I nearly fell out of my seat several times during my screening of The Odyssey – heck, I almost missed a few key moments because my eyes were watery. Granted, I saw the movie in 4DX and I was subject to Cyclops-related seat jostling and Poseidon’s wrathful sea spray shot out of the back of the seat in front of me, so director Christopher Nolan can’t take all the credit.
As much as I enjoyed the enhanced in-theater viewing, the movie stood alone as an appropriately epic experience that only someone like Nolan could bring to life. Although not a 1:1 replication of Homer’s masterpiece, The Odyssey is exceptionally written, acted, shot and scored, and might be some of the director’s best work.
In short, The Odyssey is a dual narrative. Largely through flashbacks, we witness Odysseus’ (Matt Damon) perilous journey home from the Trojan War. Meanwhile, his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) sets out from Ithaca to meet Menelaus (Jon Bernthal), hoping to confirm whether his father is still alive and rid his home of sneering, sometimes sinister suitors who seek the hand of his mother, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway).
The cast also includes such stars as Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, John Leguizamo, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron and Elliot Page—all of whom excel with the material regardless of how much time they spend on screen. The Spider-Man fan in me was hoping Holland and Zendaya would share at least one scene together, but at least we got to see Spidey and The Punisher hang out a few weeks before they team up in Brand New Day.
Nolan is a known proponent of practical effects, so it was refreshing to see memorable moments like Odysseus’ encounter with the Cyclops and the soldiers’ transformation into pigs by Circe crafted using traditional techniques like puppetry and forced perspective. And when I say “refreshing,” I also mean REALLY, REALLY DISTURBING at times … but in a good way.
Given the source material and Nolan’s involvement, this is a long movie, clocking in at just under three hours. That said, I only really started to feel the length in the last 20 minutes or so. The movie moves along at a brisk pace and always gives you something interesting to look at because it was shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film cameras. I’ll be seeing it again in that format once the IMAX screenings near me stop being sold out.
The Odyssey is not an easy story to tell in a feature-length film, but Nolan navigates these waters exceptionally well.
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