If you are a fan of mythological and historical movies with lots of sword fights, Troy is right up to your alley.But don’t expect an exact copy of the Illiad.Homer would be turning over in his grave if he knew the improvitions made to his story.
Expect the unexpected.This is totally different from the book.The Gods are missing here.Helen is shown only in a few scenes.This movie is about the Trojan war and the motives of Greeks and Trojans.As Hector tells Helen “this is not about you.This is about power.”We have Briseis who is some sort of combination of Princess Cessandra and the Apollo priest’s daughter. I was afraid they would show the murder of Hector’s son and the capture of the rest as slaves.Thankfully I was spared that. Some Trojans including the royal family are shown as escaping.
Why you should see Troy
1.Excellent music by James Horner.Especially the haunting melody ‘Remember’ when the Greek army advances.
2.Eric Bana as Hector.His eyes convey so much pain and he fits the character of Prince Hector to a tee.He portrays the distress of a man torn between doing what is politically correct(returning Helen) and his love for his brother, beautifully.
3.Excellent wardrobe.I expected white togas and was pleasantly surprised by the colorful costumes.
4.Peter O’Toole as old King Priam.The conversation between him and Achilles when he asks for his son’s body is brilliant.
5.Terrific dialogue.An example is given below.
Paris:I’ll not ask you to die for me, brother
Hector:You already did.
Why you should not
1.Miscasting.You expect some sort of otherworldly beauty from Helen.Sort of how Liv Tyler looked in Lord of the Rings.But Diane Kruger looks sadly ordinary.Ditto for Paris.I’m a great fan of Orlando Bloom.But I have to admit that he’s sadly miscast here.Paris needs to look sauve and sophisticated.Bloom here looks like a boy with his first crush.He portrays Paris as an inexperienced boy and blindly optimistic about the invulnerability of Troy.As for Brad Pitt, he looks just like Brad Pitt with long hair.Not at all mythological.