But if it can't free them from "lousy adaptation!" accusations, it's not any use at all.

Do you think it does? Maybe it should, but in practice, I don't think "inspired by" films get any more leeway than "based on" films when pedants attack.

Duuude. The Emperor's New Groove. That movie was super-funny.

I think if they were true pedants, inspired movies would get more leeway than based movies.

Of course, that is with the definition of pedantry=ita.

In my estimation, they could have veered much further away from the texts and still been able to use "inspired by" as a valid description. Now, people who want to see the Iliad onscreen will always be pissed. But if you're not saying you're putting the Iliad onscreen, they might as well be mad at the makers of Austin Powers, who also didn't say they'd make a movie based on the Iliad.

Such are my fine lines.

We pedants don't hold on niceties when we attack, but I do think that "we are going to tell The Story of Troy" is a lot more defensible a position for bullshitting and general plot tomfoolery than "we are going to tell a story inspired by the Iliad".

For example, I read children's adaptations of the classics for years before getting to the originals. "Greek Myths" are allowed to leave out teh sex and prisoner slavery and human sacrifice; "The Oresteia" is not.

Duuude. The Emperor's New Groove. That movie was super-funny.

Wrod. And now I'm wondering why I don't own it on DVD. I must correct this after my next paycheck.

I'm really not a fan of the "inspired by" label, period. Too often, it seems to be code for "We bought the rights to this property and now we have to make the movie before they expire even though we really don't understand what it is we bought so here's an unrelated movie using the title of the property we bought the rights to."

Which doesn't apply to Troy because, public domain, but still. It's a wishy-washy term, "inspired by."

[eta: Really, this is only true when the source material is a book or play, or something else that could theoretically be faithfully adapted into a film. If your source material is a poem or a painting or a dream the director's wife had, "inspired by" is just fine.]

Plus it leads to absolute crap like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen sharing a title with the Alan Moore book.

I think a smaller story set in the overall Troy context would have been something possible to do well. One main character, one plotline, one viewpoint. For one thing, it would result in a hell of a lot less irrelevant backstory to cram in.

Like Titanic?

Well, whatever your opinion on Troy, I think my original point that David Benioff is more than capable of writing an excellent screenplay still stands. So whatever new project he is attached to isn't doomed to horribleness, just because of his attachment. I wish I could find someplace for you to get a copy of the script. I'd send you mine, but I'm too attached to it. Sorry. I swear it's excellent, though.

And my only point at chiming in on the subject was that Alibelle is not the only person I'd heard that from, so it's not just crazy Alibelle spouting her usual crazy craziness.

And my only point at chiming in on the subject was that Alibelle is not the only person I'd heard that from, so it's not just crazy Alibelle spouting her usual crazy craziness.

Wait. Did this become the Angel Quotables thread? I could've sworn it was movies...