MOVIE REVIEW: TROY

Oh well... here we go, Troy to say the least is a decent movie, watchable and all but it is noway comparable to epics such as THE LAST SAMURAI, LORD OF THE RINGS or GLADIATOR. As the show opens there is paraphrasing, almost practically pirating of a line in GLADIATOR where Maximus says some thing about "Elysium" and "Echoing in infinity"... major turn off there. Then there is a lifting of the line where Maximus says "I'll have my vengence in this life or the next," Orlando Bloom cops the line and professes to Helen "I'll have you my love in this life or the next." Gee, master piece of scripting right there. Beyond that, the movie starts off with Brad Pitt(one of my fave actors), who plays the arrogant Achilles, missing in battle or more like the start of the battle. His opening scene sets the pace for his antagonistic role throughout the entire film.

The movie strays from the actual tale in several regards and if you are a stickler on accuracy etc. then you'll have to look beyond the time change(in the tale it's ten years in the movie it's two), Achilles in the Trojan Horse, and Hector killing Menelaus and Ajax to appreciate the movie.

Hector (the character with whom I most sympathize), portrayed by Eric Bana, is divided amongst his piety, his family, and his country. When he first learns that he is leading a ship back from Menelaus to Troy carrying Helen, he considers returning her, but then caves in to the wishes of his brother. When Paris grabs his leg during the single combat between Menelaus and Paris, Hector in a sapsy scene kills Menelaus to protect his brother. Hector kills Achilles' cousin who is sort of like a son to Achilles, then tries to console his wife, and then goes off even when he knows he will die because Achilles is a superior fighter.

Brad Pitt's Achilles is a dead on portrayal. His arrogance, showy fighting style, impulsiveness, petulance, defiance of Agamemnon, and love of Briseis all seem to fit the Achilles Homer described. Achilles is motivated by glory and is aware of the fact that he will die young if he pursues it(gee, Mommy did warn him), but his legend is what matters most to him, because all he believes himself to be, is the best warrior, whom even the gods envy. Brad Pitt was a delight to watch in the fight scenes and the nude scene are probably what will drive the ladies.

The walls of Troy and the fleet of ships dotting the sea as far as you could see were well done. The large battle scenes use real people, instead of relying only on animation techniques, although Brad Pitt's leaping looked like a cross/mix of Matrix and Gladiator in terms of cinematography and special effects.

Orlando Bloom(Legolas) relives his Lord of the Rings role, particularly as an archer (at the end with his triumph over Achilles). Paris is not an especially sympathetic character(I hate him, really I do, more than I did in LOTR). Helen wasn't particularly beautiful( but if your into that Barbie Doll white girl look) and that's probably what she ought to have been, and can anyone explain to me why she is with a real coward and loser.

Briseis (Achilles' main squeeze), was pretty much suped up for the movie, as it deviates her role by a far turn. Briseis was the name of Achilles' one of Achilles' spoils from the war, who was stolen by Agamemnon to spite Achilles' and then returned, when he later needed to appease Achilles. Beyond that and the fact that Achilles and Briseis seem to have loved each other, her character is pretty much baked by the writer and director. In the original story she was married and not the virgin (by any stretch of the imagination) priestess of Apollo. She is also not the cousin of Hector.

The movie is a decent watch especially if your a epic, hero, glory type junkie.