When I first had to read Homer's Iliad in the seventh grade, I loathed that incredibly long poem. Then many years later, I read the Iliad again for my own pleasure, and had a very different opinion. I loved it! It was so passionate, beautiful and powerful. And, as expected Troy greatly distorts this play of my fond memories, yet I still enjoyed it. It is a glossy, Hollywood epic starring Brad Pitt's ass and thighs, with Eric Bana's chest as their co-star. One could say that it was a slap in the face to Homer, to the spirit of Achilles, and every God and Goddess that has ever been mentioned in Greek Mythology. One could say that, but that would be admitting that you actually thought it would be something different than it really was.

Not me. I wanted lots of shots of Achilles (Brad) and Hector of Troy (Eric) running and sweating all over Troy . And that's what I got. Paris ( Orlando ), brother to Hector and prince of Troy , falls in love with Helen (Diane) who is the wife of a Greek, Menalaus. The two lovebirds just cannot stay away from each other and run off to Troy to live happily ever after. One problem: Menalaus is not having it. So, he enlists the aid of his brother, Agamemnon (Brian) to help him retrieve Helen and regain his honor. Now, Agamemnon does not care about Helen, but he wants to rule over everyone including the heretofore, impenetrable Troy and gladly takes up the charge. Of course, he cannot win jack without Achilles, the greatest warrior ever who also happens to hate Agamemnon because the latter is a greasy, sleazy rat. Still, Achilles craves immortality through his valor in battles so he agrees to go. Most of this background is not in the Iliad, which mainly focuses on Achilles and about 50 days of the 10-year battle: again, this is Hollywood. Speaking of Hollywood , in addition to Brad, Eric, and that very soft Orlando Bloom, the cast included Sean Bean and veterans Peter O'Toole and Julie Christie. It was a strong cast.

The movie is 2 hours and 42 minutes long; it is not for the casual moviegoer. But, if you DON'T mind literary inaccuracies and language mishaps such as 1300 B.C. Helen saying, "Don't play" as if she is from the 'hood, go see it. If you DO like great battle scenes, pretty good cinematography, beautiful women, and even more beautiful men, go see it.

Did you know?  

I know that you are familiar with the phrase "Achilles' Heel" meaning a weak point or something that is bad/detrimental in your life. However, did you know that according to Greek history, Achilles' mother, Thetis, wanted her son to be immortal so she dipped him in the River Styx, thus rendering Achilles invincible save for his heel by which she held him while dipping?