logo Sign In

Troy - for all your Trojan needs

Author
Time
Troy - who bothered with it and who didn't?

I saw it and while I didn't think it was as bad as I originally thought it would be, it's far from a classic. Still, 2004 saw crappier films.

Brad Pitt tried hard but couldn't quite overcome his miscasting as Achilles (I would have rather seen Karl Urban as Achilles). Eric Bana carried the film as Hector (at least until he got killed). Peter O'Toole was fine as Priam. Orlando Bloom played Paris as essentially a wimpy version of his Legolas and POTC character. Diane Kruger was easy on the eyes as Helen but Saffron Burrows (Andromeche, wife of Hector) was more alluring. Sean Bean was good but underused as Odysseus/Ulysses. Brian Cox went too far over the top to make Agamemnon the villain (though that was probably partially the fault of the screenwriters); Brendan Gleeson's Menelaus was badly misrepresented as a thuggis brute.

Watching the battles to storm the city of Troy reminded me of the Lord of the Ring movies when the Uruk-Hai and the Orcs tried to invade Helms Deep & Gondor, respectively. This isn't a criticism, just an opinion.

What did you all think?
I'd like a qui-gon jinn please with an Obi-Wan to go.

Red heads ROCK. Blondes do not rock. Nuff said.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/greencapt/hansolovsindy.jpg
Author
Time
I think people expected it to be a classic and the filmakers desperately wanted it to be a classic, but it wasn't.

I actually thought it was a pretty good movie, albiet heavily influenced by Lord of the Rings style battles and Enya-style soundtrack.

But I don't know if we could have handled another LOTR alumni in one of the starring roles though.
"I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like them myself. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings."
Author
Time
Any time someone brings up Troy, I'm going to have to tell this story.

My dad, sister and possibly my brother went to see Troy.

He (my dad) told me there is a scene in the movie where the sun rises in the west!!!
Author
Time
That's funny.

How do you know it's the west. If the sun is rising there, then is it not the east?

4

Author
Time
I found Troy to be frighteningly mediocre. It wasn't a bad film by any means, just totally uninspired and bland.
40,000 million notches away
Author
Time
Sometimes a film is 'better' when it's terrible because you can laugh at it.

When it's just mediorcre, you just sit there board by how much better it wants to be.

4

Author
Time
I thought it was pretty good. O'Toole was absolutely fantastic, I love the scene where he confronts Brad Pitt. It wasn't great however. If I find a used copy for about $10, I'd probably pick it up if I had the money.

Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here, this is the war room!

Author
Time
I believe that Troy was one of several movies made in the wake of Lord of the Rings, along with such movies as Alexander and King Arthur. Of those, the only one I managed to see was Troy, and that was at a friend's house. To be honest, I didn't really know what to make of the film. Sadly, the positive aspects of the film did not manage to rise above its weak casting, dull screenply and punishing length, resulting in a film that was (can I really avoid using this word?) very mediocre.
Don't forget: with Lacuna, you can forget.
Author
Time
But it was better than King Arthur and Alexander, I can give it that.
"I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like them myself. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings."
Author
Time
Quote

Originally posted by: Darth Chaltab
That's funny.

How do you know it's the west. If the sun is rising there, then is it not the east?
Troy is on the western coast of what is now Turkey.
If I remember what my dad told me correctly, apparently in one scene, the sun rises behind the Greek camps on the beach.

Author
Time
Oh, uh... when I saw "for all your trojan needs", I thought you meant... uh nevermind.
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
Author
Time
CRAP

And to many scenes with Brad Pitt with not a lot of clothes on. I suppose to get the girlies to go and see it.
Author
Time
Hey ric, I know what you mean, sadly.

Anyway, the fact that Orlando Bloom was in this movie was a bit of an instant turn off.

4

Author
Time
Quote

Originally posted by: Darth Chaltab
Hey ric, I know what you mean, sadly.

Anyway, the fact that Orlando Bloom was in this movie was a bit of an instant turn off.


The mere fact that Orlando Bloom EXISTS is a huge turn off.
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
Author
Time
Oh come on, its not like hes the worst actor in the world.
"I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like them myself. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings."
Author
Time
Quote

Originally posted by: TheSessler
But it was better than King Arthur and Alexander, I can give it that.


Very true, Sessler.

I'd like a qui-gon jinn please with an Obi-Wan to go.

Red heads ROCK. Blondes do not rock. Nuff said.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/greencapt/hansolovsindy.jpg
Author
Time
And speaking of Lord of the Rings, the Greeks attempt to invade Troy reminded me a lot of when the Uruk-hai tried to invade Helms Deep in Two Towers and the orcs invading Gondor in Return of the King. I almost expected to see Aragorn fighting along side the Greeks at one point, and at another point I expected to see Hector wrestling with an orc.

Hey, Aragorn VS. Hector, who'd you think would win? Or Aragorn VS Achilles, whichever you prefer.
I'd like a qui-gon jinn please with an Obi-Wan to go.

Red heads ROCK. Blondes do not rock. Nuff said.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/greencapt/hansolovsindy.jpg
Author
Time
Aragorn of course, he could easily avoid one of Pitts silly jump kicks and swipe his head off like he did to the mouth of Sauron.
"I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like them myself. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings."
Author
Time
I saw enough of it to make me avoid Alexander and wait for Kingdom of Heaven.

Princess Leia: I happen to like nice men.
Han Solo: I'm a nice man.

Author
Time
The movie wasn't entirely terrible. The fight scenes were good. Eric Bana was great in the film. Even Pitt was good in it. But Orlando Bloom was terrible and Diane Kruger wasn't much better. There was no chemistry between the two whatsoever. Who would believe in going to war over this pitiful relationship.

And to clarify the sunrise sequence... yes, it was an error. Troy is in what is now Turkey across the sea to the east of Greece. When you see them coming into the beach, it is the morning and the cameras are looking toward the beach from the ships' point of view and you see the sunrise. Obviously, looking from Trojan ships to the shore would be an east to west POV. Ain't no sun that I know of that rises in the west. The error is recognized on sites such as moviemistakes.com as well.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
-------------------------
Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
Author
Time
I think they were trying to make Bloom & Kruger come across as a the Greek equivalent of Romeo & Juliet, without much success.

I think the reason for the sunrise being wrong may be due to the fact that Troy was filmed in Mexico.
I'd like a qui-gon jinn please with an Obi-Wan to go.

Red heads ROCK. Blondes do not rock. Nuff said.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/greencapt/hansolovsindy.jpg
Author
Time
That still should have been something they compensated for by switching the time of day at which that particular scene was filmed. It was only a few seconds long and it happened twice in the movie as I recall. So it shouldn't have been too difficult to fix.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
-------------------------
Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com
Author
Time
C'mon. In this day and age they expected no one to notice? That's pretty naive on their part.
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'."
--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), The Princess Bride
-------------------------
Kevin A
Webmaster/Primary Cynic
kapgar.typepad.com
kapgar.com