Movie Review - The Odyssey

I've never been a fan of Christopher Nolan's films; I find his films to be visually stunning, yes, but the dialogue and characters always fall flat to me. Although I believe he has found his genre with The Odyssey.

Based on the poems by ancient Greek poet Homer, it follows the story of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, trying to get back to his wife and son after his victory in Troy. It’s a story of temptation, discipline and regret.

The film boasts big names like Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon (Hollywood's favourite lost man) as Odysseus.

Nolan’s story doesn’t follow Homer’s books fully; it would need about 10 hours for accuracy, and portrays Odysseus as a loving, loyal and remorseful man (spoiler alert: he wasn’t), but I still believe it’s a pleasing and interesting story, even if it only seems inspired by Homer, more than being a true adaptation.

I did not have the pleasure of watching it in IMAX, but the experience on a regular cinema screen was wonderful anyway. The one thing Nolan does right is his hate of convenience, and his use of puppets, forced perspective and great planning is shown off in this film.

The scene with the cyclops was made using a puppet, and the giants that Odysseus and his men faced weren’t CGI, but 7ft actors, while Odysseus was played in that scene by his stunt double, a 4ft5 woman. Even the pig scene was completely CGI-free, with Nolan opting for the use of strategic camera angles and animatronics instead.

In a world where we are constantly looking for ways to make things easier and quicker, Nolan using old techniques makes cinema feel alive and inspiring.

Of course, just like his other films, the dialogue and characters do feel a little flat, but the journey and visuals help portray the emotions that the characters could not.

Some criticism has been towards the casting of the characters, with some people saying that the characters should have been played by Greek actors for historical accuracy, despite the Odyssey being a work of fiction (Helen of Troy hatched from an egg in the story). I think the casting was great, and the actors did as well as they could with the script they were given.

Many watchers have also said that the film triggered their emetophobia (irrational fear of vomiting), and I see why: in a specific scene with Cerce, Odysseus’s men eat food provided by the witch, and let's just say the scene turns gruesome. I unfortunately can’t comment much on this scene, as I spent it trying not to be sick and staring at the floor.

My biggest issue was the audio mixing. Nolan is famous for his horrendous audio mixing, and in some scenes I couldn't actually hear dialogue. The scene with the cyclops had him calling for Poseidon; I personally didn’t realise he was saying words until I saw it on social media a few days after watching the film.

Despite that, this film felt like magic, and every scene was a masterpiece, where blinking felt like I might miss something, and Agamemnon “aura farming” was both comedic and cool to see (his whole character was literally just there to be tall and stand menacingly).

The film is a grim cautionary tale that shows us the consequences of pride and losing sight of what’s important: our humanity.

I would rate this 5/5 stars.

Written by Nat Synak