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Raven!
Clan Snow Raven
Galaxy Commander
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 1326
Location: United States
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 Posted: 29-May-2004 08:18 Post subject: Movie Review and Spoilers: Troy |
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Raven Feather Rating: 8 out of 10 Feathers
Reasons: Some good scenery, combat scenes, Peter O'Toole, some of the costume design, basic idea interesting
Why not 10? Brad Pitt.
Ok, spoilers alert goes here!
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS!
*Three people start running around in circles before heading off to a movie theater in a spaceship made to look like a bone.*
So I went to see Troy on Thursday and I am now getting the oppertunity to write up the review, and I'm not going to bother with names except for Peter O'Toole and Brad Pitt because the rest were fairly forgetable.
Basic idea is that we have a story, based on the Illiad, about Agemmenon (Sp?) and his power hungry quest to kill everything and everyone who won't worship his inability to get laid. I'm serious, this is how the actor comes off. He is overaly dramatic, especially where he shouldn't be, and where his lines aren't meant to be dramatic, he comes off as fairly stupid. Thankfully he had very few shots in the movie! And Brad Pitt threatening to kill him made me applause!
Thats the basic idea. His character was the bad guy and was acceptable because he was only on screen for a few short scenes and frankly it didn't hurt that much anyway.
Prince Hector was PHENOMENAL! Go see this move just to see him. He put on an excellent performance and you are very upset when he dies (and no, that is not a spoiler and anyone who does not know this needs to go read some basic books on Western Civilization). Absolutely cool character, by the end of the movie you are like "Man did his life suck." And you want to smack his brother around, Prince Paris.
Paris did an alright job. At the beginning he was kind of bad, but as the movie continued you begin to see Peter O'Toole's influence on the young man, and by the end of the movie he has become a far more honest character, and though you don't like him, and you think he is a shmuck, its the character's role rather then the actors ability that makes you believe that. In other words, he is SUPPOSED to be a shmuck.
Every female character in this movie was forgetable. It was a shame cause some of them were hot, and more nude scenes would have done a lot to help them actually stick in someones mind. But lets face it, this movie is about how Helen's face launched a thousand ships and you never can understand why! She's and Paris act more like the British Royal family (no offense to any of our good Brit friends out there) then they do actually being respectable characters. Also, the acting of the three primary ladies was so lackluster and forced (except Hector's Wife, who was the best of the lot) that you're just like "Yawn."
Ah, but now we get to Brad Pitt, was he good you asked? Yes, as long as what he was acting did not go against his style, which basically means he coasted through every scene where he had to speak or not kill something. Achillies fellows, the Myrmidons (sp?), were all well acted, I was very impressed with their ability to work together as a group, and the very real pain when the leader of the group has to report to Achillies that his cousin is dead. Cousin did an alright job. Bit character, and he did a bit job at it.
Peter O'Toole was absolutely ammazing. This is when he will win his Oscar or their will be hell to pay let me tell you! As King of Troy he and the King of Ithaca are the only two people you believe are actually kings of ancient Greece! The others you're like "No one would follow that useless POS even if he was handing out cash!" Thankfully Peter O'Toole is such an important character or the movie would have died. Combine him with Hector, the Priest of Troy, and the other commander for Troy's armies, and you had an awesome little team for representing the Trojan side.
Overal the art and scenery shots were impressive, the cities were ammazing. My last complaint is not the fault of any of the actors or the story, or anything like that.
The music director is an EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL man.
He stole my favorite movies track and perverted it, just like he did to Schindler's List for Enemy at the Gates. He took the music from Stargate and used it in the end. It was mean and nasty. Also the music didn't work that well, but it was ok, cause the rest of the movie carried it.
Ammazingly enough it is not the main characters that made this movie good, it was the thousands of extras for the armies and fight scenes, the bit characters, and second line characters (hector, king of troy, king of Ithaca, leader of the myridions). They weaved themselves together into a powerful story that really worked for me.
So 8 out of 10 feathers. Brad Pitt, please quit your day job!
Raven!
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Vampire
Free Worlds League
Lieutenant Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 912
Location: Spain
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| Posted: 29-May-2004 09:09 Post subject: RE: Movie Review and Spoilers: Troy |
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Allright, I was going to pass on it but your review has convinced me I'd have a good enough time seeing it.
Thanks for the review.
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Memento audare semper
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Stinger
The Knights of Chaos
General
Joined: 30-Apr-2002 00:00
Posts: 1833
Location: United States
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| Posted: 29-May-2004 17:48 Post subject: RE: Movie Review and Spoilers: Troy |
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I saw it a while ago and while I agree with most of your points I have to disagree with your assessment of Brad Pitt. I generally don't like him in movies (was Ok in Oceans 11, and great in Seven years in Tibet, other than that6 don't care much for him) But I thought he did an OUTSTANDING job.
I was more disappointed with the overall story and general length of the movie. Being a fan of Greek Mythology I was getting bored through the movie as I started to remember all of what I studied 12 years ago in High school. I felt its one of the few movies that could have been shortened here and there,
Prince Hector was OUTSTANDING!! And same with Peter O'Toole. The sword duel between Hector and Achilles was one for the ages. I can truly not remember a more beautifully choreographed sword fight than that one.
