Only problem: Not everyone's clued in. So for those who think Homer is the pot-bellied father of Bart Simpson, a quick guide.

What: Troy -- a big-budget film starring some very good-looking, semi-nude men, with Brad Pitt playing the most good-looking semi-nude man. Based on Homer's epic Iliad, a mythic description of a war fought between the ancient Greeks and Trojans.

In a nutshell: On his way back to Troy after a peace mission with the powerful King Menelaus, Prince Paris has a surprise for his older brother, Hector. He has decided to bring back King Menelaus' beautiful wife, Helen. Not without reason, this annoys the Spartans immensely, prompting them to lay siege to Troy at once.

It also gives Menelaus' brother -- the even-more powerful King Agamemnon -- the perfect excuse to invade Troy. He knows he can't do it alone though, which is where Achilles, the hero, is asked to come in. The latter isn't really keen on jumping into what he considers none of his business, but changes his mind when his cousin Patroclus is killed. The highlight is a confrontation between Achilles and Hector. Eventually, almost everyone dies. But, hey, you get to see Brad Pitt in the aforementioned short skirt.

So Homer would be: An early Greek poet who wrote the epics, Iliad and Odyssey, along with a comic minor epic called Batrachomyomachia or The Frog-Mouse War. He is credited with being among the first to record oral, epic poems that entertained the ancient Greeks. Very little is known about Homer's life, except for stories that claim he was blind. As today's stars have taught us, however, a little mystery never hurt anyone.

The Iliad: The Iliad and Odyssey work pretty much together. Both deal with the Trojan War, the battle that may or may not have been fought around the city of Troy. Iliad is also about Achilles, who has the option of being great and famous in war and dying young; or living a long, happy life without fame. That he is forced to pick fame and, consequently, death, makes it a tragic poem.

 Brad Pitt as Achilles
Achilles (Brad Pitt): Central character and greatest warrior in the Trojan War. Son of King Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis, Achilles is also famous for a tale about his supposed invincibility. According to legend, his mother tried to make him invincible by dipping him in the river Styx, but forgot to wet the heel she held him by, leaving him vulnerable. He died when an arrow pierced his heel, gaining a whole lot of fame and giving us the phrase, Achilles' heel, in the process.

 Orlando Bloom as Paris
Paris (Orlando Bloom): That Orlando Bloom was recently voted Sexiest Actor at a recent poll, makes Paris a fairly popular character. For the record, however, Paris, also known as Alexander, is the son of Priam, King of Troy. He's the dude who thought it would be smart to kidnap Helen, queen of Sparta -- an act that promptly leads to the Trojan War. He is also the one who fatally wounds Achilles in the heel with an arrow. His parents must have had a hunch he would be trouble, considering an oracle claimed he would be the downfall of Troy. One assumes they didn't take the oracle very seriously.

 Eric Bana as Hector
Hector (Eric Bana): Trojan prince and the second greatest fighter after Achilles. While Achilles is made for war, however, Hector prefers a quiet life, fighting not for personal glory but to protect his homeland. He is killed, eventually, but the scene where he bids farewell to his wife Andromache and their infant son is a more moving one.

 Diane Kruger as Helen
Helen (Diane Kruger): Without her, the Iliad (and, of course, the film and all possible sequels) would not exist. Hers is the face that "launched a thousand ships". Always an enigma, Helen was mortal as well as immortal, born of the union between the god Zeus and the beautiful Leda, queen of Sparta. She remains among the most inspired characters in literature. Few other women could, after all, launch wars that lasted ten years.

 Sean Bean as Odysseus
Odysseus (Sean Bean): Also known as Ulysses in Roman mythology, this is the hero of Homer's other epic, Odyssey. He remains a big name in the Iliad too, coming up, as he did, with the wily idea of the Trojan Horse. Makes one wonder what he would have thought of the Trojans affecting our computers these days.

 Brian Cox as Agamemnon
Agamemnon (Brian Cox): This, if you're still on track, is where it begins to get a little confusing. Agamémnon, son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope, remains one of Greek mythology's most distinguished heroes. He takes part in the Trojan War by fighting for the Greeks. Before his fleet leaves for Troy, however, the winds suddenly stop. They do so to punish him for offending the goddess Artemis by slaying a hind sacred to her. The only solution is the sacrifice of his daughter, Iphigeneia. Some believe Agamemnon agreed. Others claim Artemis accepted a deer in her place and took Iphigeneia away. All this has very little to do with the actual war, but you'll have to admit it's pretty interesting stuff nonetheless.

 Peter O'Toole as Priam
Priam (Peter O'Toole): King of Troy and father of the peace-loving Hector. Priam brings some much-needed dignity to the barbaric bloodshed around him. When Hector is killed by Achilles, Priam walks into the Greek camp and begs for his son's body so it can be given a decent burial. In the destruction of Troy, Priam is finally murdered by Achilles' son, Neoptolemus -- a story that appears in Virgil's Aeneid as well as Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson): The husband of Helen, with whom he has a daughter called Hermione. Also the brother of Agamemnon. Interestingly, it is with his brother's help that Menelaus wins Helen's hand in the first place. How? Read the book.

 Saffron Burrows as Andromache
Andromache (Saffron Burrows): The wife of Hector who, on his death, is taken by Achilles' son Neoptolemus as a concubine. She also becomes Hector's brother Helenus' slave. If it sounds like a sad ending, wait. After Neoptolemus dies, Andromache marries Helenus and becomes Queen of Epirus. Not too bad for a slave, yes?

For more on the Trojan War, you might want to check out:
Women of the War
Images of the myth
Archaeological insights

Don't miss:
Troy: 142 minutes of myths, heroes and battles
The man behind Troy

Design: Rajesh Karkera | Photographs: Warner Bros