The Odyssey is big, bold and loud, the action is furious, the seas rage and the gods are angry as the plot builds to its glorious conclusion. Try to see it on as big a screen as possible because it is definitely worth the fanfare.
The question is finally answered, does Christopher Nolan’s version of The Odyssey live up to the hype? The answer is simple – yes, it does.
The Odyssey begins with the Trojan horse partly buried on the beach with Sinon (Elliot Page) offering it a gift but Sinon is killed. The narrative then switches in an non-linear fashion between the palace at Ithaca where Odysseus (Matt Damon) has been missing after the Trojan War for 20 years and the palace is full of suitors for Odysseus’ wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), so that they can claim the throne and dispose of Odysseus and Penelope’s son, Telemachus (Tom Holland). One of the suitors is Antinous (Robert Pattinson). Penelope, Telemachus and their loyal servant Eumaeus (John Leguizamo) still hold out for the return of Odysseus.
Meanwhile, Odysseus is living on the island of Ogypia with the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron) who has been feeding him lotus flowers but he is beginning to regain his memories of everything that happened to him and his men after they left Troy and why he can’t go home wherever that is.
Telemachus and Mentor (Ryan Hurst) set out to find Odysseus and travel to talk to Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) who is King of Sparta and was Odysseus’ friend. Antinous and another suitor, Polybus (Corey Hawkins) plot to kill Telemachus.
As Odysseus’ memories return he remembers the journey he and his men took to return home, their encounter with the Cyclops Polyphemus, their meeting with the giant Laestrygonians, their meeting with the witch, Circe (Samantha Morton), their travels to Hades and other parts of the journey until all his memories return. Odysseus is also often visited by the goddess Athena (Zendaya).
Nolan filmed The Odyssey using IMAX 70 mm film and it is the first feature film shot entirely with IMAX film cameras. For this he again worked with Hoyte van Hoytema as the cinematographer, who also worked with Nolan on Oppenheimer, Tenet, Dunkirk and Interstellar.
The cast is huge featuring many more than mentioned here and full of talent, but everything about The Odyssey is huge. The soundtrack by Ludwig Göransson is also excellent.
The Odyssey is big, bold and loud, the action is furious, the seas rage and the gods are angry as the plot builds to its glorious conclusion. Try to see it on as big a screen as possible because it is definitely worth the fanfare.
Reviewed by Rob McKinnon
Rating 5 out of 5
Distributor: Universal Films
