Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Troy (2004)
1 Plays4 seconds ago
This week on the Everything Actioncast, Zach and Chris strap on some armor and discuss 2004's Troy as Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey hits theaters.
Loosely based on Homer's epic poem, The Iliad, Troy stars Brad Pitt as Achilles, Ancient Greece's deadliest warrior. Driven by the promise of eternal glory, he joins the war against Troy led by the power-hungry Agamemnon (Brian Cox), who wants to expand his control to the neighboring kingdom. Eric Bana co-stars as Hector, Troy's best warrior and an expert tactician whose brother Paris (Orlando Bloom) kicked off the entire war by sneaking the beautiful Helen (Diane Kruger) away from her husband, Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson). Zach and Chris discuss Achilles ' go-to lunging sword strike, the terrible advice of Troy's high priest, the seemingly casual nature of ancient warfare, the lack of anything supernatural, and more.
You can watch Troy on YouTube (the TV edit) or Philo, or rent the theatrical or director's cut from Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Next week, we're getting our Multipass and discussing The Fifth Element, which is returning to theaters for two nights on July 26th and 27th.
We want to hear your comments and feedback. Send them all to contact@everythingaction.com. Also, let us know your movie suggestions for us to discuss.
Please subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. You can also find the podcast on YouTube.
Check us out on Twitter (@evaction), Facebook (www.facebook.com/everything.action), Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram (@everything.action).
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Overview
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to the Everything Action Cast, the official podcast of EverythingAction.com.
00:00:18
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Everything Action Cast, the podcast week of July 13th, 2026. I'm your Zach.
Discussing 'Troy' and Its Historical Context
00:00:24
Speaker
And my co-host, Chris. And this week we are strapping on our armor and talking about Troy, the 2004 historical epic, because it's basically the prequel to the Odyssey, which is hitting theaters right now because there's Nolan's big new epic movie.
00:00:41
Speaker
And yeah, i try Troy is based on the Iliad and the Odyssey is the the the sequel to that, I guess. Or the follow-up. Yeah, but it's not a complete continuation.
00:00:52
Speaker
it's it makes sense because the no one really does Troy as much anymore. Yeah. it's It's some alternate universe. There's an Odyssey movie with Sean Bean floating around. Yeah, yeah.
00:01:03
Speaker
But even Troy the concept, I think like I don't remember that many adaptations of Troy. Mm-hmm. I think maybe the last one was the, 50s?
00:01:15
Speaker
Yeah, I think there might have been some like... Like, but wait you know, back in the when they were cranking out, like, historical movies, like, in the 50s and 60s. And, like, building, like, the like gigantic sets and everything.
00:01:30
Speaker
But, like, they stopped doing that for, like, 30 years.
Impact of 'Gladiator' on Historical Epics
00:01:35
Speaker
Since then? like i'm Besides like Gladiator. Well, i mean i mean I think this movie exists probably because Gladiator came out. Gladiator came out and was like a box office juggernaut and also won all the Oscars. so then All the other studios were like, we gotta we gotta make so historical epics.
00:01:54
Speaker
We gotta get some historical movies out there. Yeah, okay, so to give to a better clear example, you can Wikipedia has a very small 15 film category of Troy Greek greek tragedy Greek war epics and it's really set between 1921 to 19 to 1967 and then the rest of it is just like blank just no one cared about Troy movies during the 70s and 80s oh it's only the woman the Trojan woman
00:02:32
Speaker
that was something, but I don't think it really hyper-focuses on the actual fight as much compared to the Brad Pitt one. Well, I think, too, is, like, the Odyssey is, the like, way more interesting story because it's got, like, all the gods are like interfering with things, there's monsters, there's cyclopses, there's, like, people get turned into pigs, there's, it's like, there's like way more stuff going on in Odyssey.
The Legend of Troy and Its Archaeological Significance
00:02:59
Speaker
Yeah. And the Odyssey is, like, so many more adaptations. Yeah. Plus, the story of Helen is like always super tragic, just because she wanted to leave her abusive husband.
00:03:12
Speaker
And then goes across the sea to find safety, and then just brings war. And they couldn't solve it through cause thises like- Caused an entire like civilization to be destroyed. Yeah, yeah, like wiped.
00:03:25
Speaker
To the point where I think, can you still visit Troy now? Like, know. I think there's like ruins, but it's not like a city that is like Greece is very like, you know, the drives where I don't know what is in Troy anymore.
00:03:42
Speaker
it's It's in Turkey. So that like it's it's so it's like a like a. Yeah, there's like an archaeological site, I guess you can like go visit in Turkey.
00:03:54
Speaker
Looks like looks say there's just yeah just like kind of some like low walls and some ruins. mean, they burnt that. and mean yeah yeah no no more No more giant walls, like which is like their whole defensive structure. right And you figure in Turkey, they're just built into a cliffside or whatever, but I think in this movie, it's depicted as just like a a city in the desert.
00:04:17
Speaker
Well, it seems it seems very close to like the the ocean. like It's like right off the beach. like because so they had Like, they had to land on, they had like, the D-Day landing, basically. The ancient Greek version of the D-Day landing, and then, like, they, like, next day they're at the the gates of Troy. Well, I mean, I guess everyone that keeps trying to invade that city, so they they try, strategically it makes sense to put there, but I wouldn't put the capital.
Film Adaptation Choices in 'Troy'
00:04:43
Speaker
You know what i mean? Like, it it would be and just a functioning wall to block anything. I wouldn't
00:04:50
Speaker
and It's like, okay, if you play a lot of RTSs, you really shouldn't put your headquarters right next to, like, the gate yeah gate. Yeah. You gotta make you gotta make the like the invaders like fight through very like different like defenses before they get to your actual main city. Yeah, before the king can overlook beyond the wall.
00:05:10
Speaker
They have their war viewing platform, they just like watch everything from. yeah Like that should be their house. Like, i you know what Like the, the platform, like, what I mean? Like the white house isn't by the coastline.
00:05:23
Speaker
And
00:05:24
Speaker
and that's like, To me, not the downfall, but probably historically, it probably was further away, but they kind of speed up the production of this movie. They're just like, everyone's in one location. the wall You're outside the wall, or you're in the wall, or, you know, like... Yeah, the the location and the time frame is very, very condensed.
00:05:44
Speaker
If I remember right, the Trojan War is like a 12-year, decade-long war. Yeah, and and the movie makes it seem like a few days... Yeah. Yeah. Like, so much time should be passing. Probably, like, two weeks, because it's like the it's, like, the first two days is, like, they're they're attacking the beach. The first they're attacking the beach, and then they attack the wall, and then...
00:06:06
Speaker
i guess I guess, I don't know how many days this is, but because they like they give them 12 days after, for like a funeral games at one point. that So it's that adds like 12 days of like to the war.
00:06:18
Speaker
But then it's only a couple of days on either side to like finish it out. So yeah, like two weeks maybe? little over two weeks?
00:06:28
Speaker
And how how long was like Hector and like Paris in Sparta that led theyre like like like Paris and Helen like like like had this like massive affair that like but we're going to risk our entire civilization for you.
