Cai Brown

The spectacle that is The Odyssey. Within this, Nolan manages to create and immerse his audience within an epic scale of the most infamous tale within Greek mythology, but showing it’s epic sense in  the most tangible way - using his practical ways to do what he does best! Even the mythical encounters maintain that sense of realism that make Odysseus’s journey feel enormous without becoming cartoonish. Nolan also emphasises the psychological journey that follows the physically depleting journey, making the film resonate emotionally even with the mythological monsters and gods. The journey Odysseus is led on (not told chronologically) weaves together various periods of his life, yet when watching I felt so immersed into the voyage and still felt like I was partnered by Odysseus’ side, following his trail. Ludwig Göransson has built an ancient and identifiable score which compliments the film greatly, alongside its defining cinematography. I feel that Nolan managed to pay deep respect to Homer’s original story without feeling chained and enslaved to it’s author - there is creativity and originality in the work which is met with respect from myself. P.S. this felt like a soft launch for Nolan’s horror film.

the only correct way to learn about history.

Pattman is so real! The best Batman to exist. I absolutely love how the forefront of the film is it being a detective story. It pays homage to Batman’s roots of being the “world’s greatest detective”, unlike most other Batman films where they rely on cool gadgets and big action. It makes this Batman feel vulnerable and human rather than a typical invincible action superhero. The setting of Gotham brings its own character to the film, a sense of realism rather than being a typecasted background. The production design, lighting and cinematography (incredible job from Greg Fraiser) create a distinctive mood that echoes classic crime thriller over superhero film. This Batman - played superbly by Robert Pattinson, has a defining arc in his character. A Batman who is skilled, but makes mistakes and doesn’t fully have a grasp on his emotions. A character that by the end realises that fear alone isn’t strong enough, and there must be both light (hope) and dark (fear). The villains aren’t just wickedly evil. They have understandable motivations that questions inequality, power, and vengeance.  There are some incredible supporting performances from Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright and Paul Dano - who all provide depth as much as Batman, if not more. Yet, allows scenes to breath and relies on visual storytelling rather than plot points being discussed.

For me, this film felt so unnecessary. All character development shown in this film, especially for Enola felt unnecessarily rediscovered. As if it hasn’t been seen before, the points of structure feel far too similar to the previous two films.