Homer’s The Odyssey was one of the few books I was assigned in school that I genuinely enjoyed. After reading it in high school, I bought my own copy because I loved it that much. It combines the epic scope of mythology, war, and history with a surprisingly simple story about a man trying to return home to his family after being cursed by the gods. It is not only one of humanity’s earliest surviving stories but also one of its most influential.
Despite its stature, however, every filmmaker who has attempted to adapt The Odyssey has struggled to truly capture it. Given the novel’s reputation, I had come to believe that no one would ever be able to do it justice. So when I heard Christopher Nolan was taking on the challenge, I was intrigued. It was a monumental task, especially as his first film following his Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, but I believed he was one of the few directors capable of pulling it off.
My optimism began to fade once the cast was announced. The absence of Greek or even Mediterranean actors immediately made me worry that the film would erase The Odyssey‘s Greek heritage. Then came the promotional images. The costuming and production design left me wondering where the budget had gone because the armor, in particular, looked surprisingly cheap. Still, I reserved judgment until I had actually seen the film. Now, having seen the film, I have some thoughts.
After the Trojan War, Odysseus (Matt Damon, The Martian) faces a dangerous voyage back home to Ithaca. Facing creatures such as Cyclopses, Sirens, witches, and Gods, he must navigate his journey home before the suitors who have taken over his home forces his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway, Interstellar) to remarry.
As an adaptation, Nolan clearly understands the themes of The Odyssey. He understands that the journey that Odysseus goes through is a journey for repenting for one’s sins. The sins that Odysseus and his men are guilty of are committing war crimes in an unjust war and defying the rules of the Gods. So as punishment he is kept away from his home and thrown into a never ending journey of horror. The moment when he is the last man standing of his crew, he acknowledges his crimes and finally accepts the Gods punishment. The moment when the Gods believe he has gone through enough punishment is when he is finally allowed to go home. And when he does return home, he is a shell of his former self. A veteran haunted by a war he once gladly participated in. Nolan understands this essential theme to the point where he almost spoon feeds it to his audience. However, his adaptation of The Odyssey doesn’t feel like this theme. Rather than Odysseus’ journey feeling like an Odyssey of punishment, it feels like an Odyssey of inconvenient side quests.
This feeling primarily stems from Odysseus’s journey, which is almost 2/3rd of the film, lacking narrative cohesion. Which makes his journey feel like a collage of pitstops rather than one long, neverending journey. Though the individual pitstops are fantastic. Polyphemus, the Cyclops, is horrifying as he eats Odysseus’ crew in the darkness of his cave. Circe’s (Samantha Morton, The Whale) Island, features some of the most unsettling body horror that I have seen in an incredibly long time. The silent cries of the Sirens were haunting while the abrupt, hidden horror of the Scylla, plucking men off of Odysseus’ ship almost gave me a heart attack. Seeing Odysseus’ men slowly fade from view in a dark, powerful storm was both haunting and terrifying. Individually these pitstops are fantastic, but when they are strung together, there is very little that binds them.
The key to a journey film are the quiet moments that happen in-between the large set pieces. They are the glue that keeps the film together. In these quiet moments is when our characters reflect what they are going through. They reflect on their trauma, their struggles, and what lies next in store for them. It creates an essential moment for character development while also setting up future conflicts and struggles. Nolan’s Odyssey surprisingly lacks these moments. Sure there are a couple of these moments, but rather than properly allowing these scenes to breathe, he speed runs through them. With the lack of quiet moments in between the large set pieces, the film feels like a collage of large pitstops rather than one long journey home. This is only made worse when the film cuts to Odysseus on Calypso’s (Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road) island remembering his past, which include flashbacks to the Trojan War, and cutting to everything that is happening on Ithaca.
However, once Odysseus finally arrives in Ithaca, The Odyssey at last finds its footing. The film delivers a climax that is both satisfying and haunting as Odysseus enacts his brutal revenge against the suitors who have overtaken his home and disrespected both his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland, Spider-Man: No Way Home), and his wife, Penelope. The final confrontation is brilliantly staged within the confines of a Greek dining hall, transforming the intimate setting into a relentless bloodbath as Odysseus cuts down everyone in his path. Furthermore, this is when Odysseus’ character arc finally comes through as he tells the audience all of the guilt and remorse he has over the war crimes he committed during the Trojan War.
As with all of Nolan’s films, this is an exceptionally well-crafted production that continues to demonstrate his growth as a filmmaker. The visuals are sweeping and spectacular, the editing is razor-sharp and pulse-pounding (for the final half), and the sound design immerses the audience in the world of ancient Greece. Ludwig Göransson’s score is outstanding, elevating both the action and the quieter emotional moments.
The entire ensemble delivers strong performances, with Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, John Leguizamo, and Samantha Morton emerging as the film’s standouts. However, I was disappointed that there is not a single Greek, let alone even a Mediterranean actor in the principal cast. That choice feels like an erasure of The Odyssey‘s cultural significance and its deep roots in Greek history. Furthermore, the costume design, particularly the armor, is just as disappointing as the promotional images suggested. Historical accuracy is not the issue. The problem is that much of the armor looks as though it is made of inexpensive plastic, undermining the film’s otherwise grand ambitions. Likewise, the production design often feels oddly sterile, lacking the color, texture, and distinct visual identity one would expect from a story of this scale.
Overall, I am left with mixed feelings about Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey. On one hand, it is an exceptionally well-made film, filled with stunning set pieces, strong performances, and breathtaking visuals. On the other, it feels surprisingly hollow, with the final act doing much of the thematic heavy lifting by Nolan telling his themes to his audience. For a story about a man coming to terms with the consequences of his own terrible actions, the film rarely feels like a journey. Instead, it often feels as though it is simply moving from one destination to the next, leaving much of Odysseus’ emotional transformation underdeveloped.
My Rating: B
The Odyssey is now in theaters nationwide.
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