Christopher Nolan brings Homer’s epic poem to life through a perilous homeward journey of war, monsters and lost time in “The Odyssey.”
Rather than stage the famous Trojan Horse episode that dooms the Greek city of Troy as a straightforward spectacle, Nolan presents it with restraint as a recurring, dreadful memory haunting Odysseus (Matt Damon).
Themes of fatherhood, family bonds and time lost with loved ones give “The Odyssey” an emotional weight that marks a departure from Nolan’s typical filmmaking.
Despite its three-hour runtime, the film sustains its momentum by following a nonlinear structure.
Known for favoring practical effects over computer-generated imagery, Nolan gives the film a tangible sense of scale.
Puppetry brings the terrifying Cyclops to life, while actors of different heights help create the illusion of men confronting giants.
The film is also filled with scene-stealing performances, from Damon’s guilt-ridden Odysseus and Tom Holland’s protective Telemachus to Anne Hathaway’s longing yet steadfast Penelope. Chalize Theron enthralls as Calypso, who traps Odysseus on her island, while Samantha Morton gives a feminist take on Circe, who turns men into pigs.
Some of Nolan’s casting choices drew backlash, including Elliot Page as the farmhand-turned-warrior Sinon and Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, with critics arguing that the choices departed from traditional depictions of the characters.
The casting of Zendaya as Athena is explained logically in a flashback toward the end.
The film opens with a bard, played by American rapper Travis Scott, recounting the epic as a montage visualizes episodes from the story.
As the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX 70mm, “The Odyssey” at times appears overly conscious of its format, lingering on scenes longer than necessary.
Yet some of its most important moments receive the opposite treatment. The epilogue rushes toward the cut to black when a more extended reunion could have given the characters—and the audience—a stronger emotional release.
At its core, “The Odyssey” belongs to a mythological tradition shaped by centuries of retelling and reinterpretation.
To confine its fantastical elements too rigidly within realism would be to diminish the very qualities that have allowed the story to endure. Psalmuel D. Reyes
