Troy

My bad, totally missed that this thread was already live😵

casualotter21 said:I don't see the issue. Achilles was basically an immortal, Superman-style demigod. Just like all the other Greek and Trojan heroes, you had gods hovering overhead, raining down curses and lightning bolts on his enemies. Once you account for that, whether his hair color is historically accurate becomes a completely trivial detail.

Except there aren't any gods in this movie. What are they going to do with that scene where Achilles' mother rises out of the ocean—maybe she just went for a swim—and he rests his head on her chest (please tell me they cast someone with serious curves) while complaining about how he hasn't crushed anyone's skull in two hours? It’s going to look pretty absurd.

casualotter21 said:Check this out:

Anyway, I’ve got a question for the actual experts here: what historical sources are people even using when they try to reconstruct the Trojan War, seriously? This goes for Hollywood too—those folks claiming it's a "historical" epic, and even the critics already whining about how "Troy" won't be "historically accurate." Like, come on. Hmmm?

With a budget that massive, you'd think they wouldn't skimp on the pros, right? They probably went out and grilled archaeologists and historians for advice.
Or maybe... it's just Hollywood after all.

But honestly, for me, it's all about that first impression.
And mine? Well, it looks like we're just getting another Xena or Hercules reboot.
(Though, man, I really hope I'm wrong.)🙂

Kevin King52 said:With a budget like that, they surely didn't skimp on the experts; they probably consulted plenty of archaeologists and historians for guidance.
Well... or maybe it's just typical Hollywood.
In this case, it really comes down to first impressions.
And mine suggest we're getting yet another Xena and Hercules.
(though I'd love to be proven wrong)🙂

Look, as much as it might seem caricatured at first glance, I actually *want* to see Xena and Hercules in Troy. Not literally, obviously, but I want all that nonsense—the curses, the demigods, the lightning bolts, the centaurs, the monsters, and gods who meddle in the affairs of mortals just to mess with them, plus an Achilles who can single-handedly take down fifty billion soldiers just because he's *that* good. I want all of it.

Basically, I want to see *Homer's* Iliad, not some distilled, politically correct version masquerading as being historically accurate! If there was ever a story that was wonderfully over-the-top and practically begging for a massive special effects budget, it would be the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey." It strikes me as odd that when Hollywood finally gets its hands on something truly mega-epic and spectacular, it suddenly decides to pivot toward "historical realism." Give me a break!

I don't know, it'd be something to see, but I am genuinely curious to see which way they decide to gamble.

casualotter21 said:Let’s just say that in their downtime, the Greeks loved jumping around like they were born without a care in the world.

Hmm, I see. Does that logic extend to the Greek women as well? If so, perhaps I can find the strength to endure the grueling experience of watching hundreds of thousands of naked guys brawling in the mud and filth.

....

Good grief. The gay community is going to absolutely adore this movie. For heaven's sake, throw in some naked women, will you?

Seriously, what are you guys talking about with Brad Pitt? He’s a total legend, but honestly, I'm just here because Orlando Bloom makes my day much better...🙂

I have this nagging feeling it’s just going to be the tenth imitation of Gladiator we've seen, which usually means it'll be an incredibly exhausting movie to sit through.

But hey, man, as long as Brad Pitt is in it, I guess we'll at least have something worth looking at.👍

casualotter21 said:Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, Achilles was basically an immortal, Superman-level demigod anyway. Just like all the other Greek and Trojan heroes, you've got gods constantly hovering over their heads, dropping curses and lightning bolts on anyone standing in their way. Once you accept that, some tiny detail like whether his hair color is historically accurate becomes totally irrelevant to me.

To me, the whole depiction of the Greeks and Trojans feels a bit too much like high fantasy. But hey, that's just my two cents.

By the way, why don't the gods actually show up in the movie?
Cast (with IMDb)
Brad Pitt...Achilles
Eric Bana...Hector
Orlando Bloom...Paris
Diane Kruger...Helen
Sean Bean...Odysseus
Brian Cox...Agamemnon
Peter O'Toole...Priam
Brendan Gleeson...Menelaus
Saffron Burrows...Andromache
Rose Byrne...Briseis
Julie Christie...Thetis
Garrett Hedlund...Patroclus
Vincent Regan...Eudorus
Adoni Maropis...Agamemnon's Officer
James Cosmo...general Glaucus
Trevor Eve
Julian Glover...Triopas
Louis Hilyer...Messenger
Alex King...Apollonian Guard
Tyler Mane...Ajax
Owain Yeoman...Lysander

There are definitely no gods here😢

It looks like Paris spent enough time mastering his bow and arrow over the last three movies that he didn't even need a little help from Apollo to nail Achilles right in the heel.

