How are the gods and godesses portrayed differently in Troy (movie)compared with the Iliad(book)?

Answer 1

If you read Homer's Iliad, the book will often seem to be as much about the gods as at is about men. The gods are ALWAYS interfering is just about anything that going on, starting from the very reason the whole war takes place, every major event in the battle, and its ultimate conclusion. The men in the story don't always see all the interference that's going on, but it's quite obvious to the reader. And even if they don't see much, they do see plenty.

In the movie adaptation 'Troy', the gods are all but absent. Things happen or don't and are credited to the gods, but they are simply not real characters in that story. Without the direct interplay of the gods it's as if half of the plot is sheared off, and some of the events that occur make little sense.

This, as well as the absence of most other supernatural elements (like Achilles' near-invulnerability) as far as I can tell is one of the most common criticisms of the film.