00:06:43
Speaker
For each other. Because it seemed like they were there a couple days. Easily.
00:06:50
Speaker
I don't know. It should be one of those things where time back then was so much slower because of how transportation was. That should have been like a year.
Character Analysis: Achilles and His Mythology
00:07:02
Speaker
But let let let's start jump back at the beginning, because I think like the the weird thing about this movie, like Troy, is that I feel like the beginning scene is like the most memorable scene in the entire movie, and then no one really remembers anything else about it. At like that opening seat like opening fight with where Brad Pitt fights the guy is like the only thing i've ever like the only thing you'll ever see on like social media or like TikTok or YouTube or something. Oh, yeah is that the part where Brad Pitt gets thrown by a knife in bed?
00:07:28
Speaker
No. Actually, the only other thing I've seen all the time is, like, Brian Cox, like, laughing and pointing is, is like, a meme.
00:07:37
Speaker
Okay, I can see that. But yeah, this this opening scene is just, like, that's this is, like, Troy to most people. And you think it's going to be that as a non-stop experience. and And there are a lot of dead time.
00:07:51
Speaker
but lot of, like, stuff that kind of happens... before fighting or after fighting. Well, like, Warfare also seems, like, very casual back in, like, Age of Greece. Like, everyone's just like, why we just have two guys fight? That's the battle. Or the battle will be going on and everyone will be like, hey, everyone is everyone everyone good? Is everyone good? You guys want to call it for the day? All right? Cool? All right.
00:08:17
Speaker
See tomorrow. Yeah, they did that for, like, what, a decade? That was their job. that That was just, like, clocking in and just... Let's just, but I don't know, like, I mean, people died.
00:08:29
Speaker
It wasn't just like, okay, who whoa, whoa, whoa, time out. and
00:08:35
Speaker
So i think I think it's like, they've everyone's had enough, right? Everyone's enough today? All right, yeah, go back to your camp, hang out, we'll we'll do this tomorrow.
00:08:45
Speaker
But yeah, this opening fight is... So you've got Agamemnon, who is like the king of... Who's like but all of almost all Greece. like In this opening fight, he's trying to like take over like the last kingdom that will give him most of all of Greece. Like Thessaly, I think it is. his ors Thessalia.
00:09:05
Speaker
And then... They decide, like, instead of having our armies fight, we'll just have, you you send your best guy, I'll send my best guy, they'll just fight it out, and then whoever wins, like, if I win, i get i get your country, or you you answer to me, and then if you win, we'll leave, then we'll go back.
00:09:22
Speaker
I mean, it's fair. it's's It's it's written's robot jock's rules. Yeah.
00:09:28
Speaker
And then Agamemnon has Achilles, who is the greatest warrior in the world, played by Brad Pitt. i mean, the most California warrior for the Greek side.
00:09:40
Speaker
Trying to do a a British accent and mostly succeeding, except occasionally he'll revert back to his normal Brad Pitt voice. yeah It kind of takes you out the moment.
00:09:51
Speaker
But yeah, he he he fights like this this giant dude, and like it's the first it's the first instance of we see like Achilles' go-to move, which is like his like jump jumping sword strike. does like this like big like That's like his big move like constantly in the movie.
00:10:09
Speaker
Yeah, it's a what people think like a Superman punch would be. Yeah, with sword. Yeah.
00:10:18
Speaker
And also his like is is like elite level of like dodging spears. And then I think later we speech we see his... He's like a sniper, right? Basically with the spears. Whenever he throws a spear at, he hits it.
00:10:30
Speaker
But they never they they never do the thing where... like They don't explain... Or get into the mythology where like his mother dipped him into, like was it the river Styx or something? Or like whatever river it was? Styx is the the death one.
00:10:45
Speaker
Yeah. oh this is the opposite.
00:10:48
Speaker
But but like the the myth is that he had yeah he had like dunked into this river that like made him invulnerable. But like she held like his his like heel when she tucked him in, so that's why his heel is his vulnerable point.
00:11:02
Speaker
Which, don't don't dip babies by the heel. Don't. Just... Like, it's why she couldn't dip her her own hand in there. Or, like, hold him by, like, under his armpits and dunk him that way, and then... i think it has to be one go. Like, one dunk.
00:11:20
Speaker
You can't... Well, I mean, you can, like, hold by under his armpits and, dunk him down and, like, bring him back up. Well, maybe she can don't she can't put her own hand in. Oh, maybe, yeah. I don't know. It's just less the baby and only the baby, so... It it was the River Styx, though, so guess I guess if you you can... That is, like, the Death River, but also it'll make you invulnerable.
00:11:42
Speaker
That's a new one.
00:11:43
Speaker
I always thought the River Styx is just the Death one. You shouldn't, dip like, go in there, let alone dip a baby in there. Yeah. But who am I to know? I'm not exactly a Greek philosopher or archaeologist. This is definitely one of those things I would just be like with Indiana Jones. I'm like, that's nonsense.
00:12:01
Speaker
So I guess so guess he's like Red Pit's not and invulnerable in this movie, but then it's weird because they they do play like into like the heel thing toward the end. Where i think it's like that's like that takes eventually.
00:12:15
Speaker
i mean yeah that literally is a human everyone's got that and are we all are we all supposed to believe that we've all been dipped in the river and the the like like i get why he was vulnerable everywhere and then invulnerable everywhere but then super vulnerable to achilles heel like his heel thing but didn't no one else ever get hit that before
00:12:44
Speaker
um'm sure I'm sure people got hit there before, but like like I guess with Achilles, if you hit him anywhere else, and it's like he doesn't get wounded.
00:12:52
Speaker
But that's where we get like yeah this where you obviously get like the phrase Achilles' heel for like your weakness, and then Achilles' tendon is also named for him. Yeah, but Achilles' tendon, I think, is like, okay, that gets torn a lot, and it curls up.
00:13:05
Speaker
The heel is... That happens, and you pretty much can't use your foot.
00:13:13
Speaker
and I've seen I forgot which movie where might have been the last of us where like they cut the heel and then the the tendon like shoots up so like your foot just like your leg is completely like messed up it's like very vulnerable place to be cut yeah I've seen like quite a few things like think Pet Sematary did that too mhm
00:13:35
Speaker
that's another thing about this movie. It's sort of like Titanic, where you know it's it's gonna end the way you think it is. it's It's not like surprise this time around. He put a guard on it behind his leg.
00:13:46
Speaker
spoil Spoilers for this, like, uh, like, thousands thousands of year old story.
00:13:56
Speaker
It's like, the i yeah, the Iliad. Like, spoilers that that came out, like, 500 years ago where it was.
00:14:03
Speaker
Although, I mean, it's outside outside the basic plot points, like, it's that it's it's not really following a lot of the Iliad stuff. It plays around with a lot of little so details that I think English majors and literature people be upset about, but if you're just an average movie goer, you're just like, okay. Like, it's well i think i so i think so David Benioff wrote this movie and then went on to co-create Game of Thrones. What he said is that basically if it if it worked for so the movie but it was not accurate to the Iliad, they went with like making it work for the movie.
00:14:40
Speaker
so so they're So they're basically like focusing more on like making it like work as a movie plot and not being a very faithful adaptation of the Iliad.
