The Odyssey by Writers: Christopher Nolan
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron
Publisher: Universal Pictures
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars (8 on IMDB)
Reviewed by DicentraOdysseus, king of Ithaca, embarks on a perilous journey to return home after the Trojan War. Crossing the Mediterranean Sea with his fellow soldiers, they soon find themselves battling not only the elements, but an array of deadly obstacles and mythical creatures along the way.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the latest adaptation of the Greek epic poem by Homer, was a massive endeavour and well worth the hype. I was impressed by the directors commitment to practical effects and how the movie was the first to be filmed entirely in IMAX, but the reliance on the audience’s previous knowledge of the story and some of the scenes that they cut out kept me from giving the movie a full five stars.
Matt Damon’s Odysseus was definitely the star of the movie. I was impressed with his ability to command different scenes, whether that was in the belly of the Trojan horse (where apparently Christopher Nolan was in there with them) or on deserted beaches acting opposite Charlize Theron’s Calypso. While he was definitely the focus of the movie, he was by no means the only talented actor. Anne Hathaway did an excellent job bringing Penelope’s quiet strength to the screen. Robert Pattinson did an excellent job bringing the smarmy suitor Antinous to life. And my jaw dropped with Samantha Morton’s whole portrayal of Circe. I was flabbergasted when I later learned that the scene in which she turns Odysseus’s men into pigs was mostly practical effects instead of all CGI.
While the actors in this movie were great, there are some scenes where the director relies on the audience’s prior knowledge of the story for them to make full sense. For example, the scene with the Laestrygonians on screen mostly just looked like giant people in armor smacking around Odysseus’ crew and killing them. They took out more of Odysseus’ crew than the Cyclopes or Charybdis and Scylla, yet they get no explanation time on screen. I was also saddened that the full ‘Nobody’ sequence from the original story did not make it into the movie, though I understand that adding multiple Cyclopes would have been out of the budget (even for a massive film such as this).The scene with Clytemnestra and Agamemnon’s homecoming also makes more sense when you know the catalyst for her decision (it got maybe 5 seconds of screen time hinting towards what happened).
Overall, this was a great movie and I’m glad I took the time to see it in IMAX (even though I wish I brought some earplugs to dull the noise, haha). I do recommend that people go see the movie in theaters, though I think for the best experience it would be good to brush up on the general outline of the story beforehand.
