Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

John (gothic-2) Here's the thing. The production value was not too shabby. Sure, the budget wasn't up there with Troy but you could tell that decent efforts were made by the CGI guys. And that's where the decency stops.It's just sad that Homer's epic Iliad hasn't been told yet. Not just properly but, at all.I've read reviewers talking about various interpretations and different points of view.Bull. Crap. The book is there. It's clear as daylight. And yet, still no decent portrayal of Homer's 3.000 old writings.This is not bad just as far as accuracy goes. 300 for example was as accurate as an 80 year old man, trying to shoot a humming bird with a weakly stringed bow from a 2000 yard distance while wearing a blindfold, but still it was fun and well filmed with a high re- watching value.But this? Dear Zeus. Poor Gimli was trying to save the day, but the rest were overacting like Calculon from Futurama. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Achilles. I was expecting Vince McMahon to jump at the roidraged monster and yell "Y'er fired" when he got lanced, something that finally ended his WWE rantings. Hell, he should have his own theme and Titantron whenever he showed up.I definitely did laugh at the part where they find the Trojan horse and someone is supposed to tell them in ancient fluent "Greek" that this is an offering to the goddess Athena. Too bad he was speaking a mix of Italian and Southparkish derka derka and not a single word was actual Greek. Not even Athena. Which in ancient Greek it's.... well... Athena. Watching Homer's Iliad being violated in such a way, is like giving Michael Bay to do his own rendition of 2001: A Space Odyssey.I do get the ones who liked or even loved it, if they recently discovered Western Civilization (like the week before they watched it) and this was the second movie they watched in their life, right after Miami Connection.Another prerequisite to really enjoy this movie is that the only Homer you know, is the beloved character by Matt Groening.The rape at the ending is yet another thing that was never in the book. It's just a subtle metaphor from the director and screenwriter that this is what they did to our precious time which we'll never get back.

ariadne1984 Reasonably well-made, and quite an entertaining watch --- as long as you don't expect anything more from it! If you watch this movie for reasons other than for entertainment, chances are you'll be disappointed --- it has little to do with the "Iliad" and less to do with the history. It has numerous interpolations which are nowhere to be found in the mythology, but that is the privilege of the authors. With most of these I have no quarrels ---- they streamline the plot and give it a certain connectivity --- but I must protest at the idea that Agamemnon rapes Helen, which seems to me to be a particularly tasteless and unnecessary interpolation. Agamemnon has faults enough, but this is one act he has never ever been accused of. Besides, it is completely out of keeping with his character --- Agamemnon is, above all, an ambitious man, and ambitious men do not go to war over a woman, no matter how beautiful. Agamemnon wants Troy, so that he can control the whole Agaean, and that is why he goes to war; Helen is an excuse, a pretext. I was also disappointed with the characterization of the two great heroes, Achilles and Hector; the one comes across as a suicidal madman, the other as an arrogant wimp. However, the rest of the cast is quite acceptable, Cassandra is played very well, and Agamemnon superbly --- the film may be called "Helen of Troy", but Agamemnon is the real star of the show. Watch it when you have time, it's fun enough.

my_suicide_doll 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.

ginny_135 The film "Helen of Troy" is based on the fictional epic novel, "The Iliad", which has been viewed by many to be the greatest war story ever told. It begins with Paris, a young Trojan Prince who was visited by three goddesses asking him to decide on who of them was the fairest. He chose Aphrodite, the goddess of Love and Beauty, when she offered to make the most beautiful woman in the Aegean fall in love with him. She showed him Helen, and from then on, Paris and Helen were destined to meet. Some time later, the Prince was sent by his father, King Priam of Troy, to make peace with the Greeks. Helen was married to King Menelaus of Sparta then, but that didn't stop her from sailing away with the man she truly loved. That started the war between the Trojans and the Greeks, and it lasted even longer because of the men's selfish pride. Agamemnon, Menelaus' older brother, was High Chief of the Greeks and also the most ruthless. In the end, his wife Clytemnestra killed him for causing her sister, Helen, so much pain.I really enjoyed the movie and I found the scenes highly interesting. But even then, once compared to the modern film "TROY", it does not excel much in the battle scenes. For me this is understandable considering the low efficiency of productions during that time as opposed to the outstanding technology we have now. The acting was also commendable, but still also with less emotion than of the actors in "TROY". I think that over-all, the film was good and it covered all the details that were necessary to maintain the quality of the book. Out of a rating of 5 to 1, 1 being the highest, I would give "Helen of Troy" a 2. This is not only because of the great entertainment and information it provided me but also because that's the rating it deserves.