Helen of Troy (2003)

Fresh and Exciting

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Blistering performances.

This three-hour film tells the famous story of the Trojan War fairly well between the Greeks and the Trojans. It is one of the oldest stories of mankind, already in the classical Greek texts, but has been the target of a series of bad adaptations for the cinema. "Troy" (2004) is perhaps one of the worst, focusing on muscle and testosterone (paving the way for "300", a disaster, a few years later). Here the focus is the romance between Paris and Helena, two lovers destined to suffer and to drag an entire people with them. Of course the purists will consider it another mistake, but I find this prospect happier and more satisfying than another, full of steroids and sebum to make the muscles bright. I also liked the film to have space for characters that usually end up overshadowed in other adaptations, but given the length of the film this was almost imperative (even considering the split in two episodes, thought to be on television). From the point of view of historical rigor I was also satisfied, not being an expert in classical civilizations to evaluate it in the best way. The cast has several strong names, such as Stellan Skarsgård, Daniel Lapaine, Maryam d'Abo, John Rhys-Davies and Rufus Sewell. Most actors performed their duty very well and toasted the audience with good performances. CGI and special effects are good enough to fulfill their role.

Last July 26 until the first week of August, we viewed the movie "Helen of Troy". This 175-minute version that was released in 2003 was produced by Adan Shapiro and was directed by John Kent Harrison. This movie of romance, adventure, drama and action was based on Homer's Iliad. It is a Greek epic that tackles on the Greek mythology, emphasizing on the war between the Greeks and the Trojans or the Trojan War wherein the great City of Troy fell. The war started when a lovely woman named Helen left of her Achaean husband, Menelaus, and ran away with a Trojan named Paris. This war lasted for ten years wherein mighty warriors fought, gods and goddesses participated, and lives were sacrificed and lost. In the film, I was stunned with the irony in the end of the story. Even from the beginning of the movie, I was eager to see the fall of the creepy Agamemnon. I always thought that he would be killed by another warrior or a god but I never saw it coming that Clytemnestra, his own wife whom he always looked down to, was the only person to kill him. It's so ironic that someone who was portrayed weak was the one to put down Agamemnon who has a strong personality.Overall, I love the movie but it's too morbid for me. I like the cast and how they portrayed their character except for a few. An example of which is Achilles. For me, he doesn't seem like an honored warrior but instead, more of a wrestler. Also, I was disappointed with the background. In some parts of the movie, it was unrealistic with the light colors. On the other hand, I like the part wherein everything stopped when Menelaus saw Helen in Troy. For me, it was a moving moment and I saw how Menelaus really perceives Helen. With this assessment, I say that it is a movie that is good enough to rent. I guess, it's just not my type of movie but it's worth seeing.

The movie "Helen of Troy" is a combination of action, adventure, drama and romance. It was produced by Ted Kurdyla, along with many other co-producers, and was released last 2003. The movie lasted for approximately 175 minutes and it was viewed last July 25 to August 2, 2005.Its story was based on The Iliad, an epic written by Homer, which mostly portrays the Greek civilizations of Sparta, Mycenae and Thebes, Greek literature and the Hellenic world. The story was about the abduction of Helen and the war between Troy and the Greeks that resulted from it. Menelaus sought for Agamemnon's help, which he then used as a reason to attack Troy not only to get Helen back, but to capture the city and expand his empire as well. In the beginning of the movie, the three goddesses represent wealth, power and beauty which are the main desires of every person. Most of the characters paid the price of death in fighting for one's country, for honor, as well as for these human aspirations. For the sake of wealth and power, Agamemnon declared war with Troy resulting to the deaths of the warriors of both sides and Troy's downfall. Because of the price of glory in battle, Agamemnon sacrificed his own daughter, Iphigenia, in order to continue their attack; Hector fought for his unfortunate brother, resulting to his own death. And due to Achilles' pride and anger, he dragged Hector's body which symbolized dishonor and shame for Troy. For the price of beauty and love, Helen and his mother, Leda, were both raped because of men's lust for their perfection and immortal beauties.As a whole, I would give this movie a rating of 4 out of 5. The Gods did not play much role in the movie when they always play an important role in the Greek literature. Also, Helen played a minor part; and what were emphasized were the characters around her, the actions they took because of her and the consequences that followed. Nonetheless, both the actors and actresses portrayed the roles of their own characters effectively because it made the viewers recognize and understand more the personality of the Homeric heroes. Moreover, the sound effects, directing, cinematography and the scenery used were factors that made the movie look more real and existent.

The film Helen of Troy, produced by Ted Kurdyla, is a tragic movie inspired by one of the greatest epic stories of all time, Homer's The Iliad. Released in 2003, the 2 hours and 57 minute film depicts the legendary battle between the Greeks and the Trojans over love, wealth and honor. It all began when the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, fell in love with Paris the son of King Priam of Troy. Though married to King Menelaus of Sparta, she left him and went with Paris to Troy. Grieved by the departure of Helen, he asked help from his brother Agamemnon who led the Spartan army to attack Troy. For 10 years the Greeks and the Trojans battled. Wearied by the battle, the Greeks decided to make a gigantic wooden horse to enter the city and defeated the Trojans, thus ended the war. Menelaus narrates the story as he reminisces the events that took place. It was very effective because he was a witness to both Agamemnon's intent to sack Troy's city and Helen's love for Paris. If someone else told the story, chances are, it will be one-sided. Like, if it was Helen, it would probably be focused on her love story. Or, if it was Agamemnon, it will be about the gory encounter with the Trojans.John Kent Harrison, the director of Helen of Troy, was able to bring into life The Iliad. The actors and actresses gave justice to the roles they played. Although there were scenes where it was very obvious that the background was only a painting, the movie redeemed itself with the help of its lighting, sound effects, and script. These elements contributed to the effectiveness of the production because the audience felt that they were part and parcel of the whole. For this and its historical value, it deserves 5 stars.