![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
On the spur of the moment, my daughter and I went to see Troy tonight. In brief: it was better than I expected, but not fantastic. I did enjoy it a lot more than I did VanHelsing though. More behind the cut tag.
I was disappointed that they chose to geld the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus by making them cousins instead of lovers. It made Achilles' reaction to his death feel utterly over the top. And the guy playing Patroclus? Um... hello... acting lessons might have been in order here.
They changed a lot. They left out the Gods, probably not a bad idea considering modern sensibilities. Most Ammurikens would have either laughed their asses off or gotten offended by the presence of a bunch of bickering deities. They also threw in a few lines to make it read as more of a metaphor for the war in Iraq. At least it felt that way to me. It doesn't play too badly as a political soap opera of sorts.
Best things about the movie: Peter O'Toole (Priam), Eric Bana (Hector), Sean Bean (Odysseus), and Rose Byrne (Briseis). Oh, and Vincent Regan (Eudorus) was good, too. They all inhabited their roles believably.
Worst things about the movie: Inconsistent acting, overblown score, bizarre editing choices. What was with the few seconds of slowmo thrown in now and then which made all the battle scenes look like they were bad CGI even when they weren't?
Brad Pitt was decent in some scenes, laughable in others. See inconsistent acting, above. Pretty, though. I'll give him that.
Come to think of it though, maybe I didn't give Orlando Bloom enough credit for his Paris. He actually did a decent job playing a basically unlikeable character without making him too sympathetic. He really was a bit of a beautiful weasel (maybe an ermine?) and that came across. And Helen was sort of the Britney Spears of Sparta.
Brian Cox as Agamemmnon chewed scenery with relish, just as he did in the other role I remember him for, William Stryker in X-Men 2. Looking at his IMDB entry he seems to have made quite a career of playing bad guys.
Saffron Burrows aka Andromache/Mrs. Hector was so thin she looked like she'd been a siege victim. I kept wanting to FEED her. Her neck barely looked able to support her head. Ick.
ETA: The Costumes. I can't believe I forgot to mention the costumes. Best costumes in a historical epic in recent memory. So much better than the Crap That Was Gladiator. Excellent work, really. Someone actually did their homework.
I was disappointed that they chose to geld the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus by making them cousins instead of lovers. It made Achilles' reaction to his death feel utterly over the top. And the guy playing Patroclus? Um... hello... acting lessons might have been in order here.
They changed a lot. They left out the Gods, probably not a bad idea considering modern sensibilities. Most Ammurikens would have either laughed their asses off or gotten offended by the presence of a bunch of bickering deities. They also threw in a few lines to make it read as more of a metaphor for the war in Iraq. At least it felt that way to me. It doesn't play too badly as a political soap opera of sorts.
Best things about the movie: Peter O'Toole (Priam), Eric Bana (Hector), Sean Bean (Odysseus), and Rose Byrne (Briseis). Oh, and Vincent Regan (Eudorus) was good, too. They all inhabited their roles believably.
Worst things about the movie: Inconsistent acting, overblown score, bizarre editing choices. What was with the few seconds of slowmo thrown in now and then which made all the battle scenes look like they were bad CGI even when they weren't?
Brad Pitt was decent in some scenes, laughable in others. See inconsistent acting, above. Pretty, though. I'll give him that.
Come to think of it though, maybe I didn't give Orlando Bloom enough credit for his Paris. He actually did a decent job playing a basically unlikeable character without making him too sympathetic. He really was a bit of a beautiful weasel (maybe an ermine?) and that came across. And Helen was sort of the Britney Spears of Sparta.
Brian Cox as Agamemmnon chewed scenery with relish, just as he did in the other role I remember him for, William Stryker in X-Men 2. Looking at his IMDB entry he seems to have made quite a career of playing bad guys.
Saffron Burrows aka Andromache/Mrs. Hector was so thin she looked like she'd been a siege victim. I kept wanting to FEED her. Her neck barely looked able to support her head. Ick.
ETA: The Costumes. I can't believe I forgot to mention the costumes. Best costumes in a historical epic in recent memory. So much better than the Crap That Was Gladiator. Excellent work, really. Someone actually did their homework.
Tags:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
From:
no subject
Bana was fantasmic. Loff him. Orlando...eh, not so much. I only clicked with him when he was in scenes with Bana, really (and during his painful sword fight a bit). In very little else did he make an impression on me. And I hate saying that, cuz I have real affection for the guy.
Saffron Burrows aka Andromache/Mrs. Hector was so thin she looked like she'd been a siege victim. I kept wanting to FEED her. Her neck barely looked able to support her head. Ick.
Did I imagine it, or did her chin grow during the movie?
I remember her as the obsessed scientist from 'Deep Blue Sea.' Liked her in that. Not so much in this. Briseis was the only gal I found interesting.
From:
no subject
Bana was definitely excellent. Almost makes me wish I'd seen The Hulk. Almost.
I thought the painful sword fight was actually Orlando's best scene. He really came across as someone who hadn't a clue what he was doing and was totally unprepared, and pretty much about to piss himself in fear. Though that 'do you love me, brother?' scene with Hector is no doubt the Scene That Launched A Thousand Slashers. ;-D
And yes, I think Andromache's chin did get bigger during the movie. :)
From:
no subject
What about the twin issue? i kind of want to see this movie but... do they show the husband leading the forces to rescue Helen or his brother? Really hope i'm not confusing stories here but, weren't Agamemnon and Menalaus twins married to identical twins Helen and Khlytemnestra? And K' (why embarass myself further) husband led the rescue because he wanted the 'more' beautiful sister Helen for his own bed? He was a real ass and she eventually killed him, bathing in his blood and all that (spurred on by her lover). Or am i totally confused - i know the murder was another story but...
Really sorry for bothering you but anyone around here who sees it will do that 'what is wrong with you' thing if i ask them about it.
From:
no subject
Bascally, they compress the war into a period of about two weeks from ten years, leave out a lot of stuff including any non-human interactions. Agamemmnon is portrayed as a power-mad egotist, they and pump up the role of Briseis, mixing her up with a couple of other characters including Clytemnestra-- which is a big ol' SPOILER for the movie if you know what Clyte did to Aggy. :)
From:
no subject
er... 'and they pump'. *blush*
From:
no subject
*blush* it's been awhile since i read this myself (and some of my recollection may come from a teachers outrage at how Clytemnestra *Bigger Blush* was treated, she taught alot of back story and tie-in when she could)
Thanks Again & Sorry for taking up so much time/space.
From:
no subject
From:
no subject
From:
no subject