The Movie Man: Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is worth the wait

The Odyssey earned the hype that has been generated around the world for Christopher Nolan’s newest movie. Considering what little has been revealed to the public in all this time, it has certainly been worth holding our breath.

Nolan has followed up his biopic Oppenheimer with his adaptation of one of Western civilization’s founding myths. It’s fitting, as Oppenheimer used the myth of Prometheus stealing fire from the gods for man as a metaphor for the creator of atomic weapons. And it’s also appropriate for an era in which we speculate on the future of the movie industry. What better way to remind people of the importance of movie theaters than a sword-and-sandal epic reminiscent of The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, or even Lawrence of Arabia?

Nolan’s legacy of avoiding computer-generated special effects pays off in The Odyssey. As much as I will laud James Cameron’s technological achievements through the Avatar films series, Nolan reminds us of a prior generation of Hollywood in which studios had no choice but to create grand sets and use puppets for monsters (the cyclops, Polyphemus, is an actual puppet). From an optical perspective, the effects hit differently than any vast battle scene from The Lord of the Rings. They feel more realistic, and the stakes have been raised.

But my appreciation for The Odyssey is not limited to its production value. I was delighted with every performance. Matt Damon delivers as our hero, Odysseus, the mastermind of the Trojan Horse who simply seeks to return to his kingdom of Ithaca after the war has been won. Anne Hathaway was excellent as Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, who refuses to give up hope that her husband will return. Tom Holland is compelling as Telemachus, their son who has no memory of his father because Odysseus left for Troy when he was an infant, and must deal with the 108 degenerate suitors who aggressively seek to take Ithaca’s throne including Robert Pattinson as their leader, Antinous. I enjoyed John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, Odysseus’ faithful servant and swineherd; Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy (the face that launched a thousand ships); John Bernthal as Menelaus, King of Sparta and husband of Helen; and Zendaya as Athena, the goddess who takes pity on Odysseus and Telemachus.

There were two scenes I anxiously awaited: the Fall of Troy and the cave of Polyphemus the Cyclops. As I watched Odysseus and his men slip from the Trojan Horse and open the gates of the city, I couldn’t help but appreciate how one of the most iconic moments in Western literature was brought to the big screen without any flaws. This sequence will live forever in Hollywood, reminding us that swords and sandals are still appealing. Polyphemus the Cyclops was not computer-generated, but a puppet, and don’t even get me started on the sound design for his voice (just as memorable as Lady Jessica’s “voice” in Dune: Part Two).

I must praise the creativity in the depiction of the supernatural side of Greek mythology. Two consecutive sequences stuck out to me: Circe, the witch, turning Odysseus’ men into pigs, as well as the voyage to Hades, the realm of the dead. For someone who has pondered how the Greeks viewed the connection between the world of the dead and the world of the living, I was amazed by its simplicity and its haunting impression. Whether the depiction is faithful to the original myth, I  will leave this to the scholars. But as for me, someone who may not be an expert but an appreciator of the classics, it was incredibly rewarding.

While this movie is reminiscent of the epics of previous generations, the soundtrack is certainly a product of our modern era. Ludwig Göransson returns for his third collaboration with Nolan, having previously won the Academy Award for Best Original Score with Oppenheimer. It may be off-putting for casual movie fans, but I thought it was a beautiful soundtrack, having listened to it several times since screening the movie.

Expect The Odyssey to have a massive presence during awards season this year. While I cannot say whether it will take home the big prizes, I certainly know that it’s an instant classic and everyone ought to find time to see it on the big screen. In particular, it ought to be seen on 70mm IMAX as Nolan intended it to be seen (you will notice the difference when it’s visually demonstrated). Unfortunately, it will require a commute to the Cinemark theaters in Manchester or Milford, Connecticut, the Cinestudio in Hartford Connecticut, or Apple Cinemas in Providence, RI. It may appear a daunting task, but I promise the readers that it is worth the trip and if there’s any movie worth making an occasion of this year, it’s The Odyssey.