Hello there, today I bring you a review of The Odyssey, the latest film directed by Christopher Nolan, based on Homer’s epic poem.
To begin, even though the subject matter interests me (a lot), even though I’d been waiting months to see the film, and even though it’s based on a literary classic, I came in with a certain degree of caution. I’ve mentioned over the years that Christopher Nolan is a bit of a lottery — he can deliver something brilliant or something disastrous — especially considering the film is three hours long. Fortunately, this time it works.
As usual, Christopher Nolan has taken meticulous care with every technical detail. Overall, the two or three monsters that appear in the film are perfectly executed, and in the specific case of the Polyphemus sequence, the situation becomes genuinely uncomfortable and terrifying. Add to that a soundtrack that greatly enhances the viewer’s emotional experience — again, I refer to the Polyphemus passage, as well as the moment when they descend into Hades to speak with the seer Tiresias.
On another note, the cast is excellent. Matt Damon delivers an exceptional performance as Odysseus/Ulysses, and both Anne Hathaway (as Penelope) and Lupita Nyong’o (in a dual role as Helen of Troy and her twin sister Clytemnestra) deserve special mention.
I’d also like to point out that, despite the film’s three-hour runtime (as I mentioned above), it never feels heavy. It maintains a solid rhythm, alternating between Odysseus’ journey and the challenges faced by Penelope and Telemachus (the protagonist’s wife and son) in the court of Ithaca, culminating in the final confrontation with Penelope’s suitors.
Perhaps the only drawback I’d mention (and this is a personal preference that doesn’t diminish the film’s overall quality) is that some scenes are quite dark. Oddly enough, this is actually refreshing, considering that in similar films torches often illuminate as brightly as stadium floodlights. There’s also a scene with a video game–like aesthetic which, while it might work in other types of films, doesn’t quite fit here. Again, these are personal nitpicks that don’t undermine the film as a whole.
Overall, it’s a film I recommend watching (setting aside artificial controversies about the cast, which in my opinion is brilliant — it’s a shame Elliot Page has so little screen time). Yes, it’s long, but as I’ve said, it never drags, and it offers a good story with a really good way of telling it through images.
