ERGUIZA, MICAH TORIO

31-BSA-01

WORLD LITERATURE- SEMI FINAL

MOVIE REVIEW

Instruction: Watch the movie Troy (2004) starring Brad Pit and Eric Bana. You can watch it in
these streaming sites (Fmovies, Flixtor.video) or any other video streaming sites that you
know. After watching the movie answer the following questions:

1. Choose 3 of your favorite characters in the movie and explain why these characters
caught your attention explanations must not be less than 5 sentences for each
character.

One of my favorite character in the movie named Troy is Achilles because he

is truly an amazing warrior and a fighter. He has courage on what he is doing, his loyalty
is commendable as well. But he also sometimes ignores cultural norms of his society
because he had his own life principles, he knows when to obey and to not. Considering
that Achilles is strong he is kind and knows how to love unconditionally, in the movie it
shows there how he shed tears when his cousin Patroclus died and the way he sacrifice
his life for the woman he loved, which is Briseis.

My second favorite character would be Hector, what I love about his

character is his love for his country. He is also viewed as the future king of Troy, he
already shows his responsibility to the community. His concern for the Trojan women
and for the Trojan community in general define him as a “norm” for Homeric society. He
is a decisive person and he would do whatever it takes for his loved ones, just like what
he did for his brother Paris even though he knows what will happen once he let his
brother take Helen as wife.

Eudorus is my third favorite character in the movie, he does not have enough
exposure and maybe some viewers cannot recall his name after watching. But in my
case he caught my attention because he is fast and a good fighter, he is actually Achilles
friend and part of Myrmidons. He Is the reason why Achilles cousin was killed, but he
stayed loyal for his friend and he believes that fighting for Achilles has been his life
honor. It is admirable that Eudorus is true friend to Achilles, he followed every
command of his friend. The character of Eudorus help me to realize on how to value
 friendships because nowadays there are a lot of unfaithful individual that we may
encounter so we should be careful on choosing a group of friends.

2. Which character/s do you think matches your own attitude in real life? In what ways?

Achilles would somehow matches my attitude in a way that he is willing to

sacrifice everything else so that his name will be remembered, and that is what I wanted
to happen in my personal life. I want to live with a purpose, pursuing my dreams and
goals not just for me but for my family as well. I wanted to live my life creating my own
name and my legacy, to have an impact on other people’s lives.

3. Did any of the characters in this movie make you angry? Tell us why.

Definitely Agamemnon, he is thirsty when it comes to power. Agamemnon only

using Achilles braveness and his strong spirit on fighting to have the power to conquer
every Kingdom. There is one scene in the movie that is a conversation between him and
Achilles, that he directly told Achilles that warriors like him will be like a sand in a midst
of war, the King’s name and the power will belong to the one who leads which he refers
to himself. Agamemnon is a great warrior but he is a selfish ruler, he does not even care
about his men what matters the most to him is His Name on how people will remember
him.

4. State your opinion on the relationship of Paris and Helen and compare it to the current
relationship norms of this generation.

Before, there was not much love involved in marriage. It was a social
requirement that was typically arranged by parents or matchmakers. The woman's
father must approve the union before it can take place between her and a man who can
support her in the way she is used to. Helen was left with no choice because the
marriage between Menelaus and her was an arrange marriage, so in my opinion Helen
has the right to make decision for herself and if that decision is to choose Paris over
Menelaus it’s up to her but it is not morally right because she is still married to
Menelaus.

Relationship of Paris and Helen is not legal in today’s generation, because

marriage are just possible if one party and another party agreed and they love each
other. If marriage failed it will undergo through legal process called annulment and
divorce. Helen is married to Menelaus, it is not morally right to have a relationship with
Paris.
5. There was one scene in the movie where King Priam sneaked inside the enemy’s territory,
talked to Achilles and asked him to give his dead son’s body back he started: (Not less than 5
sentences each)
a. What was your impression in their conversation?
It was heartbreaking for King Priam losing his son, the heir of his throne. He is
begging Achilles to return the dead body of his son to give him proper burial as part of royal
family. It was full of emotion, and I feel like Achilles did not really wanted to kill Hector he just
needed to do it for revenge and for his cousin. I appreciate how Priam loved his son to the point
that he is brave enough to enter Achilles tent and talk to him and ask for his son’s body back.

b. What was your realization during this scene?