00:14:52
Speaker
It's hard to do one of those. Especially when you don't have the the gods coming in and like doing doing things. That's a huge part of the Iliad. It's like all the Greek gods kind of like interfering and talking to people and like...
00:15:05
Speaker
pushing events in certain directions. I mean, the closest we ever got to that was the Immortals. And that that was just sort of like visually great.
00:15:17
Speaker
Plot-wise, all over the place. So no one's done a a good amount of that. Or or it's like Percy Jackson. you know like It's sort of that same idea, but just too supernatural and mystical.
Speculation on Nolan's Upcoming Film
00:15:34
Speaker
i do i do think the Christopher Nolan movie is going to have... like The gods are in there. like i think Zendaya is like Athena and stuff like that, so they are going to be bouncing around, talking to people, and in interfering in mortal affairs.
00:15:48
Speaker
I mean, are they going more commenting on it, or are they actually going to be like... more I don't know, like i it feels weird for Nolan version to suddenly do a magic insert where in the same seriousness there's a pause and then there's just God sort of like being Quicksilver and just manipulating hands and like heads to get people to talk in a certain way.
00:16:14
Speaker
or Or go like like full Clash of the Titans and just have them like watching everything on like a magic screen. and yeah and like get move Moving figures around. and that's like That's where I'm like is like, I don't see Nolan doing that.
00:16:27
Speaker
I see another director going, I don't care. like That seems cool. But Nolan's a very grounded guy.
00:16:34
Speaker
Even his bat like you know like his Batman movie didn't have Batman saying catchphrases. Or... him like say I am the knight you know it just things that cartoonish things to do so when I i think about the future now with the Nolan Odysseus movie and' I don't know how they're gonna like you know insert the mystic parts without breaking the like tension Because that's the thing that this movie could use.
00:17:04
Speaker
There could have been a point where there's a character that, you know, has been a side character, blah, blah. blah Like, he's he's been in the background, slowly making his way into a very, like, intimate scene or just getting, like, a zoom in.
00:17:18
Speaker
And he reveals he's, you know, Apollo yeah in human form. Or there's, like, an old lady that curses Brad Pitt. And it's just like, oh...
00:17:30
Speaker
who are you? And she she's just like, i' i'm a witch. You know, like, you don't get that. But it would make sense in this. it It would have been okay just to have that during the the, like, downtime scenes where if it's not just family yelling at each other and Achilles doubting himself or or, like, saying, I don't want to be in this war,
00:17:53
Speaker
I don't want to be a killing machine any anymore. So goddamn good at it. I'm soed im i'm the but the best killer in the world. not only that, that's another Let's go back to the beginning.
Character Dynamics: Hector and Paris
00:18:03
Speaker
Where Achilles is like tired of being this famous and that he's going to be a legend and he already knows it. Well, he he hates Agamemnon because Agamemnon is a like a pompous, arrog like just like ruthless warlord, basically, who's like conquering everything.
00:18:20
Speaker
he has it he's He has no honor. He's just he's just like a yeah just like this unlikable warlord who's like bending everyone to his will. Brian Cox just devouring scenery. Definitely one of the highlights of the movie is Brian Cox just going nuts and everything.
00:18:40
Speaker
Agreed. So like that's why Achilles is fighting for him, but he hates him. it's But it's like he's getting like glory, or like he's doing it for like yeah like honor and glory. And then the funny thing is like he when he like when they're going to do this this site like campaign against Troy, like they send Odysseus to go talk to him, like, hey, come on, man. You got to come on this this war with us.
00:19:06
Speaker
And then what convinces him is that he goes to see his mother. His mother's like, It's like, she's like the closest thing, like like a sort of like magical, like anything in this movie, because it seems like she can see the future.
00:19:17
Speaker
she has this sort of like gift of like prophecy, but she's like, stay if you stay here, you'll get married, you'll have a wonderful life, you'll bunch of kids, but then eventually no one will remember you, or you can go to fight in this war, you're gonna die, but then you'll be your game will get remembered for thousands of years. He's like, all right, yeah, second option.
00:19:37
Speaker
i mean, she was not wrong. It's definitely a foreboding thing. But that's just war in general. I feel like back then, everyone fought in wars to be remembered and then immoralized because of the heroics.
00:19:52
Speaker
Well, that's that's this whole thing in the opening, too, where like, it's like that kid goes to find him. And then the kid's like, that's he's the biggest man I've ever seen. i wouldn't have I wouldn't fight him. And then because he's like, what's your name, boy? he tells him his He's like, and no one remember you.
00:20:08
Speaker
kind of a that's why they'll remember you kind of a dickish thing to say to a kid yeah but that's the thing there's no he's not complex so because they portray him as this like you know veteran warrior who is all about the like honor and glory of battle you don't really root for him.
00:20:33
Speaker
And that's all he all he knows is killing. He knows nothing else. But then that's why when there's like tender moments, he's like, I learned to love. Like, i just don't care. this yeah this This, especially in the long term part of the war where I think Achilles gets killed not that far from the the war. I think Achilles gets killed before the actual Trojan horse.
00:20:57
Speaker
Mm-hmm. it's It's sometime toward the end of the war. Yeah. So... I think in some versions, Achilles dies, and then then Odysseus is like, alright, I got a plan.
00:21:10
Speaker
we We lost our secret weapon. yeah we all like, one-man, add a bomb, basically. Yeah, and then it's like, okay, we gotta to look like we need to retreat. that That makes sense in the plot, but in here, it's just, okay, hey, are warriors sad? Like,
00:21:30
Speaker
But yeah, you've fought been fighting like a 12 year war. Everyone's sad.
00:21:34
Speaker
And I don't like there's so many other side characters and other plots they could have been doing, but you really just hyper focus on four groups by the middle. You basically pay attention to Paris and his brother.
00:21:49
Speaker
Hector. yeah hector hector And then like their family. And and hector Hector is, like, sort of, he's, like, the mirror of Achilles, but he's, like, super honorable and, like, all about his family and all about, like, his, like, defending his country and his city.
00:22:04
Speaker
And, you know, and then depending on your mood, you really root for Hector most of the time. Oh, I mean, yeah, the tro the Trojans are like, all of them seem incredibly, like, like honorable and respect, like, they, like, respect each other, respect, like, their enemies, they respect their, like, like traditions traditions. And then, they're like, their king, like, Peter O'Toole is just, like, seems like a really cool dude, except his downfall is, like, listening to, like, his high priest guy, who's just, like,
00:22:35
Speaker
I saw a bird kill a snake. That means we should attack them. he's like And then Hector's like, we should we should like do this like extremely elaborate so defensive ske like plan that will like defend our city and drive them back. he's like, let's attack them.
00:22:50
Speaker
Apollo's on our side. We saw a bird.
00:22:53
Speaker
yeah i don't know why the priest becomes like like a commander. Well, i mean, he's just like, he's just like you know, an advisor, and they're all about, like, all about looking for signs from the gods, and, respect like, the gods are gonna, like, deliver them, especially Apollo, because, like, he's, like, their patron god.
