Why do we need to be "wow"ed?

[Viking Bastard]

Well, I just found Troy really dull. And said as much.

It simply failed to grip me in any way.

Except for Brian Cox and Sean Bean, of course, but they're always kewl.

 

[Hijinks]

Well, I just found Troy really dull. And said as much.

It simply failed to grip me in any way.

Which is sort of my point, but lesser so, because you weren't angry about it, you just said it was dull, which in my opinion is perfectly fine. I guess I wonder about those that found it SO dull that they felt the need to shout it from the rooftops.

What makes a movie grip you, though? There must be something that turns it from a dull snoozefest to an interesting flick.

 

[Dagger75]

I don't need to be "wowed" I need to be entertained.

Troy I liked it when I saw on DVD. After seeing it I didn't thing it deserved the ripping it got.

Saw King Arthur and didn't care for it. Got about half threw and left my friends house where I was watching to go grocery shopping.

I want to be entertained at the movies, if it has explosions and car chases fine. If doesn't thats fine to.

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

I don't have to be "wowed" to really enjoy a movie. All I want is to spend 2 hours viewing something interesting and entertaining. There are movies that I have seen and wanted my $9 back... there are movies that I have seen and wanted my 2 hours back... but they are few and far between.

I go to the movies for mild entertainment - every now and then - I am blessed to see a truly amazing film that manages to touch me somehow... but they - much like the movies I've hated - are few and far between.

But - most often - I find the movies I see are just good. Take Bewitched for example. I saw it, it entertained me. It was cute and funny in parts - Nicole Kidmans wardrobe was fantastic. A very good chicky flick with some funny parts mixed in (which made it tolerable to the husband). It didn't "wow" me, it didn't offend me. It was well worth my $9 and entertained me for 1.5 hours. I'd say Troy was the same thing - it kept me entertained for the time it was on the screen... and AMEN, Hijinks! That Eric Bana is *so* good looking.

 

[Klaus]

And Peter O'Toole. Let's not forget Peter O'Toole.

 

[Viking Bastard]

What makes a movie grip you, though? There must be something that turns it from a dull snoozefest to an interesting flick.

It's hard to pinpoint. It can be so many things. Characters, style, actor performances,
concepts, script, plots and dialogue, pacing etc.

The best movies have all. Troy had too few.

 

[Hijinks]

Eric Bana is oh-so-cute. Peter O'Toole, not so much

 

[Viking Bastard]

After a quick search I found my old review of the film.

.

Funny, after how I praised Peter O'Toole's and Eric Bana's performances, it's
mostly just Brian Cox's part that really sticks in my mind.

Brian Cox rules.

 

[billd91]

Troy was ... OK. The most interesting part of it, as far as I was concerned, was how it took the Iliad, as saturated with divine intervention as it was, and made it mundane. No gods on the battlefield. Achilles's reputed invulnerability coming from high-energy mobility (and the vulnerability coming from having that mobility removed by injury).

By comparison, Gladiator is brilliant. Even without the comparision, Gladiator is brilliant. I don't think it was overrated at all.

 

[Wayside]

I agree; I thought the movie was surprisingly under-rated. It wasn't remarkable, but it certainly wasn't bad. In many ways I liked it better than Gladiator, which I always thought was overrated.

Yes! A faithful Iliad simply would not work as a movie. Troy does not fall. Achilleus does not die (the heel story wasn't even invented until later). Troy did as good a job of turning the Iliad into an action movie, while retaining some of the thoughtfulness, as I could have hoped for. Can I imagine a completely different rendering, where CGI gods walk the battlefield and protect and empower the heroes? Sure, and there's still room for that movie to be made. Was I disappointed with the movie they delivered? Not much. Gladiator on the other hand, oi.