After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Calypso along the way.
In a crowded theater at the early screening this week ahead of national release, enthusiastic Christopher Nolan devotees in the audience practically cheered from their seats, anticipating the event. Such is the cult-like status the director has achieved through his formidable body of work. Let’s unpack his latest.
Matt Damon plays Odysseus, the hero of the ten-year siege upon the City of Troy, taken down by the infamous deception of the Trojan Horse. Though the war has long since ended, frequent flashbacks depict key moments of the extended battle that clinched the Greeks’ victory over Troy.
Odysseus’ wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), waits patiently for her husband, now absent for 20 years. She entertains dozens of would-be suitors in the king’s castle, biding her time. Penelope is assisted by her son Telemachus (Tom Holland), who observes the laws of Zeus by refusing to turn away beggars and strangers at the nightly banquets. For the most part, people assume Odysseus is dead, though Penelope steadfastly refuses to believe it.
John Leguizamo as Eumaeus is a blind man who cares for the hunting dog Odysseus left behind to fight in the war. Eumaeus also offers seasoned criticism to Telemachus as he learns to use his sword and shield in hand-to-hand combat.
When the battle of Troy concludes and the army returns home, Odysseus instructs his crew to chart a different course than the more customary route taken by Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) and his much larger band of troops. Odysseus’ first mate Eurylochus (Himesh Patel) directs the crew and furnishes counsel, though it often – and wisely – goes unheeded.
Hopping from island to island in the Mediterranean, Odysseus and his men search for food and water. Along the way, the group encounters perils such as a terrifying man-eating Cyclops and giant warriors clad in heavy armor – both of which generate significant casualties among the men. Eventually reduced to a single ship, Odysseus must slip past the next obstacle – the lure of the Sirens, lounging on the jagged rocks above the shoreline. In one of the most memorable and moving scenes in the film, Odysseus instructs his men to tie him to the mast while they plug their ear canals with wax so that they can’t hear the calls. Unable to free himself, Odysseus wails in agony at the unimaginable loss, regret, and longing that the Sirens induce. One soldier disobeys the order by removing the wax from his ears – he is immediately smitten, leaps from the ship into the water desperate to reach the Sirens, and is never seen again.
Nearly of age and after having waited long enough, Telemachus departs home to seek news of Odysseus. Soon enough, he meets Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and his wife, the legendary Helen of Troy (Lupita Nyong’o). Menelaus, brother of Agamemnon, regales the young Telemachus with tales of the conquest of Troy, but offers few clues as to the present whereabouts of his long-lost father.
The narrative is well served by frequent flashbacks that reveal key portions of the battle for Troy, informed by Odysseus’s recollections from his seven years on the island of Ogygia with the sea nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron). As she nurses Odysseus back to health after he washes up on shore following his final calamity at sea, Calypso feeds him lotus flowers to help him remember his past. In the course of events, she falls in love with Odysseus, promising him eternal life. He rejects her entreaties, insisting instead that he return home to reunite with his wife.
Surviving one peril after another that would have consumed any ordinary man, Odysseus perseveres doggedly. The goddess Athena (Zendaya) frequently appears to Odysseus, offering advice and guidance when he faces a quandary. In another scene, Odysseus comes upon the spirits of his dead compatriots, including Agamemnon, who issues a dire warning before returning to Hades.
The remainder of the cast is first-rate, with supporting players that include Samantha Morton, Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page), Robert Pattinson, and Ryan Hurst. By and large, the epic experience is precisely that – an experience, one maybe not altogether pleasant but nonetheless instructive, similar to the sojourn Odysseus must undertake.
Invariably, comparisons will be made to films like “Troy,” which is also based loosely on Homer’s “Iliad.” Wolfgang Petersen’s sprawling and more engaging motion picture also boasted a fine cast that included Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Peter O’Toole, and Diane Kruger as Helen of Troy.
Possibly intended as a metaphor for our own time, “The Odyssey” thrusts itself onto the big screen almost as much literally as figuratively. The collapse of civilization toward the end of the Bronze Age is on full display – the visuals, the score, the explosive action, all fully palpable.
Taking its place among the earliest works of literature, the tale of “The Iliad and the Odyssey” has captivated readers for centuries. The accessible narrative of Nolan’s “The Odyssey” will bring the story to even larger audiences. Filmed entirely in IMAX 70mm format and displayed on a floor-to-ceiling screen, the movie will lose portions of images when shown in 35mm, 70mm standard, or standard Digital/Dolby. Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, based on the classic work of Homer, this retelling will likely be a love-it-or-hate-it affair, depending on audiences’ appetite for the nearly endless challenges Odysseus must endure before his eventual homecoming.
In Theaters Friday, July 17th
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