The hype for The Odyssey has been gargantuan. Fresh off the critical and commercial success of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan chose to adapt one of humanity’s best-known stories and myths.
Adapting this narrative was a challenge in so many ways. How would Nolan translate many of the fantastical elements while maintaining his preference for practical effects? Would it be adapted in a historically accurate way? Would the cast avoid looking like they have iPhone face in a narrative set in Ancient Greece?
The film’s pre-release buildup wasn’t without controversy. The casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy was bashed online stupidly because of her race. Elliot Page’s casting was hated online due to an assumption that he was playing Achilles, when he wasn’t. In reality, not only is that hate unwarranted, as no one alive was in Ancient Greece at that time to know who lived there, but they are some of the strongest performers in the entire film.`
The Odyssey is a masterpiece, but it is also slightly flawed in some elements. I’ve never read any translation of the text and therefore cannot speak to its accuracy as an adaptation. However, it feels like it is incredibly faithful as an adaptation in its scale and scope. Nolan’s work on this film makes it feel like the gargantuan journey the title would suggest it is. The sweeping shots of beaches and the open sea are a joy to behold and really emphasise just how lost Odysseus and his crew became on their journey. Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema have realised a world that feels authentic, textured, terrifying and beautfiul all at once.
The main positives to draw on beyond the spectacle are the performances. Almost everyone is operating at an amazing level here, and even the weaker performers are by no means bad.
This may be the best performance I’ve seen from Matt Damon since Good Will Hunting. It is a performance that draws on the years of experience he has had as an actor, simultaneously youthful and energetic but also older and calculated. It is a performance with so much nuance, a man troubled with the burden of saving his crew and getting home, but also the memories of the atrocities his decisions caused. There is so much pain and regret behind the eyes of Odysseus that would be hard for other actors to replicate. Damon unsurprisingly brings a great physicality to the role as well. Not only has he built the physique of a warrior, but Damon often moves at times like one too. The final scenes exemplify this, with Odysseus moving like a man possessed in combat with his bow and spears, tanking blows and strikes to come out on top. If there is one moment that is strongest in this performance, however, it is the sequence with the Sirens. It is a moment of true pain and anguish and is one that really pulls the viewer into the moment. Odysseus is intelligent, nuanced and fearsome in every respect, and it is a performance from Damon that matches the legend he is being tasked to play. It is easily one of the best of the year, and will likely earn him many nominations and a fair few wins come awards season. That long awaited acting Oscar may finally be in sight for Matt Damon after all this time.
Another key performance is that of Hamish Patel’s Eurylochus. It is shocking how little love his role has been given in the marketing, considering he has almost the second or third most screen time in the film. As Odysseus’s right-hand man, Eurylochus is a man torn between loyalty to his leader and the safety of his men. Equally naive and misguided, it is entertaining to watch him gradually lose faith in his leader and take charge himself, only to see every decision he makes for the crew go south. Patel is a highlight of this film that should’ve been focused on more in the marketing, and it is great to see him as part of Nolan’s ‘actors guild’ following his small role in Tenet.
Anne Hathaway is a key standout as Penelope. Nolan has significantly improved how he writes women in this film, especially for Penelope. She could easily be written as simply a mistress wishing for her husband’s return, but there is much more nuance to the performance. Penelope is a woman burdened by the absent throne left by Odysseus, charged with the rule of Ithaca in his stead. She is set upon by tireless suitors, like Pattinson’s Antinous, and struggles with the potential of having to rescind the throne. The line ‘My Knowledge? My Years of experience? That’s all nothing compared to the bristles on your chin!’ is delivered with such anger and rage when challenged over the empty throne. She has been a ruler in Odysseus’s stead, but is set to. be cast aside when a man is ready to take her place. It’s a nuance that Nolan’s female characters have been soorly lacking prior, and delivered perfectly by Hathaway.
Tom Holland is unfortunately the only lead performance that faltered here. Telemachus is an interesting character, but his journey and development feel very stunted. By the end of the film, he is supposed to be a much more adult and confident man, but Holland’s work doesn’t fully sell it. Additionally, with so much ground to cover, Telemachus’ development feels rushed in general. He doesn’t get the fully fledged journey to make his development believable, which could have been lost as Nolan had to cut the film down to fit on an IMAX reel. The ‘My mother’s wishes are to see you all burn’ line is a moment where his performance almost reaches what it needs, but it never quite gets there again. Sadly, Tom Holland is working with some of the greats in the industry who are operating at their A game. Whenever Holland is sharing a scene with Hathaway, Damon or Pattinson, there is a visceral disconnect between line deliveries that is hard to ignore. It is an opportunity for Holland to show his dramatic chops, and he almost gets there, but he needs more time and a lot more practice. What’s worse is that the film doesn’t lean into his strengths, particularly his physicality, as the moment’s Holland gets involved in combat are some of his best bits. Also, his calling Odysseus Dad was incredibly jarring to hear and definitely feels worse in the final cut.
The supporting cast is also stellar, with almost everyone making great use of their limited screen time. Samantha Morton’s Circe is creepy, ancient and mystical, and she delivers one of the film’s strongest monologues. Her critique of Odysseus’ crew is scathing and highlights just how far this band of great soldiers has fallen. Circe both feels condemned to her cursed fate and powers, but also a necessary evil to uncover the fall of men in a world full of twisted creatures. Her time on screen is short, but it left one of the biggest impacts. Also, the body horror of her sequence is honestly disgusting and close to terrifying.
