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August 4, 2004 INTRODUCTION Troy tells the story of the Trojan War, which started in Ancient Greece when Paris (Orlando Bloom), prince of Troy, takes the beautiful Queen Helen (Diane Kruger) away from Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson) of Sparta. Enraged, Menelaus seeks help from his brother, Agamemnon (Brian Cox), and he promises to invade Troy to take Helen back, but actually, what Agamemnon wants is Troy itself. For the war, Sparta owns Achilles (Brad Pitt), a mighty warrior but unfaithful to his lord; while in Troy, King Priam (Peter O’Toole) relies on his brave and wise son Hector (Eric Bana). When Achilles and Hector duel, the fate of Troy will be destined… REVIEW Everyone thought that Troy would be a success, with epic battle scenes, a classic story, and a star-studded cast, but after three months since its screening, it had only earned less than $140 million, which is quite unsuccessful considering its high budget. Why did this sword-and-sandal epic end up like this? Well, I think Troy is a pretty well-made movie, and the CGI is quite good, but it suffers from some problems. In the original Greek myth, it was Aphrodite the goddess who made a deal with Paris and made Helen fall in love with him, so he could take her back to Troy. But in the film, there are no Greek god appearances, thus making it unbelievable why Helen would follow Paris after knowing him for so little time. The ten-year Trojan War was also shortened into about a month, which seems strange. Also, the final ending seems way too short and quick, considering the dramatic battle that had just finished. For the acting, Brad Pitt did an OK job while Eric Bana improved a lot from last year’s horrible Hulk and made Hector a very credible character. Unfortunately, for Orlando Bloom, he seems miscast as Paris: he doesn’t look like a cowardly prince, and it seems strange for him to be one. As for the supporting actors, Peter O’Toole is excellent as the king of Troy; he is arguably the best actor in the film, while Sean Bean should had been given more screen time as the brilliant Odysseus. Honestly, Troy is quite a disappointment, but it still is an entertaining film and should not be missed among the many summer movies.
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