f0UR & f!V3 :: f!GHt.

Hollywood stories inspired by books are exactly that. They are inspired. I've never once in my little life seen a movie that was exactly as the book. And even if there is one out there, it's still completely different, because the magic of books is that you see the story in your head your own way; and essentially, subconsciously, you see it the way you want it to be. Prince charming is your prince charming. The beautiful princess is your idea of beautiful. For example, before the Harry Potter movies came out, every little kid I knew was running around with a different, magnificent, imaginative way of seeing the characters as J.K. Rowling's words popped off the page. All of a sudden everyone in the world sees Daniel Radcliffe as the face of Harry Potter. All of a sudden, no one can remember what they envisioned him as before, and this will never change. In a way, movies based on books destroy the imagination. Sad.

In Troy, Hollywood made Paris out to be mister wonderful. They did a decent job in picking Orlando Bloom to play Paris in that he's a good looking guy. But nonetheless, relating to what I sad before, Orlando Bloom isn't my version of the most beautiful man in the world, which is who Paris is meant to be. Paris wasn't mister wonderful. He won Helen of Troy and of course he wanted her, as she is the most beautiful woman in the world, but he didn't necessarily love her. And on her part, she did not love him or want to be with him. She was content in Troy. But in Hollywood's version, Paris swept her off her feet and she gladly helped him start a war by leaving Troy to be with him. A little romance always gets an audience going I suppose.

In the film, Menelaus is killed by Hector once Paris falls to the ground, crawls to Hector's feet, and bats his pretty eyelashes at all the big scary men. In the Iliad Menelaus lives throughout the entire war. He's angry the whole time that he never ends up finding Paris. Paris is a bit of a coward in both the Iliad and Troy. He basically has to be forced to fight for his homeland.