Robert Pattinson’s Antinous is despicably cowardly. A man draped in armour who has never seen battle, boasting of his efforts to join the war that are a complete falsification. His lies are seductive, and he has an alluring facade that is taken down with glee by Odysseus in the film’s closing moments. When finally given a chance to fight and demonstrate his honour, Antinous hides behind other men to do his work for him. He never acts honourably thus meets an end that is as shameful and sad as his own life.
Jon Bernthal is fine as Menelaus, mostly performing as Jon Bernthal often does. He does have a rapport with Tom Holland, which is enjoyable and will give Spider-Man fans something to look forward to. What is more interesting is his brother Agamemnon, played by Benny Safdie. Nolan makes a great choice to never remove his helmet, using his stature and his fantastic black armour to do much of the talking for him. There are multiple moments where he is simply standing that his physical presence alone brings so much energy and tension to the scene. It is when the film reaches Hades that Safdie gets to speak, and we get to see the vulnerable man behind the armour that fantastically kills the facade. Agamemnon is a disgusting man who sacrificed his own child for a war of his making, and encounters a justifiably brutal fate.
The final standouts are Zendaya’s Athena and Lupita Nyong’o’s Helen of Troy/Clytemnestra. Zendaya looks perfectly regal as the goddess Athena and speaks with a godly presence deserving of the character. Athena appears to Odysseus when he needs her most, often for guidance shrouded in riddles, something typical of the gods and delivered well by Zendaya. However, her presence is also linked to Odysseus’s great guilt, leading to a payoff that I won’t spoil here that sells everything the film is trying to say in its runtime. Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra are another aspect of Nolan’s improved female writing, mostly for Helen. There is a genuine remorse in Helen that her presence had become an excuse for such a brutal war, and her apology whispered into Telemachus’ ear is a sad one to behold. To know your existence has led to so much innocent destruction is not an easy thing to portray, but Nyong’o’s expression and regretful eyes nail it.
Charlize Theron’s Calypso is a slight let-down. There’s not much to say about her beyond the fact that she essentially serves as an exposition machine and is potentially another victim of Nolan’s chopping down for the IMAX format. It is not a bad performance per se, but there simply isn’t a lot for Theron to chew on here.
The spectacle, as discussed before, is astounding. Seeing the Cyclops for the first time is an unforgettable moment that will remain in memory for many years. The technical feat of realising it so viscerally on screen, through the mixture of puppetry and CGI, is astounding and another example of why Nolan is the best in the game at practical effects. The journey home is where the film is at its best, jumping from set piece to set piece without much room to breathe, building tension perfectly. The fight with the giants is a particular highlight, their armour and stature creating such an imposing figure when shot against Odysseus and his men. They’re fearsome, fast and strong, and their presence combined with the movement of the trees is the moment where it is really felt that the gods are against them.
It is within the journey home that the film actually hits its stride. The earlier scenes on Ithaca and the beaches do feel a bit slow, and it almost feels for a while what sort of rhythm the film is going for. However, once the film reaches the sea, there is no looking back, and the pacing is near perfect. My only gripe is that I wish it felt that Odysseus had been in places longer, especially Circe’s and Apollo’s islands. It often feels in a loop where they find somewhere new, find a terrifying threat and then leave all within five to ten minutes. Certain spaces definitely could’ve done with more time to breathe, although the sequence in Hades was perfectly placed.
Thematically, the story is rich with regret and consequence. Zeus’ law is regularly mentioned, a principle to treat others as if they were a God in disguise. Therefore, when a beggar comes to your door, you welcome him with shelter and hospitality. Odysseus’ plan with the Trojan Horse broke this law by offering a peace prize that in secret was a plot for violence. That action caused a breach in the world, rippling back to Ithaca, leading to Penelope’s suitors treating beggars with disdain and disrespecting Penelope’s home. This theme of past actions spreading out into the world, forming a grimmer future, is not only resonant in our current worldview, but something Nolan has been dealing with for his last few films. Oppenheimer may have been about the bomb, but it was also a cautionary tale of what its creation meant for our future as the human race. Tenet focused on a group of unknown people from the future wishing to use technology not yet made to destroy the past for them to take their stead. It hinged on how the actions taken in the now could save us from a grimmer future. Nolan’s obsession with time seems to have reached a nihilistic view that really serves his last three films well, and provides a fantastic thematic throughline between them: how mistakes in our past will be forgotten even as they continue to haunt our lives. The final shot of the film sells this message perfectly.
On a technical aspect, the film is perfect. It is beautifully shot, with dark scenes lit by candlelight and gorgeous sunlit vistas capturing the range and variety of this long-told tale. Ludwig Göransson’s score is, as per usual, phenomenal, opting for a soundtrack powered by Greek lyres rather than orchestras. It helps make the setting feel realised, and the twang of Odysseus’ bow, especially in the closing moment, is a joyful piece of sound design that won’t be leaving my head anytime soon. No matter the debate on the accessibility of IMAX, it is clear shooting on these cameras creates some of the most stunning visuals you will see in modern cinema, and I’m not sure who else could shoot on them as well as Nolan and Hoytema. While the limits of the IMAX projectors do make the film feel a tad rushed at times, I’d argue the visuals you experience are more than enough to make up for it.
A flawed masterpiece, a flawed blockbuster, The Odyssey is a sight to behold and should be seen on the best screen possible. It is easily one of the best of the year so far, if not the best and, despite its issues, is one of the easiest five-star films I’ve seen in a long time. There is simply something about the Nolan magic that works and makes you think whatever flaws are there are inconsequential to the final product. See it now on a cinema screen, as it deserves to be seen. This is an epic that should be viewed as Nolan intended.
★★★★★
