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It had precious little to do with Homer's epic. Just a couple of minor plot points "alterations": Neither Agamemnon nor Menelaus die (or else...goodbye Aeschylus's "Orestrian Trilology"); the armies were nowhere near that size; the damned siege of the city was the focus of the story...its attrition of patience, health, reason on both sides; Paris's and Achilles' demise; the love story of Achilles (!).
Further: that horse was so ugly no one in their right mind would have brought it into the city!
The costumes (blue on both sides) were ill-thought out. Likewise the combat equipment....absolutely indistinguishable, and banal.
Acting: Brad Pitt shows Vin Diesel has competition as the wooden actor of our time. His scene with Priam, in the tent after the killing of Hector, was an acting lesson in how NOT to express emotion, i.e. tics, looking away and repeatedly moving the side of your mouth down, arching eyebrows, etc.
Peter O'Toole reinforces the opinion that his best work peaked thirty years ago in "Lord Jim." Now, his one expression besides woeful, hang-dog, is wide-eyed blankness. In short, his appearance is what one commonly finds around posh Palm Springs' hotel pools: septuagenarian males attempting to look forty-ish.
One important point: pay strict attention to the first Achilles battle action. It is a memorable set-piece, reminiscent of Paul Newman and Harrison Ford moments...(can you figure it out?).
Anyhow, it was entertaining, in a mindless summer-film way.
Follow Ups:
All I was expecting, really. To hope for a filmed "Iliad" is like hoping for intelligent life to appear in Washington. I'm not gonna bother with going to the theatre for this one. The scene between Achilles and Priam is the very heart of the original poem, as you are obviously aware. Dramatically, at least. For me the grandest thing of all is "Achilles Shield", which I'm sure they didn't bother with at all in the film, although they could have. I fear they'd have turned it into "Fantasia" though, I mean the weird parts with dancing hippos and such like. Tell you the truth, I enjoy movie epics strictly for the art direction, FX and music, if it's good. They're layin on a little too much Celtic and Mid East stuff for my taste these days but ...
I think Achilles should have been an over-sized Russell Crowe. Brad is just too dainty and blond for the part. Blonde!!What's the skinny on Trojans? Should they have looked more like Turks or were they a displaced Grecian society?
hilarious in an epic.
I was entertained by the movie, but it could have used some strong editing.
Said it was ridiculous. He and Ebert need to get together. Imagine a mythology-geek in Mississippi. I immediately chained him to my pick up and drove him home.
nt
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