REVIEW: 'The Odyssey' turns Homer into a blockbuster
Christopher Nolan transforms the Greek mythological epic into an emotionally engaging, fast-paced homecoming adventure.
iMDB
Daily TribuneChristopher Nolan transforms the Greek mythological epic into an emotionally engaging, fast-paced homecoming adventure.
iMDB
Anne Hathaway as Queen Penelope.
Noise-cancellation beeswax. A Gaston-like Robert Pattinson. And three hours of Homer's epic poem condensed into an IMAX-shot, large-scale adventure make Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey one entertaining mainstream cinematic experience.
It has the best cinematic depiction yet of the Trojan Horse. The majestic horse stands on its hind legs, partially submerged in water. The Greek soldiers in black, the Trojans in white, like beautiful chess pieces against the vast brown-beige waters of the Aegean Sea.
Then comes the sheer delight of peeking inside the deceptive peace offering to the goddess Athena: soldiers crammed into impossible positions, struggling, suffocating, nearly drowning.
Three hours simply fly by as this nearly 2,800-year-old Greek mythological adventure becomes surprisingly fast-paced. Perhaps because Nolan, who also wrote the screenplay, repackages Homer's epic into something that feels almost like a prestige television soap opera. Not to mention, he adapts the contemporary, more prosaic language of Emily Wilson's 2017 modern translation.
There is an episodic rhythm to it, like binge-watching a Netflix limited series. No, it isn't a slow burn. Nolan's storytelling is a rollercoaster of emotions carried by accessible, straightforward dialogue.
We follow the adventures of the cunning trickster hero Odysseus (Matt Damon), whose journey remains the heart of this millennia-old tale. He's a king. A dad. And he hasn't been home to Ithaca for 20 years.
Nolan constantly switches between Odysseus' journey and the happenings back in Ithaca. We witness Telemachus (Tom Holland) longing for the father he has never really known, while Penelope (Anne Hathaway) patiently waits as a house full of brute suitors feast inside the palace, hoping to seize both her hand and the throne.
Nolan received backlash for using modern, prosaic language. Personally, I don't think we need to suffer through archaic dialogue to appreciate Homer's adventure. Still, the dialogue is occasionally so plain and functional that it deprives the story of the delicious poetry—or even the wit and verbal brilliance of, say, Game of Thrones. Its simplicity also reinforces the television feel.
I watched this during an IMAX advance screening, exactly as Nolan intended. Interestingly, I noticed several blurred shots from what appeared to be inconsistent pull focus. Combined with the snappy editing, the film occasionally gives the impression of being slightly rushed. Also, Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography feels flatter than I expected, not like the breathtaking visual spectacle of Interstellar or Oppenheimer.
But its greatest strength is scale. The sheer vastness of IMAX transports you to Ithaca, Troy, the Island of the Cyclopes, Laestrygonia, Aeaea, the island of the enchantress Circe (Samantha Morton), Hades, the Sirens, and finally Ogygia, where the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron) keeps Odysseus captive, almost like Kathy Bates' Annie Wilkes in Misery, feeding him memory-erasing lotus flowers.
Unless you choose to watch it through a Jungian lens of individuation, The Odyssey is, entertainment-wise, basically a superhero movie. Damon, with his wise eyes, commanding presence, and god-defying decisions, compensates for a character who occasionally lacks deeper internal agony.
For all its lack of subtlety, however, The Odyssey is an emotionally engaging adventure, thanks largely to Nolan's tasteful choice of composer, Ludwig Göransson, his frequent collaborator, and his knack for telling an old-fashioned story through nonlinear flashbacks that remain surprisingly easy to follow.
He builds genuine anticipation, from Odysseus' departure from Calypso's island to his long-awaited return home—to Penelope, his faithful hunting dog, Menelaus (John Leguizamo), and, finally, getting rid of Pattinson.
And that is what The Odyssey ultimately is. A love story. Not a romance. A love story about home.
If the IMAX ticket stretches your budget, don't worry. A regular big screen will still give you the same story, the same locations, and largely the same emotional experience.
But if Greek mythology is not your thing, this may not completely win you over. But Nolan is not an ordinary blockbuster director. He's an auteur, and watching how an auteur interprets one of literature's greatest adventures is part of the experience itself.
It still won't top my favorite Nolan film, The Dark Knight Rises. But if you're looking for a break from CGI overload and digital excess, Nolan once again reminds audiences why practical effects—and an old-fashioned sit-down theatrical experience—still matter.
Beautiful cast ensemble. Soap-opera adventure. And, above all, a lovely homecoming movie. You'll find yourself rooting, hooting and cheering for Odysseus.