myrmidons into battle. He fights Hector, Hector kills him, Achilles loses his shit and goes to the walls of Troy.
In that respect it's like the book. Big differences? Patrocles is the cousin, not the lover, and Achilles and Briseis hook up.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-17 03:36 pm (UTC)Before I saw this, I was willing to grant some of the things you mention (such as the Paris/Helen thing). I still would've, if Helen hadn't been so damn boring. And honestly, there was no excuse for Briseis being *so* pivotal (and probably *the* most obnoxious character of all).
As for flawed heroes, I definitely get that. Buffy's flaws were what made me adore her. But there's a difference between that and this Paris, whom we don't get to see enough of to make a determination on. They spent too much time on perfect girlpower!heroine Briseis to allow us an honest look at what Paris could become. Hector's flaws, on the other hand, were intriguing, yet I still connected with him and saw his innate heroism.
Yes, there was much pretty. And for that, I am grateful. But still not worthy of its hype. And that's all I'm (finally) going to say about it. :)
disappointed..
Date: 2004-05-20 03:50 pm (UTC)all i could think of was Legolas killed Achilles... just can't quite erase the golden-haired image of Orlando Bloom with a bow and arrow in his hands.