Movie Number 28 of 2026
The Movie: The Odyssey (in 70 mm format)
The Cinema: The Rivoli
Runtime: Two hours 52 minutes
Stars: 5
I was tossing up whether to see this.
Really.
I'm also coming at this from a different perspective than most people, as, see, my bachelor's degree is in Classical Studies. I've read The Odyssey a couple of times, that epic poem of Homer's that provides the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, who is trying to make his way back home from the Trojan Wars, but after royally pissing off Poseidon, it takes him another ten years to get back. I wouldn't call myself a purist, but it gives you a different view on things. Jay said she was going, I said I'd come along, particularly as it was showing in the 70 mm format.
Surprise number one for me - how much I could remember from university.
Surprise number two. This was excellent.
It's a long film. Nearly three hours - but they go by quickly. (If you need to take a pee, near the end of the second hour when he's on the beach with Calypso - nip out then).
To go into a bit more detail, at the start of the film, Odysseus (Matt Damon) in on a beach with Calypso (Charlize Theron) wondering how he's going to get home. He has no idea where his crew are or how long he's been there.
Meanwhile, back on Ithaca, Odysseus's wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) is trying to keep things out of the hands of some suitors, who've basically moved in. Their son, Telemachus (Tom Holland) is forced to go out to try and find his father, while the chief suitor, Antinous (Robert Pattinson) keeps making a play for Penelope. Eumaeus (John Leguizamo), a loyal servant keeps watch over the place, with Odysseus's loyal dog, Atlas (I've always had a soft spot for the dog).
From here, we look back on the sacking of Troy, meeting up with the Cyclops, going onto Circe's Island (A brilliant Samantha Morton), going to Hell to talk to Tiresias, facing off with Scylla and Charybdis, then being one of the Lotus Eaters with Calypso.
Finally, after being away for 20 years, he makes it back to Ithaca, only to have to fight off the suitors.
Looking at this now, the lessons of the story are all there, but they're not shoved down your throat, which is good. The fight scenes are brutal too. At times, this isn't an easy watch.
I'm glad I saw this in the 70 mm format. Made for the IMAX format, any way you can see this in the biggest screen you can is a bonus. You get to see so much more detail. It's very cool. I'm also told that the IMAX cinema in Melbourne is one of the few in the world that has the technology to show this as intended - but seats are hard to come by and are over $50 for the screening.
Christopher Nolan has adapted the original epic poem as well as directed this monster of a film - and it's been done with the same grace, detail and excellence as his other films. Sure, it's nothing like Tenet, Inception, The Batman or Oppenheimer - but it has most of Nolan's hallmarks. Great settings, a forboding soundtrack, composed by Ludwig Goransson, with whom he worked with Nolan on Oppenheimer. The cinematography is phenomenal too.
To coin a pun, this is EPIC.
Bravo, Mr Nolan.
And no, you don't need a degree in Classics to understand or enjoy this. It's film making at it's best.
But remember - the bigger the screen, the better. You want to take this in and savour it for what it is - a great film, done well, with a superb cast.
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