"Lack of respect" my ass. Some can't stand classical material being worked for a modern audience because they can't browbeat and give the pretention of being special anymore. The Iliad hasn't survived for nearly three millennia because of those people but because for all that time people have been captivated by its story and characters.
When I started watching this, knowing the negativity from IMDB, I was waiting for it to become terrible so I could satisfy my curiosity and turn it off. That didn't happen and I ended up finishing it wanting more.
I love the Iliad and Homer. From the get-go it's clear this is not the Iliad because we are seeing mostly everything from the point of view of Paris, not Agamemnon or Achilles. There is no legendary shouting match between the "Lord of the Greeks" and the "Fast runner" or a confused and lonely Achilles calling out for his mother on the beach. These are great scenes and are a part of the incredible work of art that is the Iliad. It was clear to me that this series was not trying to be the Iliad, it was doing it's own take on great dramatic material- the same way HBO's Rome never tries to be Shakespeare's two great Roman plays but uses the same characters(Brutus, Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra). I think this series is in the same league as HBOs Rome, which again was a wonderful show.
Something suspicious is going on with IMDB's rating system and it's sad but I don't think it can be trusted anymore. Anytime an ambitious and good looking period drama with swords comes out its voted down into oblivion before it gets off the ground(recently Knightfall). Game of Thrones is certainly not without flaws. The first season is so exposition heavy and takes itself so seriously many times I was tempted to turn it off. I thought it was dull. As a lover of Greek drama, though, that's not what I would say here.
Thumbs down all you want
When I started watching this, knowing the negativity from IMDB, I was waiting for it to become terrible so I could satisfy my curiosity and turn it off. That didn't happen and I ended up finishing it wanting more.
I love the Iliad and Homer. From the get-go it's clear this is not the Iliad because we are seeing mostly everything from the point of view of Paris, not Agamemnon or Achilles. There is no legendary shouting match between the "Lord of the Greeks" and the "Fast runner" or a confused and lonely Achilles calling out for his mother on the beach. These are great scenes and are a part of the incredible work of art that is the Iliad. It was clear to me that this series was not trying to be the Iliad, it was doing it's own take on great dramatic material- the same way HBO's Rome never tries to be Shakespeare's two great Roman plays but uses the same characters(Brutus, Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra). I think this series is in the same league as HBOs Rome, which again was a wonderful show.
Something suspicious is going on with IMDB's rating system and it's sad but I don't think it can be trusted anymore. Anytime an ambitious and good looking period drama with swords comes out its voted down into oblivion before it gets off the ground(recently Knightfall). Game of Thrones is certainly not without flaws. The first season is so exposition heavy and takes itself so seriously many times I was tempted to turn it off. I thought it was dull. As a lover of Greek drama, though, that's not what I would say here.
Thumbs down all you want