00:23:10
Speaker
You see, this is where they could have done the insert of the magic thing, where he's actually, like, you know, some other god. He's Ares or something, or the priest is secretly a minion of someone else, like some some other society, and then it's like, uh-oh.
00:23:28
Speaker
But I think i think it happens at least twice where like Hector has an extremely logical, reasonable battle skip plan, and then the high priest just says, like, a farmer saw a sheep jump off a cliff. And he's like, okay.
00:23:43
Speaker
um've god That's what we're doing. but And Heather just like slams it. like There's like the Picard head slam. It's like, oh my god. Yeah, I mean, I'm thinking this is just what being a mystic was back then. You just have to sound convincing. You didn't need proof.
00:23:58
Speaker
You just have to say cool things that or it wasn't written down. I mean, like the priestesses who were like in like the temples were just like getting high off of like natural gas. Just having visions. Yeah.
00:24:11
Speaker
crazy visions That I did see. they That or they threw like stuff into the fire and breathed the vapors. and then Yeah. Yeah, they they tripped and then tried to see you know images, which i think is not like science.
00:24:31
Speaker
But it's it's funny that in the movie... Achilles goes to a temple that he's raiding and then he picks the prettiest priestess there and just like, alright, you'll teach me about love. And I'm like, I just think she's going to poison you. Like, just give you the gas vapors and then you're just going to... Achilles didn't find her. like that his like I think her his men found her. He's like, hey, hey boss, here's this we found this like priestess in the temple. like
00:25:03
Speaker
do what you want with her. Yeah, but like, it's not his first raid. He's a veteran at this, and he's just like, yeah, okay. like yeah But that's what saying. like At this point, being this like raider warrior, don't try to just cozy up to the enemy workers.
00:25:20
Speaker
workers Like, the priest isn't royal. She's just part of the temple service. And you've you've destroyed, like, one of their sacred spots. You've desecrated, like, their temple and, like, killed their priests and, like, like stealing all their treasures. Destroy their statue, like, their figure.
00:25:40
Speaker
And he's like, that's good. yeah Like, that's where the old witch should have popped up and been like, shouldn't have done that. And then and Hector shows up, and then Achilles is like, it's too early the movie, dog. like we we'll doll We'll fight later. Yeah, that is a, we'll tease this later.
00:25:59
Speaker
There's a lot of buildup towards that. who In fact, I think one of the first battles, Achilles doesn't even fight Hector. It's just Ajax.
00:26:11
Speaker
Yeah, like, so they... Yeah, hmm.
00:26:16
Speaker
Yeah, that's like, like they they go in and attack the, they're trying to attack the walls, and
00:26:21
Speaker
I think, is that, that that's when, like it's like the second duel, where like, like Paris is going to fight Brendan Gleeson, and it's like, whoever wins gets to take Helen back.
00:26:32
Speaker
Which did not happen in real life, or in the most of the stories. Mm-hmm. Because I remember that scene, someone explained to me when I was watching it, they're like, oh, this is not right. Like, the Spartan King wouldn't just, like, do this and they' just be like, alright, well, war's over if I win, right?
00:26:52
Speaker
it's so It's really funny that, like, Orlando Bloom is, like, the worst fighter in this movie. And he's coming off of, like, multiple movies where he's, like, the best fighter. Like, Lord the Rings, all the Lord of the Rings we have in the first movie, and i think the at least the first Pirates movie, and then year after this was, like, Kingdom of Heaven. Well, Kingdom Heaven makes up for, like, him being the the scared warrior.
00:27:18
Speaker
I think this movie kind of reverted him back. I always forget the order of Orlando Bloom's career, because i remember him being the reason why Black Hawk Down starts.
00:27:30
Speaker
Because he's the one that falls off the helicopter. Yeah. Then, just out of nowhere, Pirates of Caribbean, where he progressively gets better as a developed character by the third movie.
00:27:44
Speaker
Which I think is like a year after this? I think the first one was before this. Yeah, the first one is before this, but think Troy came out after King of I mean... you know pi second Pirates movie came out around 2005, 2007, I'm going say?
00:28:05
Speaker
i think I think Dead Man's Chest was 2006 because we just did I just put up the 20th anniversary post a little bit ago. so Oh, really? Yeah. Dead Man's Chest was the second one. second one yeah World's End was the third. World's End was like 2007?
00:28:24
Speaker
thousand seven
00:28:26
Speaker
Or like 2006. I think it was like... Yeah, 2007. Okay. So they were like a year year a year apart, basically. just because around this time, people forgot that Orlando Bloom looked like a boy anymore. Like he was solely looking more and more like a man. Mm-hmm.
00:28:45
Speaker
And yeah, this was peak, just like young Orlando Bloom, you just want to punch him in the face again. Where like, I don't know, two years prior, Legolas was there, people were like, oh, who's this like sexy elf man? You're like, yeah, then you see this, you're like, oh no, who's this kid?
00:29:04
Speaker
This kid who doomed his entire society just because like, he was like having an affair with like, like the one of the meanest kings. Mm-hmm.
00:29:16
Speaker
like a two-day affair with this, like, with Helen, and that's like, I'm gonna ruin my entire society for you. i mean, that's romance, right? But he yeah, he gets his ass kicked, and then Hector kills Manalias, and then that's just like, then Brian Cox is like, yes! We can attack them now!
00:29:37
Speaker
He's just excited. He's like, oh, my brother's dead, but whatever. Mm-hmm. I get my war. but always thought it'd be the opposite. Wouldn't it be like... Benelinius... The Spartan king about war? Not the... The other Greek... hu Guy?
00:29:58
Speaker
don't know my history. I don't know what what Brian Cox actually led. and it's It's bizarre going from like... but Brendan Gleeson being the king of Sparta to like... I think like three two years later 300.
00:30:12
Speaker
So then we got like Gerard Butler.
00:30:14
Speaker
like, oh, these are Spartans. Yeah, that's a Spartan. That really like overrid your idea of Spartans. Yeah. That's why he's like, Brian Gleason's a Spartan. And i was like, what? He's the peak peak physical specimen for a Spartan.
00:30:29
Speaker
I would have loved if they brought up the Spartan training and you're just like, what? Because technically Achilles would be a Spartan, right? Or no, he's more of a just a third-party mercenary. He's like... Well, his guys are the Myrmidons who from like...
00:30:45
Speaker
Bilis? Or something? that's like the first Yeah, there's they're they're like kind of their own like group, I guess. And and they're like they're like the special forces of Age of Greece. There's like 50 of them, and they just like take the entire beach themselves.
00:31:01
Speaker
I guess like an entire army. And then when they when they don't fight, it's just like, well, we're gonna lose. this This is just like, yeah, we're done. Well, I guess they did most of the heavy lifting.
00:31:14
Speaker
Yeah. Everyone else fought formations. they they They do the the shield wall. no no else No one else like thinks to do the shield wall, I guess.
00:31:25
Speaker
But yeah, their first their first attack is against Troy, they get pushed back. Hector is too tactical for them. He kills Sabretooth. And then yeah then they say it they like retreat back to like their but camp
00:31:42
Speaker
And then I think Achilles is like, well, alright, I'm good. I'm gonna leave. We're done.
