Great Film: Troy
Proof that critics should be ignored
I finally got to see this movie in the bargain theaters here in El Paso
on Labor Day. I originally hadn't thought much about the movie, but as
time went on it had left the regular theaters here in town and I
realized that I'd wished I'd gone to see it. I remember hearing several
outside critics blasting the movie as horrible and wanted to judge for
myself. I'm very glad I finally saw this movie.
This movie is not the usual Clash of the Titans/Jason and the Argonauts
type of movie where the gods are constantly shown and portrayed as more
important and powerful than the lowly humans. In fact, this movie
completely ignores the so-called gods and instead places the focus
where it belongs -- on the warriors themselves. I have studied the
Iliad as well as other stories surrounding the mythical Trojan War
since my days as an elementary school geek obsessed with mythology and
Dungeons & Dragons. Instead of being targeted toward that audience this
film demystifies the Trojan War and treats it in a manner in which it
could have actually happened. We see that the elders who continually
refer to their so-called gods come across as fools. One of the most
telling lines is when Hector (Eric Bana) refers to the fact that Apollo
did not strike down Achilles (Brad Pitt) for desecrating the statue. It
is very telling that Hector seems to doubt the gods he has been taught
to worship.
I have been a longtime critic of Brad Pitt as a second-tier talent who
became famous only because of his looks, but in this film he surprised
me. He is the TRUE star of the film. Achilles is easily the most
interesting and entertaining character. I applaud Brad Pitt's effort in
making his character a tragic hero. Achilles acknowledges that he is
NOT the son of a goddess and is not immortal or invulnerable. The movie
basically shows us how a rumor can blossom into a legend unto itself.
Achilles' legend BECOMES immortal. He even refers to this in my
favorite scene when he is inspiring his men and starts the invasion
heavily outnumbered and still triumphs. Later in the same scene he
scoffs at the so-called gods the Greeks and Trojans worship by
decapitating the statue. I found this scene symbolic of the movie
itself. The gods are nothing to both the characters and audience.
Instead of supernatural powers and impossible feats we're treated to
realism. Even Achilles' death is more realistic than in the myth. In
the myth Paris does kill Achilles with an arrow, but because he has no
battle skills his hand is actually guided by Apollo.
If there was one thing I did not like in this film it was the
transformation of Paris into some kind of hero. Paris was a coward in
the original myth and I saw no reason to transform him into an
overnight hero in the movie. I guess Orlando Bloom fans wouldn't be
able to bear seeing him as the bad guy and were given the uninspired
transformation of Paris into a better archer than Robin Hood.
While this movie was nowhere near the epic masterpiece that the
producers had hoped or that it was advertised as, it did not deserve
the bad publicity it received from critics. I applaud the makers of
this film and look forward to buying it on DVD.
Cast
- Nestor played by John Shrapnel
- Hector played by Eric Bana
- Agamemnon played by Brian Cox
- Messenger Boy played by Jacob Smith
- Menelaus played by Brendan Gleeson
- Paris played by Orlando Bloom
- Achilles played by Brad Pitt
