because it gives more than you expect after many others adaptations of "Iliad". because it respects the spirit of epic and gives a realistic image about society, characters, war and emotions. because it is more than a pretty drawing but a large, inspired fresco. and it has its way for tell a huge story in the right manner. maybe, this is the basic motif for see it. because it is real good return to the spirit of Homer work. and that could be the best answer to the critics about it.

Helen of Troy is a television miniseries based upon Homer's story of the Trojan War, as recounted in the epic poem, Iliad. It stars Sienna Guillory as Helen, Matthew Marsden as Paris, Rufus Sewell as Agamemnon, James Callis as Menelaus, John Rhys-Davies as Priam, Maryam d'Abo as Hecuba, and Stellan Skarsgård as Theseus. The film is placed in the early classical period rather than the correct early Iron Age; the Greeks are shown with post-Bronze Age classical hoplite dress and arms. It also focuses more on the life of Helen herself rather than simply the Trojan War. The entire first half deals with Helen's life before Troy, and includes a number of mythological facts that other versions either gloss over or omit, such as Helen's abduction by Theseus and the actual agreement of the Greek kings to use her marriage as their peace agreement.The TV movie was set in the 13th century B.C. It started when Helen, the Olympian-born, became a dazzlingly beautiful trophy wife of Sparta's King Menelaus. Unhappy in her "marriage",she yearned for the companionship of the gorgeous young man whom she had seen only in a vision: Paris, the Prince of Troy. As luck would have it, Paris managed to "abduct" Helen and spirit her off to his homeland, where she was welcomed by his father, King Priam, despite the portents of doom from Paris' foresighted sister, Cassandra. Meanwhile back in Sparta, King Menelaus, his honor besmirched, declared war on Troy, thus beginning a ten-year conflict that would culminate disastrously in the incident of the Trojan horse. All of which greatly pleased Menelaus' covetous brother, Agamemnon, who cannily exploited the war in order to emerge as King of the Aegean. The TV movie became more of a storytelling about Helen in the first half and an action film when there was a showcase of the Trojan War in the second half.There were a number of cinematic treatments of the Helen legend,a bit more sensational violent action scenes and a number of gratuitous but enjoyable nude scenes .However,despite of these scenes,the TV movie became somewhat dull as it lacks vitality and energy.Overall,it lacks appeal and entertainment due to the fact that it is short of elements in mystery and magic.

A very ambitious project for a made-for-TV-movie, also rather well crafted I might add.It's a pity it takes so many liberties with the 'official' storyline, the one told by Homer and recanted for generations thereafter, it would have been a much better movie if it was 'historically' (or better said, mythologically) accurate. The Greeks will definitely not be pleased...Unfortunately, the film also has far too many flaws, and among others I believe it is an understatement to say that Achilles is ridiculous... With some small adjustments in the script and casting, this could have been a much better film. In this way, it is just below average.

The movie "Helen of Troy" is a combination of action, adventure, drama and romance. It was produced by Ted Kurdyla, along with many other co-producers, and was released last 2003. The movie lasted for approximately 175 minutes and it was viewed last July 25 to August 2, 2005.Its story was based on The Iliad, an epic written by Homer, which mostly portrays the Greek civilizations of Sparta, Mycenae and Thebes, Greek literature and the Hellenic world. The story was about the abduction of Helen and the war between Troy and the Greeks that resulted from it. Menelaus sought for Agamemnon's help, which he then used as a reason to attack Troy not only to get Helen back, but to capture the city and expand his empire as well. In the beginning of the movie, the three goddesses represent wealth, power and beauty which are the main desires of every person. Most of the characters paid the price of death in fighting for one's country, for honor, as well as for these human aspirations. For the sake of wealth and power, Agamemnon declared war with Troy resulting to the deaths of the warriors of both sides and Troy's downfall. Because of the price of glory in battle, Agamemnon sacrificed his own daughter, Iphigenia, in order to continue their attack; Hector fought for his unfortunate brother, resulting to his own death. And due to Achilles' pride and anger, he dragged Hector's body which symbolized dishonor and shame for Troy. For the price of beauty and love, Helen and his mother, Leda, were both raped because of men's lust for their perfection and immortal beauties.As a whole, I would give this movie a rating of 4 out of 5. The Gods did not play much role in the movie when they always play an important role in the Greek literature. Also, Helen played a minor part; and what were emphasized were the characters around her, the actions they took because of her and the consequences that followed. Nonetheless, both the actors and actresses portrayed the roles of their own characters effectively because it made the viewers recognize and understand more the personality of the Homeric heroes. Moreover, the sound effects, directing, cinematography and the scenery used were factors that made the movie look more real and existent.