Key Battle Scenes and Their Realism
00:31:48
Speaker
Well, he got everything he wanted out the war. I think he found out how meaningless it is. It's not like you're winning something to get something. You're literally doing it to get this woman back who obviously doesn't want to come back.
00:31:59
Speaker
Mm-hmm. And he's he almost got killed by priestess, but then they become like lovers. He's like, i was going to kill you, but now now like but now like we're both hot. Let's say let's just like have sex now. I know. There's like oh one of the odds these two beautiful people hooked up.
00:32:19
Speaker
he's like, okay. Yeah, I found love now. I'm done. don't know going to find this war But then that's when the high priest guy in Troy is like, we should you should attack them at their camp. I saw the the eagle eat a snake.
00:32:33
Speaker
And so they they they do that insane like tactic where they drop giant balls at them. like Giant flaming balls. think it's like filled with oil. Oil, and they're like made of like highly flammable material.
00:32:49
Speaker
Which Hector Strat tells them, like, oh, like, Achilles wasn't there, like, at the battle today. Like, like his men were, like, there's, like, some sort of, like, dis like disagreement in the the Greeks. Like, we shouldn't, like, if we attack them, we'd, like, unify them.
00:33:03
Speaker
And they're like, let's do it anyway. Yeah, we're good. Apollo's on our side.
00:33:09
Speaker
You think in the modern day war going to ever bring that back? Of just thanking the gods like that?
00:33:18
Speaker
And then it's like, yeah, explain in front of like the media where it's like, Apollo wasn't with us that day. Like, what?
00:33:26
Speaker
Thor! Yeah, I know. Where are you? Just, if... I don't want to wish it... I don't want to wish it, yeah. It's like, I don't want to wish it that we have these things in the future. But, I think it'd be hilarious for someone to give a press conference and they're just like, well, the Mesopotamian god didn't help us do this. you're like, what? That was your strategy?
00:33:46
Speaker
gotta make a cult to Krom. We didn't burn enough crops and kill enough goats for this win. <unk>
00:33:53
Speaker
But they did that back then. After 12 years of war, they were trying every method. that you know They're just like... They're probably... You know, burning their food in hopes that their next battle would be good.
00:34:07
Speaker
Vikings did that.
00:34:09
Speaker
Yeah, they like, Vegas had a whole crazy, like, they were like, they, like, kill a goat and drink the blood and, like, cover themselves in the blood and do all kinds of stuff. So, that's why I'm like, alright, if and we're gonna go there, go wild.
00:34:26
Speaker
I can see, though, Nolan just avoiding that. They're not even gonna, they're just not gonna have so much of that. But, I gotta see for myself if this new movie has something where Matt Damon starts cursing the gods and then, you know, the gods come up and like, what'd you say?
00:34:46
Speaker
That's what I thought. Poseidon rises of the ocean. he's like, you want you want to go?
00:34:51
Speaker
Boom. You have to face Cilia. I brought the Kraken with me. Yeah.
00:34:57
Speaker
So, uh, Let's see, where are we you now? Does Sean, will you just sort of, like, leave the movie during this time? He's, like, i mean, he's there.
00:35:07
Speaker
i don't think either we we ever see him, like, like really get into, like, battle at all. don't think we see him, like, really fighting anybody. kind of just, like, shows up after each battle i'll be like, man, we need you, Achilles. Yeah, right? Like, he just sort of shows up for exposition and then leaves again. Mm-hmm.
00:35:26
Speaker
And then i think I think this, like, Achilles isn't going fight, but then their next battle, they're, like, it's like, oh, Achilles is leading his men into battle again. and then he has a fight with Hector.
00:35:41
Speaker
Which, I love how that fight devolves into, like, a schoolyard, like, like fight, where everyone just, like, gets in a circle around them, starts chanting and stuff, and, like, pushing them. It's like, it just, like, it turns like, a full-on, like, schoolyard fight, where it's like, let's let these two guys, these two are going at it, let's let's watch them.
00:35:56
Speaker
Yeah. And no one recognizes, like, the size difference of what they realize, you know? It's like, oh, man, these are two great warriors. One guy's a little shorter, though. Yeah.
00:36:07
Speaker
Yeah, so it's it's it's actually Petroclus, who is, uh, Achilles' cousin, who took his armor, but then apparently didn't say anything, or no one looked at him, and, like, looked at his face and realized it wasn't Achilles. Well, he ran. He was running the whole way to the fight. yeah Yeah. I've run these guys to see who I am.
00:36:27
Speaker
it wasn't like he stopped and chatted. He literally was just, like, dashed downhill.
00:36:32
Speaker
And then, yeah, he fights Hector. Hector slashes his throat and kills him. And then that's, then, like, he's like, well, I'm back in it now. Like, that's what unified me. Now I'm yeah back in. I was going to leave, but now now now I'm in.
00:36:45
Speaker
I'm thinking i' back. Well, then, don't they let the the Greeks, like, mourn for a little bit?
00:36:53
Speaker
that's That's after. so this is So then Achilles goes and challenges Hector to a duel. There's a lot there' a lot of one-on-one duels in this war, too. So he's like, all right, Hector, you and me, we're doing this. This is this has nothing to do with the bat this has nothing to do with the war. It's just you you killed my cousin. I'm killing you now. im i'm killing you no
00:37:13
Speaker
So they have their big, awesome duel. where it's like it lots of cool like like shield moves and sword like spear moves it's i like i think it starts out with like as a like a spear fight it's not like a sword fight to start with they're using like spears they're doing like like like cool like long range like lunges and spear attacks it's it's very realistic combat so no one is just seriously doing combos it's really just exchange of blows Achilles is like holding his shield like behind his back for like a lot of the but like the first part of the fight.
00:37:47
Speaker
doing like like like like He's like... like like interesting spear moves and then they eventually get spear moves. Not really technical with spear fighting, are you, Zach? i don't Yeah. Jabs? I don't know.
00:38:00
Speaker
Swirls? It probably is like real words, but we do not have the combat knowledge to be like, that's a good spear jab.
00:38:12
Speaker
Oh, he did he did the Acadian... Death spin. Okay. The classic Greek maneuver. That's an another thing, too. During this fight, it's a lot of tom but's a lot of Brad Pitt posing.
00:38:25
Speaker
Yes. And it's to show like his power compared to Hector's. oh but like It's not even an effort for Achilles. This is likes just like be showing off. like But it reminds me of like a kung fu fight where a guy just sort of does like a kick or like some sort of like backhand fist.
00:38:43
Speaker
and holds it and then does like a whole like you see who you're messing with so think it also it's the only fight that fights this way i think everything else doesn't fight as fluent or as intense No, yeah. most Most of the rest the movie is would expect from like a historical kind of sword of sandals epic. lot of like like guys like slamming into each other with swords, like guys with blood shooting up.
00:39:07
Speaker
Everyone's got high blood pressure, so even like a simple wound just sort of exudes blood. it does It does feel like there's guy under under like all the extras, like just so the fire hose is full of blood, just like spraying blood.
