A different kind of Odyssey

By Staff Writer Abigaile Lei

With a budget of over $250 million, dozens of big name actors, and the reputation of Christopher Nolan behind the screen, it is no wonder that The Odyssey received enormous anticipation ahead of its release. Based on the timeless Greek epic of the same name, Nolan’s adaptation transitions between Odysseus’ (Matt Damon) journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War and the political instability his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), face while he is away. Rather than strictly retelling Homer’s epic scene by scene, Nolan stresses more modern themes of survivor’s guilt, war trauma, and the difficulty of facing loved ones after experiencing violence.

One of the most suspenseful characteristics of the film is its parallel storylines: one follows Odysseus and his crew as they battle monsters and overcome obstacles on their journey after the Trojan War, and the other centers on Penelope and Telemachus as they fend off suitors seeking Ithaca’s throne. The contrast between the two keeps audiences hooked between the intense adrenaline rush of Odysseus’ journey and the slow burning drama of the court. Each storyline builds its own sense of tension, colliding at the end of the movie when Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca to drive away the suitors. 

However, the pacing of each scene is inconsistent and abrupt. Penelope’s monologue while confronting her son over his claim to the throne is one of the most powerful moments the character has in the film, but rather than letting her presence dominate the screen, her speech is interrupted by 2-3 second reaction cuts to Telemachus. This choppy filming is demonstrated throughout the most important parts of the movie, from the crew planning its escape from the Polyphemus’ cave to Odysseus’ reunion with his son. It creates a sense of hyperactivity that can become tiring to sit through for nearly two hours.

From a fully functional 115-foot wooden Viking longship to the half-buried Trojan Horse in the beginning of the film, Nolan’s use of practical effects over computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the icing on the cake for The Odyssey. They remove the artificiality of CGI and bring the film to a higher level of realism. Nolan’s expertise with forced-perspective camera angles and prosthetics brings a terrifying authenticity to the story’s most impossible aspects.

Nolan twists some of the original themes of homecoming and hospitality in Homer’s epic by taking the darker, psychological path of the story. Telling the story through traumatic flashbacks, he paints Odysseus as a war veteran suffering from survivors guilt and the psychological trauma and aftermath of the Trojan War. Although this interpretation works in its own unique way, it comes at the expense of the mythological timelessness that has allowed Homer’s epic to endure for thousands of years. Nolan doesn’t necessarily make the story worse or better — he makes it different. But in making it his own, he risks diminishing what made it ageless in the first place.

Grade: B+