Beats me why I decided to make a topic about this film :D Maybe because I just saw it again and realize that even though it wasn't entirely faithful to the Iliad(no gods!), the director still captured the war essence of the story.

But c'mon, Brad Pitt as Achilles smoldering in a Greek skirt was godlike enough for me! And Eric Bana as Hector was the role of the the movie IMHO, he was the noble, heroic, self-sacrificing Trojan all the way. I swooned everytime he talked about his love for his country...and sniffled in every scene where he was with his family cause I knew how it was gonna end.
I liked Sean Bean as Odysseus too, though his character was more low-key. I liked his parting words in the ending. "Let them say I walked with giants..."
Orlando Bloom's acting was good, but I hated his character. No need to explain why! I was cringing all throughout the scene where he cowers to Hector. Ah well, Paris is supposed to be a wuss anyway
Briseis is supposed to be a minor character, so I was surprised to see that she's the love interest here. But they developed her well! I liked her so much better than Helen who was a little bland.

I guess my major complaint is the love story between Paris and Helen. I didn't find myself cheering for them, even if Menelaus was demonised, I still did not feel any sympathy for Helen. I didn't find their love worth starting a war for.

What I loved most...it would have been easy for the director to force the audience to take sides, but he didn't. He just let them be, let them fight, let the worst and best sides come out of the characters. Nobody's fully a villain, everyone can be a hero in their own way.
Well, except for nasty, naaaasty Agamemnon :)

Well I think I've blabbered enough for now. Like this film? Hate it? Share your opinions!

I liked this film. I have never been a fan of the true Illiad, always an Odyssey girl myself, however that doesn't mean there weren't points that I felt were neglected.

For me I agree with you Kusari Yarou on the lack of development of Helen and Paris. I think there should have been more there but that is not the route the creators chose so meh.

I also did not like the way the shortened the war, I mean come on 10years to like three battles? Shortening it fine but it was just waay to short.

I loved Hector's character. I cheered for him over everyone. He seemed to have the most noble ideas and goals and a good head on his shoulders. The battles that were done were good and the Kings were excellent as well. Agamemnon was a little over the top but I liked the villian that way.

Another of my favorite things is the clothing for the people of Troy, I loved the blues that were used, just lovely.

Really? Me, I felt like I was drowning in battle scenes throughout the whole movie!

I liked how they merged some of the events in Iliad, like turning Chryseis and Briseis into one person(therefore making Achilles' love interest a deeper character). Her stabbing Agamemnon was surprising though! I would have preferred if Achilles was the one who killed his a$$hole king instead. But perhaps they did it because in the Iliad, it is also a woman who stabs Agamemnon to death(his wife, Clytemnestra).

I also wanted Paris to die, like he did in the original tale because I simply did not like him. When Helen said "I just want a man to grow old with, not a warrior", or something to that extent, I wanted to yell "Well what if the 'man to grow old with' can't even protect you?!"
With or without Aphrodite's character to help him, Paris still appears a wuss. When he killed Achilles, I still thought he was a sissy for not even challenging him to hand to hand combat

Ooh, this movie. It was one of those movies I had to watch because I wanted, nay, needed to see Brad Pitt in a skirt. XD

I've loved Hector's character since reading The Iliad years ago. Really, there's no good reason NOT to like the guy-- he's noble, courageous, loves his country, and to top it all off, a family guy. I usually get really irked by perfect characters like these, but Hector somehow escapes that wrath. Maybe because he dies. XD

I've never really liked Achilles ever since reading how he dragged Hector's body around the Grecians' camp, still unhappy over Palonus' (is that the cousin's name? I could never remember...) death. A hero with faults is always more interesting than bland, perfect ones but I just can't bring myself to like him because of this.

My favourite scenes from the book transferred themselves wonderfully to the movie: Hector's moment with his wife and son; and Priam asking Achilles for his son's body. :cray:

I did not like the added importance of Briseis. She was a tiny character in the original book, and I felt the only reason the directors gave her more screentime in the movie was because, god forbid there exists a hero without a love interest! :rolleyes: As a character in the movie, though, she was fine. Nothing much to say about the females, really.

When my brother came back from watching the movie with his friends (they never read the book), they were mortified by Paris' character. They also unanimously agreed that Orlando Bloom kicked MUCH more ass as Legolas. :lmao:

When Paris picked up his bow and started downing men one by one, we all yelled "Elf power!" :lmao:

But agreed, Paris was a wuss. And I guess I'm happy since he was a wuss originally, so it's great that the writers didn't try to change his character just so Orlando Bloom wouldn't appear wussy. The part where he crawled away from Menelaus was so pathetic!

I miss the gods! :( I guess their inclusion would've just made the movie even longer.

Although I think you can subtly 'feel' the presence of the gods in certain scenes, particularly when the Greeks killed Apollo's priests and priestesses, pillaged his temple and manhandled Briseis (it was Apollo, right? I'm forgetting my myth! :sweat: ). I could almost imagine Apollo standing behind Paris in that last scene, and guiding the arrow to Achilles.

I really wanted to see the scene between Zeus and Ares transferred to movie, though. I'm been a bit of an Ares fan, since the old Hercules TV series days.

I think because it was better for Achilles character, to sulk in his tent over Agamemnon and a woman he cared about, rather than over some random concubine.

I was willing to forgive him because he was very sorry for it in the end, during that touching scene when Priam begs for Hector’s body. I always liked his speech(movie and Iliad) about he and Hector being brothers destined to die on the same battlefield(or something along the lines of that)
And I thought his hero complex was very interesting. Especially when Thetis says to him that if he stays and builds a family, he will be loved all his life but forgotten, however if he goes to war, he will be slain in battle…and be remembered forever.
When he was yelling “ Immortality!” as they approached Troy, I thought he was simply talking about his own immortality, being dipped into the Styx in all. But watching it again, I realize it was about his name living through the ages.
All in all, I like the ‘immortal heroes’ factor that they stamped all over the film, especially in the end, capped off by Odysseus’ speech that Hector and Achilles’ names will live on forever

Priam’s death scene was also :cry: . He looked so pitiful watching Troy burn and then staggering around with that sword, only to be stabbed by Agamemnon.
I was very happy, though, that they didn’t put my least favorite scene from the Iliad…throwing Hector’s baby over the walls of Troy

And I could almost feel that Hector’s lack of ‘proper’ faith in the gods was what doomed him in the end, despite his nobility.

Erm…what scene? Was that when Ares got wounded in the battlefield, and ran howling back to Olympus? *grins*
I would have liked to see the mighty Zeus laughing as all his children took sides in the war…and against each other.