|
|
|
|
| Cast and Credits |
| Cast: |
Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Brian Cox, Peter O'Toole, Brendan Gleeson, Saffron Burrows, Rose Byrne, Julie Christie |
| Director: |
Wolfgang Petersen |
| Writer: |
David Benioff |
| Rating: |
Rated R for graphic violence and some sexuality/nudity. |
|
Reviewed By: Tak Yamashita
Rating: 9/10
I have always been somewhat of a mythology geek. When I was young I would voraciously absorb anything to do with mythology - Greek, Egyptian, Norse, I loved them all. Movies such as Star Wars or Raiders also drew my interest because of their generous use of mythological concepts. So when I heard that Wolfgang Petersen would be taking Homer's Illiad and making Troy I was very excited. One of the greatest battles of mythology would be brought to the big screen.
The story begins, as Agamemnon is about to fight a battle that will bring all the kingdoms of Greece under his command. This final battle is to be decided on by a battle between the greatest warrior of each army. Fighting for the Agamemnon's army is Achilles, played by a buffed up Brad Pitt. He's so buff that I suspect some women will go see the movie just to see him. To make a short battle shorter, Achilles wins thus unifying Greece.
While all this is going on two great nations, Troy and Greece are concluding a treaty of peace. Representing Troy are the two princes Hector (Eric Bana) and Paris (Orlando Bloom). For Greece is Agamemnon's brother, Menalus and Helen. Everything seems to be going well until we realize that Paris is doing extra time with Helen and decides to take her with him to Troy. This of course leads to the famous Trojan War and what we're waiting to see in the first place.
So how was Troy? Well in a few words, it was fantastic and I absolutely loved it. The movie moved with such a great pace, I didn't even notice the over 2 1/2 hours the movie ran for. (I did notice a few of the more attractive moviegoers walking across the aisle in front of me though. It is finally warm here in Toronto after all! The battle scenes are amazing and culminate in an absolutely breathtaking battle between Achilles and Hector. If you've read the Illiad then you know the result of the battle but I won't tell you who won for those who don't know. Suffice it to say that that battle is nearly worth the price of admission alone. Another thing I particularly liked about the battles were the sense of honour that prevailed. Other movies focus almost exclusively on total annihilation but in these battles there was a code that existed throughout. Like the time when the losers of a particular battle were allowed to collect the dead without reprisal was somehow refreshing. Contrast to actions taken by violent men today and you get the idea.
Now Wolfgang Petersen and David Benioff (who did the screenplay) did take a lot of liberties with original story but each is understandable and should be applauded. Do I agree with all of them? No, but they were able to take a long story and keep all the key elements. They did play down the whole influence of the Gods that is so prevalent in all Greek mythology (and this was somewhat disappointing to me) but it was a necessary move. I'm sure if Petersen incorporated concepts such as Helen being the daughter of Zeus and was born from an egg; or that Achilles mother was a Nereid (water sprite) and he was dipped into the River Styx to make him indestructible (except his heel of course); he would have lost half the audience.
It actually would have been interesting to see this made as a trilogy so we could delve into the characters more but again I applaud the decision. There are just too many sequels out there these days.
The acting wasn't Oscar quality (not that I agree with the Academy anyways) but it was passable, though I found the accents to be somewhat off. I thought Brad Pitt did a very good job with his role and didn't try and make the movie all about him. Eric Bana was also good though a touch too stoic, and Sean Bean really shined as an underused Odysseus. Peter O'Toole was perfect as Priam the king of Troy. They probably should have given a bit more of a role to Diane Kruger's Helen since she was the cause of the war but the women in general were left somewhat under-represented.
Unfortunately for all the Orlando Bloom loving women, you might NOT want to see this movie. It seems that he's taken too many acting lessons from Elijah Wood and he comes across as a complete wuss. It might have been in character but I was gritting my teeth whenever he was on the screen. I thought it'd be hard to top the whiny Frodo from Lord of the Rings but this one comes close.
Overall, I found the movie to be a highly entertaining affair. The battle scenes were Herculean in nature, the story moves with the speed of Nike and was crafted with the skill of Hephaestus. I'm sure that this movie will prove to be as indestructible as Achilles at the box office.
The information entered on this page will not be used to send unsolicited email
and will not be sold to a third party. Please refer to our Privacy Policy. |
|
|
|
|
