• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Troy was such a good movie

SantaC

Member
Watching it again today, the atmosphere and acting were all superb. Imagine if they made this movie today, it would been CGI overboard.

Yeah the movie didnt lit up the review charts back in the day, but considering the quality of these kind of movies in current times; Troy looks like a masterpiece here.

 
Last edited:

Kimahri

Banned
Watching it again today, the atmosphere and acting were all superb. Imagine if they made this movie today, it would been CGI overboard.

Yeah the movie didnt lit up the review charts back in the day, but considering the quality of these kind of movies in current times; Troy looks like a masterpiece here.


They basically did, on Netflix. You know what that means!
 

ManaByte

Gold Member
The directors cut Helen of Troy scenes...

Jack Nicholson Reaction GIF
 

YuLY

Member
Exceptional movie, as are most sword historical ones from the 2000s: Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, King Arthur (Director's Cut), even 300, although a bit lower in quality than the rest of the list.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Exceptional movie, as are most sword historical ones from the 2000s: Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, King Arthur (Director's Cut), even 300, although a bit lower in quality than the rest of the list.
Ya. That early 2000 era had some great flicks.

I liked Troy too, even though I'm not a Brad Pitt fan. He's just another actor. But got to say I didn't like the end where pretty boy Orlando Bloom got away.
 

kittoo

Cretinously credulous
Amazing movie. I have fond memories of getting this movie on CD just to show to my family back home. Family and family friends watched it many a times and had a great time.
This movie will always have a special place in my heart.
 

12Goblins

Lil’ Gobbie
it's one of those movies I definitely won't admit I'm a fan of around history buffs but God damn I used to watch that movie all the time as a kid. made me a huge fan of Brian Cox.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
They basically did, on Netflix. You know what that means!
How many seasons did that Troy show get? They never seem to understand that Paris has to be appealing to Helen, he shouldn't be a twink wimp. Hector is just that much MORE badass.

It is a fun and fairly quick read. I would love to see an Odysseus POV show go from Troy through the odyssey.
 

Atrus

Gold Member
I thought Eric Bana gave a really strong performance as Hector, who was thrust into an impossible fight against Achilles in a war where he was surrounded by idiots on his own side doing their best to get him killed.
 

fatmarco

Member
As someone who grew up on the Iliad and the Odyssey it was probably one of the biggest disgraces I'd ever seen in a cinema at the time, but I can see how if you don't know the story and characters beforehand how it could be enjoyable.

Imagine the Star Wars sequels but on steroids in that regard.
 

BadBurger

Is 'That Pure Potato'
It has perhaps the best choreographed melee combat on film, yes, and it has some really high moments in terms of acting and direction. It's a bit too long, though, and gets lost in the political subplot that doesn't end up really meaning shit. I kind of wish they'd leaned into the actual lore and went with the gods influencing things, but I guess that would have been an entirely different movie.
 

NecrosaroIII

Ask me about my terrible takes on Star Trek characters
As someone who grew up on the Iliad and the Odyssey it was probably one of the biggest disgraces I'd ever seen in a cinema at the time, but I can see how if you don't know the story and characters beforehand how it could be enjoyable.

Imagine the Star Wars sequels but on steroids in that regard.

For me, it was my gateway. I never cared about the Trojan War but got super into it because of the movie
 

Alx

Member
As someone who grew up on the Iliad and the Odyssey it was probably one of the biggest disgraces I'd ever seen in a cinema at the time, but I can see how if you don't know the story and characters beforehand how it could be enjoyable.

Imagine the Star Wars sequels but on steroids in that regard.
It didn't really strike me as unfaithful to the original opus tbh. The biggest flaw is that the siege itself feels like a short battle when it was supposed to last a decade (but then it's a common flaw in such movies, the sieges in LotR also last a night or two apparently). The lack of supernatural may be an issue but after all it's not like gods were wandering the battlefield in the Iliad as far as I remember, they were just "helping" from afar so the perception of the warriors wouldn't be that different from what we see in the movie (and by desacrating Apollo's temple, the movie did show which side some gods were on).
Also the major plot of the Iliad was mostly about Achilles making a fuss and bickering with the several kings taking part to the fight, which is well described in the movie.

I do think the writers of the movie knew their classics, even if they had to write a script that is hollywood-compliant. There are subtle references here and there (maybe it's a coincidence, but Odysseus/Ulysses throwing his spear back to Achilles when he asked him to join is probably a throwback to the part of the original story where Achilles dressed up as a woman to avoid a war he knew would kill him, and Odysseus outed him by throwing him a spear that he grabbed in mid-air).
I wouldn't say the movie claims to be a transcription of Homer's poem, but for a pop-culture interpretation, it's definitely not that bad.
 
Last edited:

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
Nothing wrong with that, he's a beautiful man.

Anyway, the movie is cool as long as you skip all the dialogue.
He's the bestest warrior. The bestest looking. The bestest with the chicks. Tells the king to suck it. Hector doesn't even scratch him... I get that it's all part of the story but it was a little much "bestest evar!" to me lol.
 

SirTerry-T

Member
Exceptional movie, as are most sword historical ones from the 2000s: Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, King Arthur (Director's Cut), even 300, although a bit lower in quality than the rest of the list.
The director's cut of Kingdom Of Heaven is the one people should watch, it's almost like watching a different film. The theatrical cut was definitely trying to make it "Gladiator 2" but the director's cut is a true epic. Right up there with Scott's best work. :)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Gp1

Ionian

Member
Never got around to it but tempted now. Trailers did nothing for me at the time but the descriptions here are hilarious.

Also I'm straight but even Brad Pitt could tempt me.
 
