Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ a staggering, visceral achievement
After the massive success of “Oppenheimer,” nobody would blame Christopher Nolan if he decided to make something a little less ambitious.
Instead, Nolan’s bombastic interpretation of Homer clears its own ridiculously difficult benchmark. Shot in stunning real-world locations (no green screens allowed) and an arsenal of impressive practical effects, “The Odyssey” redraws the parameters of the modern Hollywood epic.
Like “Oppenheimer” before it, Nolan’s “Odyssey” churns at a thunderous pace without losing sight of its humanity, even with the appearances of Gods, giants and a cyclops. At the center is Matt Damon, a reliable, always-likeable movie star giving a career-defining performance. A movie of this scale would swallow most actors. Damon meets the challenge, especially as Nolan’s grand ideas click together for the film’s resonant final act.
Not every aspect of “The Odyssey” can make its way into a movie version, and Nolan’s tendency to ground the more fantastical elements will surely roil the purists. The film frames Odysseus’ fateful journey home from the Trojan War with the political intrigue he left behind in Ithaca. His wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway, spectacular as usual), faces an increasingly hostile pack of suitors hoping to claim the throne, most notably the delightfully wretched Antinous (Robert Pattinson). Only Odysseus’ loyal servant (John Leguizamo) and his grown son Telemachus (Tom Holland) remain hopeful that Odysseus still finds his way home.
While most warriors returned home from Troy years earlier, Odysseus is trapped in stasis with Calypso (Charlize Theron), far away from the horrors and trauma of not only the war, but of the disastrous voyage that made his entire battalion of soldiers go missing or worse.
Odysseus cannot live up to the stories being told about him. He also can’t face the destruction for which he’s responsible.
Though it couldn’t be more different in terms of style and story, “The Odyssey,” even in all its bombast, steadily becomes a haunting companion piece of “Oppenheimer.” These are stories about men who confront their part in making the world burn.
Time will tell if the film’s thematic ideas resonate with audiences. What is obvious at this moment is how nobody makes movies as big and spectacular as Nolan. I challenge anyone to find the seams here… those are real ships being pummeled by monster waves and relentless wind gusts. They resurrected Troy just to knock it all down again. And as far as I can tell, Nolan somehow found a real-life, 60-foot-tall Cyclops.
Go to the theater for “The Odyssey.” Sit close and maybe bring some ear plugs.