Making a historical epic is never an easy task. The effort involved in recreating an entirely different time period without using visual effects is a challenge that requires painstaking research work and hours of tireless perfection of the production design. Most of the best historical epic movies predate the 2000s, due to the use of practical effects and real sets.
The other big challenge of making a historical epic movie is capturing the scope of the source material. Even with extended runtimes of over three hours, filmmakers often struggle to decide what to prioritize. This is also why one of the most underrated historical epic movies is a miniseries, since long-form entertainment is better suited to this kind of storytelling.
The best historical fantasy movies add magic realism to actual historical events or focus on the supernatural aspects of mythological epics that have highly influenced cultural practices around the world. With Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey set to release next year, it’s time to revisit the controversial adaptation of Homer’s Iliad Wolfgang Petersen made in 2004, starring Brad Pitt as Achilles.
Troy Is Arguably Hollywood’s Most Famous Adaptation Of Greek Mythology
The Titans franchise and the 300 franchise have their fans, but every modern adaptation of Greek mythology was inspired by Wolfgang Petersen’s 2004 movie, Troy, which is still the gold standard in costume and production design. It took on the Herculean task of adapting one of the most formative literary works and did a better job than its reputation suggests.
Troy tells the story of the siege of Troy by the Greek army led by King Agamemnon (Brian Cox) when his brother (Brendan Gleeson) wants revenge after Paris (Orlando Bloom) of Troy eloped with his wife Helen (Diane Kruger). Hector (Eric Bana) is Troy’s most fierce soldier who clashes with Achilles (Brad Pitt), despite the latter’s disinterest in the siege.
Orlando Bloom has recently said his experience filming Troy was forgettable and that he regrets making it, especially because the dialogue felt controversial. While the movie has its fair share of critics, no one can deny that it’s one of the biggest and most famous Greek adaptation movies in Hollywood, and not just in recent history, but of all time.
Troy Is Still Criticized For Its Story
An expert recently gave Troy a high rating on historical accuracy despite his own admission that it is a difficult movie to rate since it depicts battle very accurately. However, what mars Troy‘s legacy and even hurt the movie’s reputation at the time of release is its lack of sincerity in adapting Homer’s themes. The Gods are also not present.
With this more grounded approach, Troy fails to capture one of the most memorable aspects of Homer’s epic. While the famous warriors are still there, and the bittersweet irony of their stories still metaphorically convey the messages, the film continues to be criticized for its poor adaptation of the story. I expect Nolan’s The Odyssey to be scrutinized as strictly.
The Odyssey Trailer Has Received Mixed Reactions
The trailer for The Odyssey has caused a stir in the film community, as every Christopher Nolan movie trailer does. It has also courted controversy because many netizens have been quick to point out flaws in the costume design, while many others have been raving about how good it looks because Nolan has stuck to his famous “no CGI” rule.
The reveal of the armor worn by Benny Safdie as Agamemnon has particularly become a topic of discussion because all-black armor in the Mediterrannean Sun seems like an impractical choice. Being filmed entirely in IMAX, the film is destined to look great, but conversations around inaccuracy will follow Nolan’s film just like they do Petersen’s, since it’s a historical epic.
A Good Cast Is Not Enough To Win Audiences Over
If anything, Petersen’s Troy is proof that great performances by a stacked ensemble cast cannot save a movie from criticism when it’s tackling such a famous source material. The inaccurate aspects of Brad Pitt’s movie caused it to be panned by critics, who nonetheless appreciated his and Eric Bana’s performances alongside some of their equally compelling costars, especially Peter O’Toole.
Troy is still one of Pitt’s highest-grossing movies, but its legacy today is much more mixed, and even general audiences have started participating in the justified criticism of its loose adaptation of Homer’s epic. So, despite featuring the biggest Hollywood cast in recent history, Nolan’s The Odyssey might not be as commercially successful as expected if audiences dislike the story.
Nolan’s Reputation Makes The Odyssey His Biggest Challenge Yet
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey needs to avoid Troy‘s mistake of cherry-picking themes and omitting the Gods as characters, but it also doesn’t help that the director whose whole brand is realism has made a film that looks so inaccurate. By Hollywood standards, it’s still great, but Nolan, unfortunately for him in this instance, has his own standard within the industry.
As a prestige filmmaker, Nolan is expected to do better than the rest of Hollywood, especially when it comes to telling stories of epic proportions. Accuracy has become his brand ever since he planted crops for Interstellar, and so, the stakes are higher than ever. We wait eagerly to discover if The Odyssey will suffer the same fate as Troy.
Source link
Add Comment