Drew’s Review: A new take on Homer’s epic ‘The Odyssey’
“The Odyssey” was one of the most anticipated movies in recent memory. Advance ticket sales began a calendar year before the movie was released. The Hollywood promotional machinery kicked into gear around the same time, touting the latest epic movie from director Christopher Nolan, as the first feature film shot entirely on 70mm IMAX.
Nolan’s earlier movies included “Oppenheimer” (2023), which won Oscars for best picture and best director, and “Tenet” (2020) “Interstellar” (2014), “Inception” (2010) and the dark Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale. Nolan quickly rose through the ranks of Hollywood directors following his widely acclaimed breakout film “Memento” (2000).
Audiences were primed for his adaptation of one of the most epic sagas in human history, written by the Greek poet Homer 2,800 years ago.
The project boasted an all-star cast with Matt Damon in the lead as Odysseus, Tom Holland as his son, Telemachus, and Anne Hathaway as his devoted wife, Penelope. Robert Pattinson was cast as the villainous Antinous, Zendaya as the goddess Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso and Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, a bold choice that immediately sent shockwaves through the movie world.
It was clear from the beginning that Nolan was exercising creative liberties for the sake of attention. Early critics of the movie also questioned Nolan’s choices relating to armor, sailing vessels, dialogue and delivery, and a host of other details, deemed to be historically inaccurate, despite the fact the story was a fable, not based on actual events.
It is a tale brimming with evil forces, strange creatures and terrifying monsters. Nolan retains all those story elements with the inclusion of a cyclops, armies of giants and seductively lethal sirens (not shown). It’s a treacherous, nightmarish journey.
He brings a fresh new take on the story of the Trojan Horse, shown half-buried in the beach in a surrealistic image reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty shot at the end of “Planet of the Apes” (1968). Nolan puts his IMAX cameras to good use capturing stunning images like this, though they may not occur as often as audiences might have hoped for.
Watch: The Odyssey - Official Trailer
While Nolan has the imagination and technical capability to deliver on powerful, unforgettable visuals in “The Odyssey,” he often resorts to the standard, medium shot framing we see so often. Much of the movie is mired in murky light.
From the standpoint of special effects and dazzle, “The Odyssey” falls short of the sweeping scale and wonder fans might have hoped for – and as seen in the work of directors like David Lean or Stanley Kubrick.
As with Nolan’s earlier films, the story is complex, involving multiple characters, both human and divine. It’s the story of a war hero trying to return home after a decade of fighting in a far-away land, fearing the home he dreams of -- and longs to return to -- may no longer exist. To his credit, Nolan turns the tale into poignant contemporary commentary. Beyond that, he cranks up the drama with Homer’s themes of remorse, redemption and righteous vengeance.
“The Odyssey” runs long at 2 hours, 52 minutes -- an eternity in an age of shortened attention spans. Years ago, there would have been a mid-movie, restroom break intermission.
The movie features an all-star cast – albeit not always well-cast in their roles -- and the strength of an enduring story that has spanned thousands of years, rendered in epic IMAX proportions.
It’s the kind of movie the industry is desperate for -- a splashy, blockbuster feature that pries everyone away from their home theater systems and pay-per-view streaming services and lures them back into the local cineplexes. The failure to do that increasingly threatens the future of moviemaking and movie exhibition as we have come to know them.
“The Odyssey’s” strong opening domestic weekend box office of $124.5 million benefited from a year’s worth of advance ticket sales. It remains to be seen how it will fare following the critically important word of mouth response from audiences.
Along with the other blockbuster releases, there’s a lot riding on Christopher Nolan’s Trojan Horse this summer. It’s a box-office war Hollywood needs to win.
Drew's Take:
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is an epic movie adaptation of an epic tale banking on an all-star cast and the use of IMAX technology.
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