From Percy Jackson to The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, The Odyssey is a story that has seen countless adaptations. This is mainly because The Odyssey isn’t just any fictional story, it’s the fictional story. So many narrative devices such as themes encompassing the dangers of hubris and prioritizing cunning over brute strength, to the structure of the hero’s journey (a storytelling device that is famously used in most fiction such as Star Wars and Harry Potter), all originating from this Greek myth written by the ancient poet Homer known as The Odyssey. Very few filmmakers could take on as big of a task as creating a modern adaptation of one of the most well-known fictional stories of all time. (Steven Spielberg and Denis Villeneuve are a couple that come to mind.) Christopher Nolan (one of the greatest modern directors behind films such as Interstellar and The Dark Knight) is the filmmaker that decided to take on this project, and what an astounding job he did. This film of course follows Greek soldier and king of Ithaca, Odysseus, and chronicles his ten-year voyage home from the Trojan War. The pacing of this film was near-perfect, and thanks to the three hour runtime, we were able to spend an ample amount of time with each character. Whether we followed Odysseus’ son searching for any evidence of his father’s survival, Agamemnon’s dedication to winning the Trojan War being his own downfall, or Odysseus’ wife as she dealt with the many suitors that sought to sit on the throne of Ithaca, the supporting cast ended up being just as compelling as the protagonist himself. (The cast in this film was absolutely stacked with the biggest names, with not a single lackluster performance among them.) Speaking of the protagonist, if you’re familiar with the story of The Odyssey in any capacity, you probably already know the many trials Odysseus and his men encountered. From the cyclops Polyphemus and the Laestrygonian giants to the witch Circe and the island of Ogygia, not a single aspect of this story was missing or misrepresented. As a matter of fact, thanks to some impeccable sound design and impressive practical effects, the visceral and terrifying nature of these threats felt that much more realized. (The Trojan horse sequence was probably my favorite, and the sequences involving the cyclops and the witch Circe were quite terrifying in their own right.) Even Odysseus and his men braving the ocean’s storms had me feeling like I was on the ship with them. To say the cinematography and the visuals were top tier would be an understatement. Shot completely using IMAX cameras, every sweeping set piece from Troy to Ithaca remained captivating from beginning to conclusion. A rather satisfying conclusion, might I add, that explores the cost of war and what it leaves behind. I’d probably need more than one page to talk about all of this film’s best aspects in more detail, but overall, The Odyssey was easily the best movie I’ve seen this year so far. Christopher Nolan has yet another cinematic hit in his already stellar filmography. Score: 10/10
Noah Robinson 