I realized that respect has a big part of Priam and Achilles life. They admitted that
enemies are enemies but can still show respect. The act of Achilles prove how he respect King
Priam, he gave twelve days without attacking Troy in respect of Hector’s death.
In relation to that scene, in today’s generation we may encounter people with different culture
and beliefs, misunderstandings will occur but the scene in this movie remind us to be respectful
enough to understand and learn from our differences. Because respect could result to peace.

c. What was your emotional response when King Priam said the line “I loved my son from the
moment he opened his eyes until the day you closed them’
Priam mourn the death of so many of his sons as he watches Achilles torture
Hectors’ body, but of all the sons he has lost, he grieves most for Hector. A stable society in
which the family serves as a microcosm of society is one in which one wishes that Hector might
have passed away in his arms. Priam also understands that by overprotecting his son Paris, he
damaged Troy’s social structure. Hector, his only son who had a sense of social order, died as a
result of his folly. It saddens me while watching this scene, I did not expect that I will cry and
got carried away.
6.Did you come to respect any of the characters in this movie? Who was it and why did you
come to respect that character? (Not less than 5 sentences)
Achilles’ essential character traits honor, pride, loyalty, bravery, and vengefulness
are what drive him and show up in his speech and deeds. There are several significant instances
that can demonstrate Achilles’ core qualities of pride and honor. I respect his braveness to
stand on what he believes and love, he would fight for you no matter what will be the
consequences of it. I appreciate Achilles when he cried on Hector’s body before he will return it
on Priam, it just simply shows that he respect Hector and Troy. One more thing I admire about
Achilles is his way of treasuring women, he died because of Briseis the woman he love. He is
willing to sacrifice even his life for the sake of the one he love.

7.The personal qualities that help the protagonist solve his or her problem are often a part of
the lesson to be learned in the film. What are these qualities and where have you seen them in
your own experience, either in your own behavior?

Unconditional love over braveness, Achilles learn to sacrifice everything including his
life. We do not need to be strong all the time, it is somehow relevant to show that we cannot
endure everything in our own ways. Do not be afraid to seek for help because it symbolizes
bravery, being able to reach out and socialize. We can do impossible things when it comes to
love, it is powerful and sometimes manipulative. In my case I believe that love conquers
everything, either it is love for family, friends, or in a romantic way. Because love will reflect
humility and peace.

8.What were the moral lessons you learned / discovered while watching this movie? Give at
least 5 and explain.

You should never take peace for granted.

The worth of peace cannot be quantified. There can be no progress unless there is
peace, because progress thrives in a peaceful environment. To maintain a high level of
equanimity, peace must be protected at all costs. Troy fought Sparta for several years before
agreeing to a truce, but Paris seemed to take that truce for granted. Even Hector couldn’t
persuade his brother of the significance of the lesson.
Before engaging in a battle with someone, evaluate them.
By consenting to battle Menelaus, who was physically far stronger than Paris, the
Trojans made a poor choice. Paris, being completely in love with Helen, failed to evaluate
Menelaus’s strength and got into a fight, and ended up losing. It taught me to never
underestimate the capabilities of an individual, because everyone has its own strength and
weaknesses. Self evaluation is a must, learn to know our limits, when to set boundaries it could
help us to grow as a human being.

Making a mistake is riskier than ignoring it.

Hector was made aware of Helen and Paris’s elopement very early in their trip to Troy,
and he was fully aware of the repercussions. He could have ended the journey and sent her
home, but his love for his obstinate brother prevented him from doing so. As a result, he ended
up putting his nation in danger. We should be careful on making decisions in our life, we must
think about the outcome of our actions so that we can easily assess whether to proceed or not.

Learn to negotiate.
It was nearly impossible to recover Hector’s body after Achilles had dragged it all the
way to the Greek camp following their duel. But Priam couldn’t bear the thought of his son’s
body, his eldest, the heir to the throne of Troy, being desecrated without a proper funeral.
Priam walked right into Achilles’ camp, where he was still enraged despite having avenged the
death of his cousin, whom Hector had killed. Following their conversation, Achilles not only
allowed him to take his son’s body with him, but also promised him that the Greeks would not
attack the city during the 12 days of mourning. Negotiations work, and in business, you must do
it effectively and frequently. So master the skill, and you'll see that there is no such thing as a
dead end.
Do not plan your strategy based on bird sign.
One of the main reasons for the downfall of Trojans was that they were reluctant to
do their jobs and ‘outsourced’ their strategic planning to the gods. As the court of Trojan King
Priam was weighing the option of war, one of his advisors went on a rant about how seeing an
eagle clutching a serpent was a sign of sure victory for them from the sun god Apollo. That was
more than enough for King Priam to decide to go to war against the mighty army of 50,000
Greeks, against the wise words of his elder son Hector. Not everything is based on luck or to the
alignment of our stars, we must work hard and put more effort and determination in everything
we do.