The Odyssey

This is a movie that I feel very conflicted in terms of how I feel about it. Having read The Odyssey I was very excited to see such a grand story on screen and I was honestly disappointed. If you are looking for a 1:1 adaption of Homer's story this isn't what you're looking for but it is a really great modern adaption of that story. A major talking point for this movie has been its historical accuracy which I wasn't very bothered with. The Odyssey is a story that has lasted thousands of years and its origins have long been thought to come from oral poetry. It's a story that has been told differently hundreds of times each depending on who has told it. Christopher Nolan designing ships, armor, and weapons to his liking shouldn't be a problem. This isn't a documentary, it's a Hollywood movie. I think the same idea can be applied to the language used. While not staying true to the source material I think that the cyclops scene was one of the best in the film. They did such a great job in capturing the horror of the monster, it was like a scene out of a horror movie. Especially when you see Polyphemus eat that soldier, I've heard people compare it to Saturn Devouring His Son and they were very spot on. Another moment that I loved was Circe's island, when the witch started turning Odysseus's soldiers into pigs I was left visibly uncomfortable. She grabs and shifts them in ways that are disgusting but also cool to see. I think Christopher Nolan did a good job in capturing the fantasy side of The Odyssey while also putting his own twist to it. While I did very much love the cyclops scene I do think they dwindled down Polyphemus's character to just a monster. In an interview Christopher Nolan says, "A monster is never just a monster," and having said that I'm confused as to why he took all the personality away from Polyphemus. In Homer's story Odysseus and Polyphemus converse and bring forward one of the most iconic scenes in the story. However, in the film Polyphemus is nothing more than a force of nature to be reckoned with. He hardly speaks and when he does it's basically unintelligible. One of the biggest traits of Odysseus is his cleverness, it's literally what he is known for, and they decided to take away one of the best scenes that shows this trait. There was many fantasy elements of this story that were completely tossed aside, while not completely bothered, because if having added everything this film would have run more than 4 hrs. However, I was let down on the lack of involvement of the gods. We only ever get to see Athena for less than 10 scenes that each only last a couple seconds. This is something I was left disappointed with because Athena plays such a bigger and more prominent role in Homer's story .I've seen people also complain that Calypso's involvement in the story was turned into a plot device to tell the adventures of Odysseus, and while I agree, I think it's important to remember the same thing is done in Homer's story but with a king he meets rather than Calypso. Calypso was still an important part to the story and her being used to drive the plot forward was probably just to keep the runtime down. While I do have a lot of complains about the adaption I don't think they take away too much on how good of a story Christopher Nolan was able to tell. While I do think the ending is very reminiscent to Oppenheimer because Odysseus's saw his actions in troy just like how Oppenheimer saw his creation of the atomic bomb. They both feel like they unleashed pandoras box upon the world (tuff analogy). Although I think Odysseus's thoughts on his actions in Troy are kind of strange, he was known for sacking cities, I did enjoy the humanization of the character. He does a lot less sleeping around and caring for his friends and family. The cast for this movie was very stacked and everyone did a great job of holding their ground on screen. I thought it would feel more crowded with so many stars, but the story was told in a way that everyone contributed to the story so that no one felt left out. Visually this movie was stunning, I really loved the shots of the horse on the beach. I thought the score was really good, nothing absolutely mind blowing. Oppenheimer and Interstellar both had pieces that stood out to me but The Odyssey had no piece of that kind. The action and suspense in this movie was really great. The scene where they took Troy, them battling the storm on their ships, every evil they encountered on their journey, and the final battle with the suitors had me jumping in excitement (not literally). When I look back on moments like this I can't help but want to praise them. Final thoughts, really good movie that I think is worth checking out. Great adaption? While not staying 1:1 to the source material Christopher Nolan brings new life to this story and manages to make it feel fresh and new despite it being a couple thousand years old. I can't deny I hold very strong book bias which is probably why I refrained from rating it higher, I just can't help myself. I think if I was able to let that completely go I would have enjoyed it much more. While I gave this a 4 it definitely leans towards a 4.5. I had to think very hard, first impression I would have probably given it a 4.5 but as I thought it over it kind of went down ever so slightly. Random thought: I haven't read the book for Project Hail Mary, I wonder if it would still be my favorite of this year if I had read the book. beforehand.