REVIEW: THE ODYSSEY
THE GIST
I can’t agree with people calling it a masterpiece.
It certainly was a massive undertaking with the final result being an amazing work of art.
But there is no masterpiece here, just a master of his craft making another phenomenal film.
And that’s the quality of Christopher Nolan’s films in a nutshell.
Even his worst ones are amazing.
THE REVIEW
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
BEFORE GOING IN
Going in, my expectations were high. Christopher Nolan is one of my favourite directors, but I still had reservations. It was a swords-and-sandals film, and the trailers were only just okay for me. They hadn’t blown me away.
I saw it the day it came out at my local then will see it at a later in IMAX to see it how it was supposed to be experienced.
No ratings going into this, just the way it should be.
I was tired going into this. It was a Thursday after work and I had thought about cancelling my ticket and go another day I was so tired. But I pushed through it and went anyway which may have negatively affected my experience.
CONTEXT
By November 2023, director Christopher Nolan had yet to decide what his next film would be after Oppenheimer (2023). While he was receptive to various ideas for his follow-up, the director felt he would have to "own it completely". After winning several Academy Awards for Oppenheimer in March 2024, including Best Picture and Best Director, Nolan and his wife and producing partner, Emma Thomas, felt that film's success provided them the opportunity to explore what the director's next film would be. Nolan began writing the script shortly after, but Thomas said in May they had yet to deliberate on the practicalities of the production. Nolan was revealed in October to be developing his next film at Universal Pictures, after working with that studio on Oppenheimer. Nolan was confirmed to be writing the script and producing the film once again with Thomas through their production company, Syncopy. Matt Damon was in talks to star in the film, after collaborating with Nolan on Oppenheimer and Interstellar (2014), and filming was slated to begin in early 2025. Unlike Oppenheimer, which Universal acquired at auction, this film was set up directly at the studio and given a release date of July 17, 2026.
THE PLOT
After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Calypso along the way.
THE EXPERIENCE
It’s sometimes an Odyssey to get through.
It sometimes completely won me over.
It sometimes made me look at the time.
Sometimes I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.
It’s been an odd experience seeing The Odyssey. The highs were so high that when it evens out with all the lows, the result was still an astounding film that I would definitely watch again.
THE MEAT
The Editing: Some of the editing cuts seemed clunky and the odd shot was grainy and looked different from the shots surrounding it. It was like it was a terribly lit shot but unfortunately it was the best they had. The scene with the witch was cleverly done using practical effects but it felt a bit clunky.
The Sound: Nolan has always been known to have questionable sound mixing in his films and this was no exception. It seems like it is done for affect and it certainly affects me. There were two occasions I had to block my ears with my fingers as it wasn’t just loud, it was painful. The sound systems in theatres are usually good enough I can take my Flare earplugs out but this pushed way past those limits. I wonder if seeing it in IMAX will make it worse or better?
The Composer - Ludwig Goransson: I respect the lengths Ludwig Göransson went to in using period-appropriate instruments, but the score never fully grabbed me. It had atmosphere, but not hooks. Nolan’s Zimmer collaborations gave us themes I can still hum from The Dark Knight, Inception and Interstellar. Here, the music felt subtle, distant and a little too easy to forget. I loved his work on Tenet and Oppenheimer, but this one didn’t stick with me.
Engagement: I wasn’t engaged the whole way through. I found myself checking the time and even took a toilet break 2 hours in. I would have held it if it was a more intriguing watch. But when it was engaging me, I was mesmerised.
The Cyclops: I loved the cyclops and how they did that. It wasn’t just a one eyed being for the sake of it. It was a facial deformity where its whole face was turned sideways and the lower eye was now non existent. I thought that was clever.
The Gods: I liked how they portrayed the “gods”. Which was more like things people didn’t understand they put down to the gods.
The Performances: The performances were strong across the board, but none of them hit me as career-defining or award-worthy in the way I expected from a Nolan epic. Himesh Patel, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Samantha Horton were stand outs. I heard Nolan and his partner Emma likened watching Horton’s performance was akin to watching Heath Ledger as the Joker. She was great, but not that great. Still, hats off to her for her performance.
Matt Damon: Was a solid leading man as expected. It wasn’t until the final third of this film that I was really blown away by him though. His Jason Bourne skills came in extremely handy for the fight scenes.
The Dog: I didn’t like the cruelty to the dogs. I never cared for John Leguizimo’s character after he was throwing puppies off a cliff. I know they were different times but still, what a jerk. I hoped he would die after that and didn’t like that he was supposed to be a loyal and beloved servant. I liked the little side story of the dog Odysseus saves that stays alive until he comes back which also served as Telemachus recognising his daddy lol. I laugh because they chose to use the word Dad instead of father in this film.
The IMAX Question: Should I have seen it in IMAX the first time I saw it? I would probably say yes. I had saved and planned for over a year to do that but it didn’t work out that way. I have a planned trip to see my Dad coming up the end of July and it is close to the IMAX theatre in Queen Street, Auckland. So I will go then, as I just left a job and need to cut costs. Plus, more importantly, I get to see it with me Dad now. Not sure if he’ll appreciate the 3hr runtime either 😂
Where do we go now?: I sincerely hope Nolan follows other avenues after this. I feel that Dunkirk, Oppenheimer and The Odyssey have been a trilogy of sorts. A trilogy of important stories or events of our history. I want to see him try Sci-Fi again. Or after seeing this, maybe a horror?
SUMMARY
I didn’t enjoy it as much as Nolan’s other films like Interstellar, Tenet and The Dark Knight. I’ve realised now, that I’m a cliche, basic bitch Nolan fan.
I didn’t want my appreciation of Nolan to get in the way of an honest review and I think I have achieved that.
If I rated it upon how it made me feel it would be a 7.5 except the ending was about an 8. Visually and from a filmmaking perspective it was about an 8.5 which is why I landed in the middle.
It’s one of those films that my opinion and rating could change upon rewatch in either direction.
There is so much to take in.
I need to see it again.
In IMAX.
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN RATINGS
Just before going in the first ratings were in. Letterboxd @ 4.1/5 and Rotten Tomatoes critics @ 96% Fresh. These will most likely move significantly in some direction.
Christopher Nolan has no “Good” movies. Nolan’s filmography is rare in that it exists only within the Great to Epic to Masterpiece categories in terms of ratings. That’s the level of filmmaker he is. His ratings matrix is a beautiful thing.
