The Odyssey
What an epic spectacle of a film. It felt authentic, contrary to every hater's belief that the casting was not "historically accurate". It is so close to being completely flawless and I don't really now what is holding me back from giving it 5 stars. I have a few potential flaws that may be the culprit that caused this film to not quite scratch that itch.
The positives outweighed the negatives by a landslide and therefore I don't want this review to seem negative in any way. So much happened in under three hours. The run time flew by. I have to admit that I didn't finish reading Homer's legendary story in time for this screening so I can't comment on how faithful an adaptation Chris Nolan's project really was. From what I saw, however, the key themes were there and the purpose of Odysseus' journey was coherent.
I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I think this was because of the well-timed transitions from different characters and timelines. On the topic of the timeline, I do think that the non-linear narrative could have been executed slightly more effectively. It had the potential to add raw emotion to different aspects of the story, though it was done well most of the time.
The performances all round were incredible. In my eyes no one put a foot wrong. Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway and Himesh Patel were the standouts in my opinion. I wonder how many nominations this cast will get at the Oscars.
The score, written by Ludwig Göransson was very good and added a lot to the drama and intensity of the film. I wasn't as mesmerised by it as I was anticipating, but that was probably because I had heard very high praise for it prior to hearing it at all.
The biggest and only real flaw that I would like to point out (it is hardly even a flaw anyway) is how the gods didn't have as significant role in this film as I would have hoped. Because of this, Odysseus does not have the same effect on me when he must fulfil his legacy, respecting the gods and whatnot. I will read the book and see if this opinion of mine still stands afterwards.
Chris Nolan's 'The Odyssey' is nothing short of an epic masterpiece in my eyes. It was an incredible experience to see this in IMAX. I just wanted to be blown away a little more than I was, and I wish I was slightly more engrossed in the theme of Homer's legendary story. I will rewatch this in IMAX in due course after completing the book to hopefully bump this up to a perfect score.