Troy: The Passion of Helen (2004 TV Movie) User Reviews

Read the book, before watching the movie to know the real story.

[kalya-campbell · 8/10 · 4 August 2014]

I watched this movie as an assignment for my Humanities course. The movie is great and does a wonderful job in telling the story of the Trojan War. Some of the events in the movie differ from the book The Iliad. You cannot learn all the true facts about the story based off the movie. Some of the major differences was the hatred and animosity that Agamemnon and Achilles had for each other, in the movie it is never really explained why they dislike each other so, but if you read the book you know it is based on Agamemnon taking Briseis from Achilles; which in the movie she plays a major role and her and Achilles fall in love with one another. Another example of a fact you would have to know is that when Achilles goes to the sea and is talking to women, that she is actually a sea-nymph and his mother. Thetis tells him that he can stay and have a wife and children or go off to war and obtain the glory of being remembered for being a great warrior but knowing that he will die and not return home. Achilles and Patroclus are cousins instead of best friends. In my opinion this was done so the viewers could relate to Achilles going mad about his cousin being killed vs his friend. Agamemnon and Menelaus survive the war in the book. Briseis kills Agamemnon in the movie but he is actually killed by his wife Clytemnestra once he returns home for murdering their daughter to gain favor with the gods. The movie is violent and some of the fighting and rape scenes were hard to watch. Troy was excellent in bringing the events from the book to life. Overall the biggest difference is the war actually took place over a 10 year span vs the couple of days that is portrayed in the movie.