Oh, Christopher...!

 

First, a primer:

Here's the thing: the last Greek adjacent thing I remember is The Song of Achilles, the novel by Madeleine Miller (which apparently takes place right before The Odyssey’s events, natch), so when we saw the trailer for Christopher Nolan's Odyssey when we went to see Supergirl I was immediately interested. I have always been a sucker for the whole sword and sandal movies with scantily clad men with great bodies fighting some mythical beings in order to complete their quest. Oh, and curiosity about the three thousand year old literary work adapted by the man who brought us Inception and The Dark Knight. 

So Christopher Nolan's Odyssey is a movie that has polarized the manosphere and brought along a thousand memes. Many people have many opinions about it and many people have found it boring and long winded and many people have loved it. But it has also made some people very uncomfortable. And I can see why. My opinion? I liked the movie.

You have to take into account that I am not a classicist or  Emily Wilson (whose work apparently inspired Nolan) or an expert on centuries old poems that started as oral traditions. I’m not even well versed on Greek mythology (a complement to religion, but you know how we treat religions that fell out of grace...) because it's been forever since I was required to read the 'classics' or since I read Percy Jackson and the Olympians. So I went into the movie with a general knowledge of what The Odyssey was about and about the events that transpired in Odysseus’ travels (for which suspension of disbelief is crucial, duh). 

I didn't even know that the movie was long (almost three hours). I was so engrossed in it that time flew by and when I realized -probably halfway through the whole thing- that I needed to go to the boy's room I made a mad rush to it and back to my seat. I didn’t want to miss anything. The movie totally grabbed me and did not let go until Odysseus and Penelope are in that ship. So let's talk about it: the characters, then the story and then the visuals/sound design/ effects.

The most impressive characters in the movie are the women: Penelope, Athena, Calypso, Helen and especially Circe are outstanding. Helen is in the movie literally for less than ten minutes and her presence (and that of her sister Clytemnestra’s) is felt throughout the film. The men are also outstanding: Antinous of Ithaca is sinuous and supercilious (that actor redeemed himself from all the Twilight movies), Sinon (who is literally not in the poem but is used very smartly by Nolan to drive in the point of how Odysseus uses his men to achieve his goals) is fantastic when he talks to Odysseus in Hades. That monologue gave me chills. Eumaeus is a revelation (especially the old Eumaeus) and Agamemnon is a towering presence that barely speaks and yet you cannot help but perk up when he's on screen. Movie magic. 

The story is told in a non-linear way and you do have to pay attention to keep track of who is doing what and when things happen (not all of Odysseus stops are chronicled here, can you imagine how long the movie would be then?) and we do have several flashbacks to Troy and the horse that got them in, because that's how Odysseus learns about the consequences of his deeds. Odysseus is a complex character and he's flawed and stubborn and makes mistakes. He's literally all of us. Nolan uses this mythological man to raise a mirror to our faces. His saga is one of discovery and realization: pay attention to what he says when they encounter the Sirens. 

The visuals are stunning. The change between dark/light is almost shocking and the only special effect I thought was done was with Polyphemus. Nolan used mostly practical effects and some very striking changes in color that give the whole saga a very tactile effect, which is a feat, knowing that there are giants and sirens and goddesses galore. The art direction is great and you'll forget all about historical accuracy when you see Agamemnon's helmet (I know I did). The music is perfect for the scenes that it accompanies and the dialogue is not bad for a story that used to be sang to the public (the choice of The Bard is a stroke of genius). It's really well done, IMHO.

Basically, for me the movie is about a man's comeuppance and his realization that war never ends and how violating Zeus's Law would get you in a world of pain. Odysseus goes in a quest for money and glory and finds misery. He loses his men on the way back to his family. while finding himself and learning about his true motivations to go to war. The movie also feels very present. What I felt is that it was showing us how little the essential parts in all of us have changed. It's a study on human nature and how it affects those around us: if you break the rules of peace to control trade for a man who claims to protect others, it will end up creating a situation that can possibly destroy all of civilization and your own life. 

So there. 

XOXO

P.S. If you can, see it in a theater. It does not have to be 4D or IMAX but I recommend a big screen. It really is impressive in that format.