The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan
A Review of The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan.
*DISCLAIMER: SPOILERS WILL BE LABELED*
Whiskeys Garage
Film Talk
23/07/26
Volume 1
The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan
Runtime: 2:52
Budget: $250 Million
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, & more
The Odyssey is no doubt one of the most anticipated films of the year. Anytime Director Christopher Nolan has his name attached to something, it is sure to be a mega blockbuster. Returning 3 years after the release of Oppenheimer, his next adventure is based on the Greek mythology tale by Homer, The Odyssey, about Odysseus and his adventure back to Ithaka. As of this post, the film has grossed $282.1 million so far, on a $250 million budget.
Overall, I really enjoyed the film, but it’s not perfect by any means. I thought Matt Damon did a good job as Odysseus. He looked the part in most cases, is a phenomenal actor and works well with what he’s given. The film had its share of controversy leading up to the release, mainly around its casting and not using any authentic Greek actors, instead opting for the big Hollywood stars, and making the film “Diverse”. The casting errors sometimes erase the feeling of immersion, but luckily they don’t play a major role in the film, so they don’t ruin it altogether. The first character on screen is played by Travis Scott, and well, I think he did a fine job, although it’s hard to see him as a Greek Mythological character rather than the modern-day rapper. It was a bold decision to have him as the first character on screen. But Elliot Page’s character is by far the worst example of this. Page is supposed to be playing a tough, Greek warrior who offers himself up to draw the Trojans in and present them with the peace offering of the Trojan Horse, yet he still sounds like a female and stands at 5’1”, 110 LBS. It completely ruined the immersion of the scene for me personally. At times I also felt the story jumped around a bit; for example, we would be following Tom Holland’s character, Telemachus, setting out on his journey, and then it felt like we didn’t hear about him for over an hour and a half. To be honest, I completely forgot about his journey by the time they got back to him. In the beginning of the film, it jumped around quite a bit as well, from past to present, and at times I could see it being slightly difficult for people to follow if they are unfamiliar with the Greek Mythology tale. The last negative thing I have for the film is the audio at times. I’m unsure if it was just my theatre, but at certain scenes in the film, the audio was so ear-piercingly loud it was almost annoying. So much so that the lady next to me plugged her ears on multiple occasions. Again, that may just be my theatre, and obviously when at home viewing, you can control the volume. The set design and costumes in the film are amazing. I’m unsure how historically accurate the armour is, but it was very well done, and I thought all the costumes looked well done, especially Agamemnon’s armour. The Cinematography is fantastic, as per usual Nolan films. The Score for the film is overall decent, but not as solid as his prior films. It’s really well done at certain points in the movie, like during the Trojan Horse scene, but overall it’s a bit lacklustre in comparison. The fight choreography was well done, nothing new or special, but solid all around. My favourite part of the film was the Trojan Horse and Troy fight scenes. It was very captivating, and the score was at its best during these scenes; I felt it was the most intense, immersive part of the film. Very well done all around for that part.
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The 3rd act of the film overall was solid, with the nearly 3-hour runtime some movies tend to drag, but I didn’t feel bored, and I thought the final fight between Odysseus and Antinous was a good length of time. It wasn’t overdone, but it wasn’t absolutely nothing either. Odysseus’s reveal to his son, Telemachus, played by Tom Holland, was unique as well. The entire film, we are told that Odysseus’s hunting dog is staying alive only to wait for the return of his master. Upon return, Odysseus is disguised as a beggar, but when passing through the gates with Telemachus, he notices the dog, and shortly after greeting it, the dog passes away. This is how Telemachus knew the beggar was actually his father in his disguise. Odysseus finally reveals to everyone that he is home after volunteering to attempt to restring the bow only Odysseus has ever been able to do. Many tried to before him and failed, and then when he can do it, the final fight breaks out. Sometimes when films are building up a big return, they have a reveal that gets far too dramatic, but between these 2 scenes it was well done.
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Overall, as I said, I really enjoyed the film, but the casting errors take away from the immersion, and certain dialogue pieces could have been better. I don’t think the film will be for everyone, as there are fantasy aspects like the Cyclops and Circe, but if you are a fan of Greek Mythology, a fan of Christopher Nolan, or open to fantasy in movies, I think you’ll have a great time with it, and I highly recommend seeing The Odyssey.
RATING - How well I think the movie is made, the dialogue, the production, the acting, objectively how good of a film is it. Out of 100%
ENJOYMENT - How much I enjoyed the film, subjectively and based on the genre heading into it. I was expecting a historical, action, fantasy tale. Out of 100%
IMMERSIVENESS - How captivating the film is, how well it brings you into the world they are building and makes you forget reality. Out of 100%
Rating:87%
Enjoyment: 93%
Immersiveness: 90%
PROS:
Amazing set design
Didn’t get bored
Well done fight scenes
Score
Cinematography
Immersion
CONS:
Casting
Audio at times (in my theatre at least)
Story jumps at times
OSCAR NOMS (Thoughts)
Cinematography
Costume Design
Directing
Best Picture
Production Design
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