Last edited:

Oberstein

Member
A great movie, especially when you see the netflixed crap. If they wanted to make a film faithful to Homer's poem, it would have been too complicated.

It's still the time when they made peplums that looked good. When you see the horrors like Pompeii with Kit something, you think that we lived the best time in the 90s.

And Diane Kruger has never been so beautiful.

CI2XQcz.jpg
 

fatmarco

Member
It didn't really strike me as unfaithful to the original opus tbh. The biggest flaw is that the siege itself feels like a short battle when it was supposed to last a decade (but then it's a common flaw in such movies, the sieges in LotR also last a night or two apparently). The lack of supernatural may be an issue but after all it's not like gods were wandering the battlefield in the Iliad as far as I remember, they were just "helping" from afar so the perception of the warriors wouldn't be that different from what we see in the movie (and by desacrating Apollo's temple, the movie did show which side some gods were on).
Also the major plot of the Iliad was mostly about Achilles making a fuss and bickering with the several kings taking part to the fight, which is well described in the movie.

I do think the writers of the movie knew their classics, even if they had to write a script that is hollywood-compliant. There are subtle references here and there (maybe it's a coincidence, but Odysseus/Ulysses throwing his spear back to Achilles when he asked him to join is probably a throwback to the part of the original story where Achilles dressed up as a woman to avoid a war he knew would kill him, and Odysseus outed him by throwing him a spear that he grabbed in mid-air).
I wouldn't say the movie claims to be a transcription of Homer's poem, but for a pop-culture interpretation, it's definitely not that bad.
If they knew their classics then it makes it worse imo. It's radically different in so many ways, with characterisations, with people dying who shouldn't die etc.

When they killed Menelaus off like that I knew I was in for it.

Also the completely miscast Greek King's all being 50-60 year old overweight Brits didn't help. At least Eric Bana looked somewhat appropriate.

And then there's more petty things like the armour being so anachronistic that it's from a separate civilization almost 1000 years apart, which doesn't matter too much but it adds to my disdain I guess.

But yeah I did like the fight scene between Achilles and Hector etc. I just can't get over the idea that you'd rip apart and remix a myth that's lasted thousands of years for something vastly inferior.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
Awesome Brad Pitt killing dudes left and right like a total badass?

Hell yeah this movie is good.
 

Tschumi

Member
I thought Eric Bana gave a really strong performance as Hector, who was thrust into an impossible fight against Achilles in a war where he was surrounded by idiots on his own side doing their best to get him killed.
I was always pissed that they gave him a helmet and shoulder pads that made him look wussy

114ac5657dcec244c0c27342a7354ca49d965dd1.gifv
 

Spaceman292

Banned
He's the bestest warrior. The bestest looking. The bestest with the chicks. Tells the king to suck it. Hector doesn't even scratch him... I get that it's all part of the story but it was a little much "bestest evar!" to me lol.
To be fair the story's been that way for a few thousand years

Although they did whimp out by making Patroclus his cousin instead of his totalhomoboytoy
 
Last edited:

Alx

Member
If they knew their classics then it makes it worse imo. It's radically different in so many ways, with characterisations, with people dying who shouldn't die etc.

When they killed Menelaus off like that I knew I was in for it.

I don't even remember Menelaus dying tbh.
*e - youtubed it, now I remember ; yeah that may have been an excess of "creative freedom". :p
 
Last edited:

ManaByte

Gold Member
It always felt like a Brad Pitt vanity project to me.

It wasn't that at all and it's the movie Pitt regrets making and didn't even want to do it but the studio made him:
“I had to do Troy because [...] I pulled out of another movie and then had to do something for the studio. So I was put in Troy. It wasn’t painful, but I realized that the way that movie was being told was not how I wanted it to be. I made my own mistakes in it. What am I trying to say about Troy? I could not get out of the middle of the frame. It was driving me crazy. I’d become spoiled working with David Fincher. It’s no slight on Wolfgang Petersen. Das Boot is one of the all-time great films. But somewhere in it, Troy became a commercial kind of thing. Every shot was like, Here’s the hero! There was no mystery.”

The movie he pulled out of was The Fountain.
 

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
It wasn't that at all and it's the movie Pitt regrets making and didn't even want to do it but the studio made him:


The movie he pulled out of was The Fountain.
Ah. I remember hearing Brad was attached to the Fountain back when it was a different movie with a bigger budget. I love The Fountain. I even bought the movie poster back in the day.
 

SantaC

Member
What is Brad Pitt doing these days? Mids 90s to early 2000 he did great movies.

12 monkeys is my favorite.
 
It aged well and it enjoys a warmer reception now.

Peter O'Toole's classic opinion:
"Ugh, what a disaster. The director, that Kraut, what a clown he was. When it was all over, I watched 15 minutes of the finished movie and then walked out. At least I had one good scene."

Sort of explained by Diane Kruger, who said he was the meanest actor she worked with:
He was just a drunk, and Peter O’Toole. You know, he had a two-day part, and I played Helen of Troy and he was Peter O’Toole, and he just wanted to make sure that everybody knew that he was Peter O’Toole. And he could barely make it up the stairs. We were on a set that was — you know, you have to climb, like, I don’t know, 100 steps to go up…But to work with, he was just — first of all, everybody thought he was gonna die right there and then. Because it was, you know, 120 degrees, and he had to walk up 100 stairs. And he was very old, and very drunk.

Also the completely miscast Greek King's

lwvCjbe.gif


Benioff had them killed because he felt it was better for the story as it was being told here. The problem is they were both 110% awesome so their deaths (although well executed) ruined the fun.
 
Top Bottom