...the premiere is hitting theaters in NYC tomorrow...😁

I read somewhere that they didn't stick strictly to history—that there are some changes here and there—but honestly, it’s a movie you should just go see for the spectacle, those massive scenes, and the hot actors...
fuck history anyway... real life is harsh enough as it is

Nancy Price46 said:I read somewhere that the movie didn't strictly follow history and made some changes,

Look, I’m really not trying to be snarky here...

...

Alright, let me rephrase that: I don't want to sound TOO sarcastic, but honestly, what "history" are we even talking about? It’s a bit much to see people write, "Oh, I wonder if 'Troy' will stick to historical facts." What facts? Are we looking for historical accuracy in an epic poem filled with D&D-style monsters and gods? You know, the kind where a guy is basically Superman and shrugs off bullets unless you hit him right in the heel? Like, what the hell?

Homer's "Iliad" is just as much a fantasy work as "Lord of the Rings." The only real difference is that the Iliad takes place in small Asia. I wouldn't be surprised by any exaggerations in the film, nor would I view them as a flaw. My actual grievance is why they didn't include the Greek gods. Without them, the Iliad isn't even half the blockbuster that Homer envisioned it to be.😁

I have a sinking feeling this movie is going to be an absolute slog... I’m honestly expecting yet another overstuffed spectacle designed to just pummel the audience for three straight hours.

And just when you finally think the story has reached its conclusion, it turns out there’s STILL more... and then even MORE...

😵 😵 😵 😵

It really brings back memories of that last Lord of the Rings installment, doesn't it?

If you look at the trailer, you can see ships stretching all the way across the horizon, millions upon millions of soldiers, and of course, Orlando Bloom playing some devoted servant whose love for someone is apparently even greater than life itself.
And let’s not forget, the film will probably sweep up its 15th Oscar because the production itself is somehow grander than life.

graniteotter4 said:this is going to be a total disaster... I’m just expecting another overhyped spectacle designed to assault the audience for three straight hours.

And just when you think the movie is finally over, nope—it keeps going and going and going...

The trailer shows ships clogging up the entire horizon and millions upon millions of soldiers.

YES! YES! TALK TO ME DIRTY BABY! YOU KNOW I LOVE IT!

...

God, I have such a weakness for these massive Hollywood super-spectacles. 😁 😬

I honestly feel like just when this villain finally leaves the theaters and hits the shelves on Blu-ray, we’ll all take a collective breath thinking it's finally over... but it really isn't, because I guess Alexander the Great will eventually show up and we'll just be right back at square one again.

Does anyone happen to know if there's any truth to the rumor that they actually had to reshoot certain scenes from Alexander because they filmed part of it on some damaged film stock?🙂

Kevin King52 said:The greatest Greek hero at Troy, clean-shaven with long blue hair??? 😁

Anyone who actually read the Iliad—which I had to do for my exams—knows that Achilles' blue hair is explicitly mentioned.
The debate over whether Achilles and Patroclus were in a relationship isn't really up for discussion anymore. Based on the writings of various philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, it turns out that romantic bonds between younger and older warriors were quite common. Some even suggest that since Achilles acted as a protector to Patroclus, he was the passive partner in the relationship. In ancient Greek culture, the love between two men was considered the highest form of human connection.
It’s hard to believe there aren't any gods. Even if the Iliad isn't a historical textbook, its cultural significance is massive. If people wanted to mess with the story, they should have just made a movie about Mike, Perry, and Laziti fighting at Troy and doing whatever the director wanted. Instead, they kept Achilles, Paris, and Helen exactly how the epic presented them—characters who are now woven into the very fabric of global culture.

Patrick Evans
You're totally right about the hair, though.👍
I read the Iliad ages ago, but I just had a completely different vision of Achilles in my head. Honestly, Brad Pitt looks way too much like Hercules to me—kind of like that crappy TV show where even the gods show up 🙂 .

All I really remember about the Iliad is how incredibly bloody it was—just endless, graphic descriptions of wounds, people getting impaled, and total carnage...

Honestly, the whole thing felt more like some kind of forensic epic than anything else.

Troy👍