00:39:21
Speaker
and i I think Achilles does like his like like jumping sword Superman attack like at least like twice in this fight, too.
00:39:29
Speaker
And then he he eventually he he kills Hector, and then is dragging him in front the city. like like It's like, hey, look! Here's your Hector! Now no Hector! Some sort of like... He's some sort of Schwarzenegger one-liner. Yeah, yeah.
00:39:47
Speaker
Here's Sub-Zero. Here's just plain Zero.
00:39:53
Speaker
But yeah, he drags in front of the city, like humiliating them, and like brings back to the camp. And then, and this is when Peter Atul shows and is like, hey, uh, can I get my son's body back so can like bury him like the right way?
00:40:05
Speaker
That wasn't, it wasn't cool. And Akili's like, oh, you know what? You're right. It wasn't cool. See, Achilles is already like cursed for the temple. This double cursed him.
00:40:16
Speaker
Mm-hmm.
00:40:18
Speaker
But it's it's to show you that basically the Peter Tool King is actually very honorable. Yes. He understood the consequence, but he just wants to see if, like, you know, there's some middle ground they can meet in.
00:40:34
Speaker
Yeah, it's like it's like, you're my enemy, but we can respect each other still. like we don't like Even though we're fighting this war against each other, like we can still like have honor, our be respectful, and honor our traditions.
00:40:46
Speaker
So this is when they give them, like, the twelve yeah you get the 12 days of funeral games.
00:40:52
Speaker
I think it's in the movie, they're just hanging around. youre Yeah, they're just, like, just do you like the the the funeral pyre. i would assume it means, like, you would have, like, gladiator fights or something. Like, like chariot races or something. and they When you talk about, like, games in Greece, that's what you'd be doing. but Do you think that, basically, during this time...
00:41:13
Speaker
It was just a break for regular war killing, and this was a They killed each other. Take a break from the war, going to get our best Trojans, and we're going to have, like, gladiator fights. Yeah. Oh, we still kill the loser?
00:41:30
Speaker
i think I think in reality, most gladiator fights didn't end in death, because they were so expensive for like the ludic owners. they were yeah It would make sense. Don't kill my guy. like i spent I invested like thousands of dollars in this guy. like Don't kill him. yeah no that That part's true. it's like unless they killed Usually, a lot of people died in gladiator fights. It was usually because it's like an execution where they were ready criminals, and they just kind of gave them like a chance to defend themselves.
00:41:56
Speaker
yeah that's That's what happened. Not a... check out these two all-stars and then, you know, watch this guy who invested, like, basically at the cost of, like, a racehorse. Yeah. Just because he lost his first fight.
00:42:14
Speaker
It's like, it's like, The Rock and Stone Cold in, like, the Attitude Era, it's like, alright, one of them is going kill the other guy. we have so much brand marketing, it's like, you just can't kill him.
00:42:24
Speaker
don't know. It could be dystopian. I feel like we could get to that level.
00:42:29
Speaker
if If we bring back praying to old gods and and false idols again, okay we can go back to we're glad you're the games. And Mr. Beast presents, you know, a true death match. You're like, what?
00:42:45
Speaker
I mean, we're getting there. I mean, we had like, we had UFC fights on the White House lawn. I know, I know. Now he imagines like, okay, well, at the end of this fight, we execute someone. Like, what? What?
00:42:55
Speaker
We're not having that. It's just like a weird Patriot game where it's like we take a war criminal and something bad happens at the end of the fight. what What was in Idiocracy? like you got you like You got thrown into a monster truck pit or something? Yeah, they tied you to a rock and then yeah monster trucked you.
00:43:11
Speaker
cause i so like It makes sense in that world too because it's like, okay, we no one's doing hand-to-hand combat, but big machine, loud noise. That is such a dumb way to fight.
00:43:23
Speaker
Mm-hmm.
00:43:24
Speaker
So I think i think after like the 12 days are up is when Odysseus comes up with like his like idea for the Trojan horse. Because Brian Cox, Agamemnon is like, we're to take the city no matter what. I have to throw wave at the wave of my own men and kill everybody. I'm going to take the city.
00:43:43
Speaker
And then Odysseus sees like one of his guys like carving a horse. He's like, wait, horse? Trojan horse? So they build they build the Trojan horse, and then yeah they get to build the city, and then they break out, and then they start burning Trojan to the ground.
The Trojan Horse and Troy's Downfall
00:44:02
Speaker
See, now, at this point, I'm familiar from other Odyssey like adaptations. Yes, this this part's always in... which is This is not in the Iliad, though. This is in like other like the Odyssey and like the other... the
00:44:21
Speaker
Like, the the Iliad ends with Hector's funeral. Yeah, and this this whole part is the beginning of the Odyssey, where yeah Odysseus does this and goes, holy shit, I'm awesome.
00:44:32
Speaker
Yes. But you figure the first guy that did that was Achilles. And look what happened to him. Mm-hmm.
00:44:42
Speaker
yes so Yeah, so everyone is just like, the Greeks are in, they're like burning... bring us to the ground and then Achilles is going off like he's trying to find Briseis because it's like I love you like I'm gonna find you to you out of the city or like maybe like we could run away together or something but she gets caught by Agamemnon and then just because it's like hey I my own patrolling yes I personally I personally on the front lines bring like a sack in the city and killing people Yeah, that's a- I mean, cool for the king, but like... what? wheres is
00:45:21
Speaker
Why is he doing it by himself? He doesn't he seem like a guy that wants to exert any effort. or like to It seems like he would just be like in his tent, just like drinking wine, just being like, how are how is the battle going?
00:45:35
Speaker
like Yeah, I don't see him going out there patrolling and then doing his own sacking. I mean, it's great to see a leader that does that. It is weird to see that the barbarian king is sort of, like, doing it himself.
00:45:52
Speaker
But then, it's interesting that, like, yeah, like he's he's killed by because she like pulls out like a little little like knife and stabs him the neck. and Like a ceremonial knife? Yep.
00:46:03
Speaker
And then Achilles shows up and kills the two guys that were gonna like like execute her. And then when the Bloom shows up and of screws everything up again. Because he he like is starts like pumping arrows into Achilles. It's hilarious. like Sean Bean's in this movie, and Brad Pitt gets like the Sean Bean treatment from The Lord Rings. He gets pumped full of arrows. Yeah, this would have been a, like, what happens to another character who is not any of the main. It's just like, oh this is Achilles' like friend, and then that's Sean Bean, and Sean Bean's the one that gets killed.
00:46:41
Speaker
Yeah. But he was- Sean Bean's Odysseus. He has plot armor. He is absolutely living through this movie. see that would have been a fun thing to see the arrows whiz by him, and then it like getss it gets Achilles.
00:46:54
Speaker
Yep. Like, that was meant for me.
00:46:57
Speaker
And Achilles, he gets hit in the the heel first, which, like, really, like, takes it out. So, like, they are leaning into, like, his heel as his weak boy, but then... are other arrows. They don't explain that at all. yeah It's like, that plus four more arrows to the chest are what kill him.
00:47:16
Speaker
Yeah, it's not just the one arrow, then he's dead. I think historically that's probably what happened, was he was shocked that he got hit. And then during that, they got hit him more in other spots. It's not just the one arrow and that's it.