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Stinger
If it's "creepy" to use the Internet, military satellites, and robot aircraft to find a house full of gorgeous young models so I can drop in on them unexpected, then FINE, I'm "creepy". Howard Wolowitz. BBT.
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Raven!
Clan Snow Raven
Galaxy Commander
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 1326
Location: United States
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| Posted: 30-May-2004 20:55 Post subject: RE: Movie Review and Spoilers: Troy |
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And that is where Brad Pitt did well, but I could not get passed the forced feeling of his speeches, it hurt! In action scenes he did ok, but anywhere else it was like "Oh Brad Pitt in armor, Bard Pitt on a beach, Bard Pitt does this.. does that.." Nothing that would say "Wow, that WAS not Brad Pitt, but Achillies!"
I agree with you on the length too. I loved greek mythology and would have prefered a slightly more realistic presentation. 
Raven!
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chihawk
Clan Blood Spirit
Master Bartender
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 8072
Location: United States
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| Posted: 25-Jun-2004 18:36 Post subject: RE: Movie Review and Spoilers: Troy |
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I just got back from seeing the movie, and I give it "two thumbs up"...only thing I'd have done was make it clearer the siege of Troy took 10 years, but other than that it was a very good movie.
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Raven!
Clan Snow Raven
Galaxy Commander
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 1326
Location: United States
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| Posted: 25-Jun-2004 19:51 Post subject: RE: Movie Review and Spoilers: Troy |
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THey didn't want it to take 10 years. they litterely intended for it to be that short. Thats why I was like "Poofies."
You should use a 1 to 10 scale, like 10 Shots, or 10 Pints, or something. Much more scientific
Raven!
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Vampire
Free Worlds League
Lieutenant Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 912
Location: Spain
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| Posted: 27-Jun-2004 05:28 Post subject: RE: Movie Review and Spoilers: Troy |
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Okay, after much reluctance I was dragged to the theater to see it.
I was pleasantly surprised, it was a good entertaining movie, I give it a 7 out of 10.
Brad Pitt is a bad actor...or rather, he doesn't act at all, having the same inexpressive face whatever the scene is, he's just the beefcake hook for female audiences.
I wish Russell Crowe played this role instead of that PoS of "Gladiator"
Not enough nude girls... it's not enough to say Helen's face could make a thousand ships sail... I want to see her boobs to see what all the fuss was about 
Hector is outstanding and the main saving grace of the movie, but I was a bit freaked out as he looks the same as some actor in a local TV series here.
Paris is a schmuck, indeed. He was one of the least likeable characters in the Iliad anyway... my memory is hazy, but I seem to recall he was a rapist and a kidnapper, though Helen ended up suffering from Stockholm syndrome.
Well, okay, it hasn't anything to do with Paris, I just can't stomach Orlando Bloom. I don't understand why girls like him. There's no accounting for taste it seems. It's funny, but in the movie it seemed as Helen was regretting having eloped with that wimp of Paris and beginning to think that she should have chosen a real man like Hector instead.
Oh, by the way, Hector was not all that brave and noble, he crapped in his pants everytime he heard Achilles was coming out, and the duel at the gates of Troy started by Hector losing nerve and running away from Achilles, who chased him round the walls a few laps before catching up with him and forcing him to fight.
Agamennon was portrayed as the stereotypical Evil Overlord.. there was little hint of the great king he was, despite all his character flaws the guy must have been good to be the leader of the greeks.
Ulysses great actor, pity he doesn't get more time.
Sceneries and battles were great.
The drama and basic themes of the Iliad were present, the elimination of the Greek gods and supernatural invtervention was probably a wise decision in that makes the characters more humane.. more like real people that fought, loved , killed and died, the downside is that it downplays the movie as a materialistic conflict of interests over trading routes rather than the idealized, larger than life drama about heroes and gods that is Homer poem, so some of the epic is lost.
Overall I thought it was a good movie, if not great, I think Homer would have liked it, or at least not complain too much.
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SaberDance
Federated Suns
Colonel
Joined: 07-May-2004 00:00
Posts: 837
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| Posted: 27-Jun-2004 23:35 Post subject: RE: Movie Review and Spoilers: Troy |
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Not for lack of trying, mind you, but I haven't seen the movie yet. We're having some crazy times around the house (we're moving). But I saw an interview with Brad Pitt that almost ruined the movie for me (if it wasn't a Peter O'Toole movie it would have).
Brad Pitt on why he liked Achilles: "He believed in Experience, and I believe in experience. He didn't accept some handed down philosophy of life."
Now, my Greek Mythology may be a little rough (I am, after all, a Latin student) but I seem to recall that Achilles was born a warrior, lived a warrior, was told he would go to Troy and die a warrior or fail in his destiny and only be remembered by his grandchildren, and finally fullfilled the destiny given to him by the gods and his mother.
Everyone in Greek Mythology accepts a handed down philosophy of life. That was the point of Greek Mythology was to pass on said philosophy of life. This was why Socrates defended himself in his trial by referencing Greek Mythology, despite not believing a word of it.
OK, that last little bit was mostly Dr. Nugent speaking, but I gather that Brad did not get his character's role.
And my only other complaint: I've always prefered the version of the story where Juno steals Helen away to Egypt and replaces her with a doppleganger, just because I like Menalaus and I hate to see him get screwed (or not) like that. But I'll live with the "Helen was a willing captive" version.
M"SD"H
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