Christopher Nolan is the Stephen Spielberg of the twenty-first century. We all know this, yet the trailers for The Odyssey received a startling amount of push-back for someone who one would think had earned the trust of audiences. Most of this push-back was openly resentful of the casting of ethnic minorities in a movie that takes place in ancient Greece – despite the reality that actual ancient Greeks probably had darker skin, and ancient Greek society had plenty of people from Africa and the Middle East. In fact, the cast of the end-product is much whiter than the society in which this takes place. The truth is that this online push-back came from an immature sense of entitlement, specifically entitlement to call the shots and design the film as one imagines it. But, just like Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, we have to learn to give up our urge to have control before we fall into a sinking ship.
“Better than the book” is something that is rarely uttered about movies. This, especially for a text as immortal as Homer’s Odyssey. Perhaps “better” is not quite the right word, but at the very least, it is certainly “updated” for modern sensibilities while respecting the source material. Ancient Greek stories often prioritized masculinity as a virtue, and more contemporary virtues like mercy and compassion didn’t feature as often as they do today. There is nothing wrong with masculinity when it’s not toxic, but modern audiences will appreciate that this version of Odysseus can be vulnerable while also heroic, having emotional responses to the horrors he is witnessing and experiencing personal growth as a result. Odysseus’ character arc in this story is extremely compelling and is the highlight of what is otherwise a fantastic film.
If the main protagonist’s character arc isn’t the highlight, then it’s the score by Swedish composer Ludwig Goransson. Known for films like Sinners, Oppenheimer, the two Black Panther films, and Creed, Goransson is establishing himself as a potential rival to Hans Zimmer and maybe even John Williams in the history of film scoring. Visually, the film owes much to Dutch cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, known for Interstellar, Nope, Oppenheimer, and Dunkirk, among others. Whether in IMAX or standard formats, Nolan and van Hoytema capture natural landscapes in stunning fashion, and the dining hall where the suitors feast is appropriately chilling yet realistic in a way that’s hard to properly convey.
Of course, if you’re going to talk about The Odyssey, you have to talk about the monsters. That’s, like, everybody’s favorite part of the story. The witch Circe is a highlight of the film, partially because the special effects used in the transformation sequences is creepy, disgusting, and effective, even if not as convincing as possible. But Circe is also a highlight because she has just as much humanity as she does monstrosity, making her brief appearance more compelling than most of the monsters. The sirens are perfectly portrayed, only seen from a distance, but the effect that they have on the two characters who hear their call is chilling. The Cyclops Polyphemus is, predictably, a bit too reminiscent of people with physical and mental disabilities, just as characters like Quasimodo and the Frankenstein monster are, with his single eye and his relative lack of speech. He’s not seen as sympathetic nor purely malevolent, more animalistic and carnivorous, but if you can set aside the problematic nature of his portrayal, this sequence is still expertly done.
Probably the most visually compelling sequence in the film is the summoning of spirits from Hades. This doesn’t play out quite the same way as in the source material, where Odysseus speaks to his mother, but the vengeful nature of the spirits of Odysseus’ past still gets under your skin and plays a major part in Odysseus’ character arc. Charybdis and Scylla do not play as much of a role in the film as other monsters, but are still exciting, and reminiscent of the monsters from Ray Harryhausen’s retelling of ancient myths.
I would be remiss to fail to mention the cast of the film. Everybody knows that it is absolutely star-studded, and there is little doubt that the actors are giving it their all in the film. The question becomes the direction. The delivery of their lines feels a little bit like we are watching a stage play. That is not a bad thing, in fact it may very well have been intentional, as this is a retelling of an ancient poem, and perhaps Homer’s recital of these lines would have been in a similar manner, if not even more stagey. But this is the only element of the film, outside of maybe the three-hour runtime, that could turn-off potential audiences. At times you will feel like you’re at a Renaissance fair. But that’s okay.
The Odyssey is a massive triumph. As an audio-visual experience, it’s superb. As an exercise in updating a classic story, it could not have been pulled off better. As a vessel for a lesson in maturing, it is sorely needed. And as a mere action-adventure story, it delivers in spades. This showcase of Hollywood’s finest talent will certainly be around come awards season, and much deserved. This is the best film of the year so far, and it will be hard to top.