00:47:29
Speaker
Like, Achilles' heel will mess up your leg, but I don't think it's, like, a, you know, instant countdown. And he's he's also been, like, knocking away arrows and spears and, like, like just walking at people shooting at him and not hitting him.
00:47:45
Speaker
So, yeah, like I said, I'm sure he's, like, shocked that, like, anything even, like, hit him. Mm-hmm.
00:47:51
Speaker
But he see he's too distracted by love. like his His love was his undoing. So, did his mom ever say, hey, like watch out for love, especially when you're in this like foreign war? Probably would have helped. Yeah. It's It's like, whatever you do don't fall in love with the enemy like locals.
00:48:10
Speaker
She just said, like you'll get it you'll you'll get eternal glory, and people will like remember your name for thousands of years.
00:48:16
Speaker
It should have been specific.
00:48:19
Speaker
And then, then Perseus and Paris run back, because then there's like a secret there's a secret passage out of the city that Hector showed his wife, so that, like, Helen and all of them are able to get out and like get out of the city. It's weird that, uh, did Perseus join them, or she went, like, a different direction?
00:48:37
Speaker
I think, i think i think like, Erlendoboom, like, dragged her away, like, hey, come on, it's like, there's nothing left for you here.
00:48:46
Speaker
and then yeah And then Troy is like absolutely burned the ground and then they they give Achilles a a big funeral pyro like burn his he made's body and do like the whole like ritual.
Critique of 'Troy's' Ending and Overall Execution
00:48:59
Speaker
And then we we leave to the dulcet tunes of Josh Groban. Not exactly the the like the soundtrack to top off this historic epic.
00:49:11
Speaker
it is it is It is a weird choice. an odd choice. Maybe because he was just popular. i mean, he he just... No, he's been popular since, like, early 2000, so it kind of, like, they just sort of inserted that.
00:49:26
Speaker
Yeah, did he have, like, like like did he have, like, a big... What was his first big song?
00:49:30
Speaker
you raised me up? Yeah. Yeah.
00:49:34
Speaker
i don't yeah Oh, yeah. you That was... Like, probably about... That was, like... Oh, 2004. That was the same era. See, then, like, it just, like, he's a hot ticket. they' all down this he I remember that You Raise Me Up song was, like, everywhere. And I was like, what is this?
00:49:52
Speaker
yes Because it's almost like a gospel song. Yeah. But it's not like no one could really dance to it besides sway to I don't know, I've got a very biased opinion about Josh Groban in... It was such a like mom song, and then... Nothing against the guy, because I think he was also on like the Netflix show I watched, where it was like he was a detective with Tony Danza.
00:50:20
Speaker
So it's like, I don't have anything against him. I just have everything against that song. But yeah, they're like, okay, we can't throw that song in here because it doesn't make sense lyrically to Troy.
00:50:32
Speaker
The original song. The rest of the score seemed like it was trying to be, it was like, poor man's Hans Zimmer, like, they didn't even throw in the kind of like, you know,
00:50:46
Speaker
like, Like, the female vocal kind of like, not lyrics, just kind of like, ethereal, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that I feel like it was all the way to skirt through like familiar tones, and then you kind of get the idea that like warrior and death and honor, and then you just... like There's something missing about the end, because it's not like... You know how like in Gladiator... or
00:51:19
Speaker
Russell Crowe's character has that epilogue where he finally meets his family in the afterlife. you know It's his vision of the afterlife.
00:51:30
Speaker
It's not like Achilles is in hell like at peace or something, or he's in another like realm. of He's in whatever the greek Greek equivalent of Valhalla is.
00:51:41
Speaker
Well, he he says he... like Early in the movie, says he has a dream constantly where like everyone he killed are waiting on the other side of the river's sticks. He's just like, come join us, brother.
00:51:51
Speaker
but think that i think that's where he thinks he's going. is like He's just going to be like standing on the river's sticks with a the guys he killed. That'd be cool if you saw that at the end. But it strays away from that. Yeah. like like There hasn't been any like supernatural or like mythological thing in the entire movie, and it's just like a hard cut to... like you're in like the underworld
00:52:12
Speaker
i recognize that that would be a weird insert he's on he's he's like on the boat with like charon think that's like the skeleton boat man is like driving him boat like across the the river hector's there he's like oh hey so you died if i died huh
00:52:29
Speaker
Wouldn't this be the era of, like, New Metal? There should have been, like, a New Metal song for the other movie. Let the bodies hit the floor. Yeah, like, System of Down or, like, Godsmack or somebody.
00:52:40
Speaker
Like, Limp Bizkit. I can see that.
00:52:45
Speaker
I mean, all the all the Marvel movies at the time were doing it. Well... i don't know, this is the era still two years post Tobey Maguire Spider-Man. Actually, I think this is like...
00:52:58
Speaker
the same year as second Tobey Maguire Spider-Man. Spider-Man 2 was that 2004? two thousand was it was that two hundred four
00:53:08
Speaker
Oh yeah, it was, same year. It's around Dashboard Conventional. and yeah So I'm like, that would have been weird in this if they just mentioned stuff like New York. you're like, what? Like in the song?
00:53:21
Speaker
Or like, hey there, Dalala. Like, hey there, Helen of Troy. What's it like to be in Troy?
00:53:33
Speaker
we started a war because of you.
00:53:37
Speaker
You wrote Chojin Horse into my heart. Yeah, see what I mean? like You could do it, it's silly as crap, but it's not like it's not like they couldn't just force it in.
00:53:50
Speaker
mean, they do this Groban song and he doesn't exactly quote the movie or do anything that's related. Oh man, that would be great if like Josh Groban did like like a movie plot song. He just explained the entire plot of the movie and song. Yeah.
00:54:06
Speaker
But you know how we say this this movie made us rethink that this is more of a pro-Troy movie than anything with the the Greeks? Yeah, the the greek Greeks did not come off that way. Except for Odysseus is the only... and and then i I guess like Achilles like has like his like sort of like a like redemption arc where he like learns that like there's more to life than just killing.
00:54:31
Speaker
But all the other all the other Greeks are just like... pretty like like either you're like uh you're like arrogant despots like Frank Cox or just like or I mean guess we don't see a lot like like the Greek normal like the like the foot soldier guys it's just like we just see like like all the kings yeah and they're all they're all pretty bad and that's just like our only view into that world
00:55:02
Speaker
I guess Achilles is his second-to-man guy, guess. It seems like a pretty cool dude.
00:55:08
Speaker
Is he also in 300? Vincent Regan. yeah. Captain in 300. There's some
00:55:15
Speaker
crossover.
00:55:17
Speaker
was
00:55:19
Speaker
and so like there's some crossover this was a monumental movie in some weird ways of just everyone was okay we need historic epics but ever every now and then they would change the formula but there's always some continuation of of how like they would carry something over. Because even here there's a few Game of Thrones actors that show up or at least one of them.
00:55:43
Speaker
wait Well two two two people from Lord of the Rings carried over. It's Jobbino and Orlando Bloom. And then, yeah, then you, like, going forward, you, like, they, like, people, like, ended up in, like, Game of Thrones and other other fantasy things.
