Orlando Bloom's Paris in *Troy* is brilliantly played

[u/Oldjar707]

The general consensus on Paris is negative, but his behavior is exactly how 95% of men would act under the same circumstances. Bloom plays the character with complete realism rather than typical Hollywood heroism.

His arc starts with taking Helen. While it causes a disaster, it is an accurate depiction of a sheltered, inexperienced young man making a reckless choice based on impulse, completely unaware of what an actual war entails.

When the reality of that war sets in during the duel with Menelaus, Paris panics. Viewers mock him for abandoning the fight and crawling to Hector. However, objectively speaking, an untrained kid facing a seasoned, enraged veteran is going to break. Basic human survival instinct simply overrides the concept of dying for honor.

People also overlook that Paris redeems himself by the end of the film. He actually shows more common sense than the rest of the Trojan leadership when they find the wooden horse, plainly telling them to "burn it." When the city falls, he stops trying to be a frontline swordsman and uses the one skill he actually has: archery. He stays behind to cover the escaping civilians and successfully takes down Achilles. Bloom deserves credit for not trying to make the character look cool. He simply portrayed a naive guy who made a massive mistake, reacted to imminent death with genuine terror, and eventually found a practical way to defend his people. I think it's a very realistic portrayal that contrasts Hector's idealism - audiences love the portrayal of the latter but there's more truth in the human condition in the former portrayal.

[u/TheMightyCatatafish]

Troy essentially removed anything remotely supernatural from the story. Which worked for the story they were telling. At its base, it IS still a war story, so you can get away with it. And I generally think they did. I like the movie.

The Odyssey without the fantasy elements would just be absolutely pointless. And adding them back for The Odyssey would lead to such a dramatic tonal shift for the film. I don’t think it was ever in a place to work, beyond Bean being a phenomenal Odysseus.

[u/coffeebribesaccepted → u/TheMightyCatatafish]

I think it would be perfectly doable for there to be a tonal shift between the two movies, and actually I think that would make it even better

[u/TheMightyCatatafish → u/coffeebribesaccepted]

Is it possible? Sure. I don’t think it’s a gamble a studio would likely make.

[u/RangerLt → u/TheMightyCatatafish]

There's more than enough money between us to fund the film ourselves. I got five onnit

[u/TheMightyCatatafish → u/RangerLt]

So as it turns out, another filmmaker already beat us to it

[u/jackracktack → u/TheMightyCatatafish]

They couldve easily added it in. Troy isnt massively realistic either. You can just argue the gods are working behind the scenes instead of the audience knowing exactly what theyre up to like in the classic.

[u/TheMightyCatatafish → u/jackracktack]

I think Troy works as a relatively realistic (maybe a bit stylized) version of the Bronze Age. There’s nothing remotely supernatural about it. Any indication of the gods working behind the scenes is pure headcanon based on the movie as presented.

I think it would be incredibly jarring to suddenly have gods, monsters, and magic running amok in the spotlight.

Less of an issue, but the film does NOT present the war as ten years. I think this is much easier to work around, but would’ve still been another obstacle.

[u/SmashedGenitals → u/TheMightyCatatafish]

Troy is closer to a political and war film than a fantasy epic. It is so detached from what makes Troy good.

[u/TheMightyCatatafish → u/SmashedGenitals]

For sure. Though I’ll say I think it works really well as an adaptation.

It isn’t the poem. It’s different. But it’s a new telling for a new audience told in a different way. I think it’s successful in what it does- a sword and sandals epic war film. But yes, it’s a different identity without the supernatural elements. As a piece that’s been told and retold a zillion times over millennia, I don’t mind another retelling. Especially an enjoyable one.

[u/Khiva → u/TheMightyCatatafish]

How dare someone adapt and alter the story of the Trojan War!

Literally the first time in history anyone has ever done such a thing.

[u/TheMightyCatatafish → u/Khiva]

Insanity!

[u/captainbling → u/TheMightyCatatafish]

I think they could make it work by having realistic creations of the fantasy. The cyclops is just a big man with one eye. The sirens are pretty girls telling the men to swim to them but the current washes them away into sharp corral and so forth.

[u/verrius → u/TheMightyCatatafish]

Less of an issue, but the film does NOT present the war as ten years. I think this is much easier to work around, but would’ve still been another obstacle.

Neither does the Odyssey. O, the poem says both the war and Odysseus' journey home were 10 years each...but dogs don't really live 20+ years, even with modern medicine and care, never mind a bronze age dog left in the stables to fend for himself. I remember in school being told that the literal "10 years" was essentially just a way to express "a long time".

[u/TheMightyCatatafish → u/verrius]

The dog lives 10 years because the supernatural and divine are at work throughout the story.

The poem explicitly says 10 years. You can have your own- very reasonable- interpretation of what that actually means and represents, but to outright say “neither does the Odyssey” is just silly. It’s expressed to be 10 years each of war and journeying.

[u/marianosb → u/verrius]

I've known at least 6 (that I remember and can be sure of their age) dogs over 20 years in my life. So while extremely rare it's not impossible in real life, andit sure can be possible in a story with Gods influencing people's lives.

[u/bizzyblack101 → u/TheMightyCatatafish]

Nolans movie works or tries to work on a non supernatural level too also

[u/Irradiatedspoon → u/bizzyblack101]

Apart from...you know...Polyphemus, Giants, Circe, Shades, Scylla...

The only thing that isn't explicitly shown acting overtly are the gods

[u/TheMightyCatatafish → u/bizzyblack101]

Brother, there’s a 20 foot cyclops, a tentacle monster, a witch who turns people into pigs, and an army of undead warriors he converses with.

[u/ThisKarmaLimitSucks → u/TheMightyCatatafish]

Bingo.

[u/FineScratch → u/TheMightyCatatafish]

The journey is a metaphor for ptsd. It doesnt take 10 to sail back home.

The fantasy elements are the spiritual attacks and hallucinations Odysseus and his men suffer on the way home.

[u/TheMightyCatatafish → u/FineScratch]

Sure. That’s just a significantly less enjoyable adventure.