Weekend Mullings - The Odyssey

When it comes to Christopher Nolan movies, more often than not, I come away from them impressed, but rarely enamored, and The Odyssey is no different. There are some moments that are undeniably awesome. But there are also a lot of moments that left me wanting more.

After ten years at war, Odysseus (Matt Damon) is trying to get home to his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland), but the gods are not making it easy on him or his men. Essentially lost at sea, whenever they find land, their attempts to find shelter and provisions are thwarted at almost every turn from the likes of a Cyclops, cannibalistic giants, and a witch who is not fond of strangers, especially men.

These encounters are the highlight in this three hour epic, with the run-in with the witch Circe (Samantha Morton) being a particular fave. (Can we get Morton in a spin-off based on the novel by Madeline Miller now, please?) But like many of the encounters the men have with the more magical aspects of their journey, it is too short. Odysseus's encounter with Circe seemingly lasts about 20 minutes, as opposed to the year he actually spends with her in the original story. Plenty of time is given to the numerous battles against both the sea, and other men, but we are given only a brief and foggy hazed view of the Sirens?

Also woefully underutilized are Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy (and her twin sister Clytemnestra), a fact that I can't say for certain was influenced by the racists who were outraged by her casting, but can certainly imagine won't upset them, and Zendaya as Athena, who sometimes stands along side Odysseus (only he can see her) looking disappointed, or occasionally offering some platitudes. 

The Odyssey is the very definition of an epic movie, but I guess I was just expecting to be a little more wowed by it all. That it's a technical achievement can't be disputed. The entire film was shot on IMAX, which, if you ever seen the size of an IMAX camera, you know must have been an odyssey unto itself. With that in mind I was expecting it to look a little...better? Action scenes are often blurry and confusing. The lands Odysseus find himself visiting are...dull. And Ithaca itself does not look like a place anyone would spend 20 years desperately trying to get back to. And as is often the case in Nolan's films, the sound is...challenging, often unbearably loud with some dialogue hard to understand.

You're also going to have to accept that everyone in this movies speaks with a flat American accent, which ultimately makes as much sense as everyone in this Greek story speaking in some kind of generic British accent, but it still takes some getting used to, especially hearing Telemachus repeatedly refer to Odysseus as "My dad!" 

After all that it may come as a surprise when I say The Odyssey is worth seeing. It is the kind of classic Hollywood epic that deserves to be seen somewhere bigger than your living room. You need to see that Trojan horse in a giant theater. You need to see the Cyclops on a screen the same size as he is. This is a Christopher Nolan movie, don't you want to be impressed?