00:55:57
Speaker
I mean, if, uh... If you want include, like, a family drama thing, uh, What's-His-Face ended up in Tron 2. Garrett Hedlund. Yeah.
00:56:08
Speaker
So, you know, it comes in a pattern.
00:56:12
Speaker
But yeah, Troy, it's it's it's it's it's fine. It's like, like obviously nowhere near level of Gladiator, but it's like... No, no, no. It doesn't have so much, like, you know, action beats. It has, like, three.
00:56:28
Speaker
And then when it comes to the tone, it kind of shifts everywhere. It's like trying to do, like, three things at once. oh What I liked about... Gladiator, it it starts with like a tragedy and it just stays that way.
00:56:44
Speaker
It's not like... at the I mean, they try to insert like a love story, but not not as much as like this, where, you know... you know This is like, oh, now I know what love is. well Yeah, like like like because Gladiator is just like is like a It's based level. It's like or a revenge story. It's like, I need to kill the guy that killed my family. And you understand it. It's it's yeah like pretty direct.
00:57:07
Speaker
and you And you want him to because Commodus is like the one of the most like horrible characters in this Jeff movie. You just want him to die in the most horrible way possible.
00:57:18
Speaker
And here you're like, am I am i supposed to be breeding for Achilles? Because this Hector guy seems pretty cool, and he seems like a more outst like upstanding citizen more like a smarter, more honorable person than like Achilles.
00:57:37
Speaker
And I don't... like And then compared like some of the other like historical epics too, like I'd probably put some of those definitely above this one too.
00:57:45
Speaker
On this time, I think we had... like like it was like yeah like like Last Samurai, we had like King Arthur. don't know. I'm trying to think of this compared to King Arthur.
00:57:56
Speaker
i'd probably put this above King Arthur. like King Arthur a little bit better. just because yeah i' like King Arthur has like different... interesting characters. it's That one's interesting because, like, this is the true story. This is, like, probably what really happened. It's like that, like like, Arthur was actually, like, a Roman legionnaire or something.
00:58:14
Speaker
It was a different take on the historical part, but it it had a very kind of grounded take on it, even though they had Merlin just be, like, a woods guy.
00:58:25
Speaker
Here, like, they could have had, like, a witch person, but they kind of, they stuck to the, Whatchamacallit. Just like, oh it's just coincidences, and it's just, this is just reckless.
00:58:41
Speaker
Everybody's reckless. So, yeah, they they kept it safe. They didn't want to try to get too into the mystic parts. The lesson of Troy is, don't trust priests. Yeah.
00:58:55
Speaker
Don't trust peace on either side. You know, like, yeah the enemy priest was just, you know, looking at birds going, yeah, that's a sign. This is a war command.
00:59:06
Speaker
But maybe, like, it worked. You know, we don't know. in the years prior, because they've been, like... every Every other time they got evaded, it worked, and then this time it didn't. The one time it didn't work. They really were banking on the... This this other chance. Because I feel like...
00:59:21
Speaker
Before, were probably defending invaders who just wanted the land, but now they're just like, give us the woman. andre like, nah, we got this. i would There should have been a scene maybe it's in the director's cut. I don't think either of us watched the director's cut, but they should have had that priest just like, when the scene's being sacked, she's like, i don't get it! I saw an eagle eat a snake! Yeah, just give us that moment before he's thrown out of a window. Apollo! Why did you betray us?
00:59:48
Speaker
I saw your signs.
00:59:53
Speaker
But yeah, it's it's i mean it's it's still like, this is like a, yeah if you're just throwing up, this is like a solid one to watch. as i on I don't think of like other better ones you can watch before this one.
Future of 'Odyssey' Adaptations
01:00:06
Speaker
if you really want to go down the rabbit hole how many Troy movies that exist, watch the first like 10 that try to cover the Trojan War before they got to this version where they condensed it
01:00:20
Speaker
And then, yeah, hopefully hopefully the Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's Odyssey is awesome. I mean, it's got 96% right now when we're recording this, so... wonder everyone' saying i wonder if they go back and do the prequel.
01:00:33
Speaker
Yep. I mean, i I am just... The only thing I don't like is that we never got the Sean Bean Odyssey movie. hey I still think you can do it. He should have had a cameo. like they yeah every Like, literally every other person in, like, Hollywood is in the Odyssey. Like, throw him in there.
01:00:52
Speaker
have Have be one of, like, the suitors. think there's, like, a hundred suitors, li right? I mean, I also watched the one that was, the NBC Odyssey one, the like four-parter one. It's not bad. Like like like like the it was like a miniseries? Yeah.
01:01:09
Speaker
remember I missed like one part of it so I don't catch it like two months later. You know, Odyssey was one of those the freaking specials where just play it one night and hopefully you can catch it again later. What dark time for watching TV. I hated that era.
01:01:27
Speaker
Well, i actually posted on the site, if you to check it out, the the Wishbone episode of The Odyssey, which I think is probably where most 90s kids like learned about The Odyssey for the first time.
01:01:37
Speaker
Along with like every other like piece of classical literature.
01:01:40
Speaker
And then, we also also on the site, we've got we've got a five memorable Sam Neill movies list because we he tragically passed away earlier this week.
01:01:51
Speaker
Completely unexpectedly. like It's just like, oh, geez, Sam Neill died. oh he He was recovered from cancer for a longest time. And then he posted, like, hey, I'm good. yeah Like a little bit ago. And then he's like, he got pneumonia or whatever and died.
01:02:04
Speaker
and it's It's sad. Still a fantastic actor. He can't really name too many bad movies he's in. No. Even if it was, like, a bad movie, like, if like a quote-unquote bad movie, like, he was still, like, 1,000% committed to it.
01:02:20
Speaker
Yeah. Because I'm thinking, I... I didn't really care for so much of Jurassic Park 3, but then, over time, I learned to appreciate it and I was like, you know what? He wasn't bad. He's actually one of the best parts.
01:02:34
Speaker
Or, like, Daybreakers, or something that you know? Where it's like... I mean, that's it's that's a pretty fun like vampire movie, but like he yeah he's 100% committed. like I am an evil vampire CEO. yeah
01:02:46
Speaker
So that's on the site, and then I also have interview Evil Dead Bird, if you want to read my thoughts on that movie. You check all that stuff on the site. And come back to the podcast next week, where we'll diving into The Fifth Element, because it's actually going to be back in theaters for, I believe it's the 26th and the 27th and 27th.
01:03:06
Speaker
Yeah, 2627, you can you check it out. It's going in theaters. For those two, it's like a Fathom event. You can watch it back and on the big screen. But we're going to watch it wherever we can and talk about it next week.
01:03:19
Speaker
So come back, check that out.
01:03:21
Speaker
And yeah, so for Chris, I'm Zach, and we will see you next time. For more For Everything Action, head to www.everythingaction.com You can also find us on Facebook at facebook.com slash everything.action and follow on x at evaction we're also on instagram and threads at everything.action find more episodes of the podcast on apple a podcast spotify or you're at podcast apple choice and be sure to rate and subscribe