David R. Walker

The Odyssey

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, Corey Hawkins, Logan Marshall-Green, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, Samantha Morton, John Lequizamo, Benny Safdie, Himesh Patel, Jovan Adepo, Andrew Howard, Lupita N’yongo, Shiloh Fernandez, Elliot Page

Running Time: 2 hours and 52 minutes

Film Rating: 9 out of 10

After winning the best director Oscar for Oppenheimer back in 2023, Christopher Nolan takes on the daunting and dazzling task of bring Homer’s The Odyssey to the big screen and he succeeds in a majestic epic worthy of every accolade available come awards season.

The Odyssey is truly breath taking, horrifying and riveting held together by a plethora of stunning performances mainly by Matt Damon as Odysseus the lost king of Ithaca who goes away and fights in the Trojan wars and leaves his wife Penelope and young son Telemachus alone and unprotected.

Odysseus does go an epic war adventure from the bloody and ruthless capture of Troy using the infamous Trojan horse to travelling to a series of mythical islands along with his brave group of warriors as they collectively encounter cyclops, son of Zeus and the witch Circe, a terrifying performance by Oscar nominee Samantha Morton (Sweet and Lowdown, In America) who deserves another Oscar nomination, before Odysseus is washed ashore on another island and held by Calypso played by Oscar winner Charlize Theron (Monster).

He has no memory and has no idea what is happening back in Ithaca or what happened to his soldiers.

Back in Odysseus’s homeland, his now grown up son Telemachus expertly played by Tom Holland is trying to pacify the group of vicious suitors as they feast nightly at his mother’s palace. Penelope fantastically played by Oscar winner Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) is regal and unrelenting for she will not succumb to the wishes of these men who sense her vulnerability while her legendary husband is lost in the Aegean Sea. The Odyssey is as much about an adventure as it is about the family: a mother, father and a son who is trying to salvage his inheritance while clinging onto the dream that his kingdom will survive.

Anne Hathaway is extraordinary as Penelope especially in the scenes with her and her primary suitor the ruthless Antinous brilliantly played by Robert Pattinson who also deserves an Oscar nomination.

Will Odysseus come back and save Ithaca? Has the ancient world truly recovered after the Trojan wars or has the very foundations of ancient Greece been undermined causing the Gods to seek vengeance?

Christopher Nolan is a master at world building and antiquity is no exception, from the beautiful costumes by Ellen Mirojnick to the production design by Ruth de Jong, the aesthetics of The Odyssey are visually astounding accompanied by the pristine cinematography by Hoyte van Hotema in an epic poetic narrative which is as much about war and betrayal, as it is about love and vengeance.

On every level The Odyssey is monumental, an unmatched cinematic achievement which will draw the audience in from the sapphire ocean voyage among strange islands to the final climatic scene in the palace of Ithaca whereby Penelope has to test the mettle of her lustful suitors. For she knows that in the world of men, she has to show her own strength.

Possible acting Oscar nominations for Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Samantha Morton and Robert Pattinson but definite nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Sound.

See The Odyssey for the Battle of Troy. See the Odyssey for the vengeance of Odysseus. See The Odyssey for an imaginative retelling of Homer’s classic epic poem about the voyages of a strategic warrior and the impending fall of an empire.

Highly recommended viewing The Odyssey gets a film rating of 9 out of 10 and is absolutely essential viewing on the biggest screen possible.

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