This film has become more divisive than it needs to be. You’ve got the “I hate it” camp. The “greatest film of all time” camp. And the “meh” camp. I definitely didn’t hate it. I didn’t find it “meh” at all.
As for “greatest film of all time?” that changes pretty much week on week for me.
What’s it about
If you aren’t familiar with Homer’s 7th century allegorical poem of epic proportions, then good. At least you won’t be one of those people bemoaning the lack of historical accuracy in Nolan’s adaptation.
In short: it’s been ten years since the fall of Troy and Ithaca’s King and great hero, Odysseus, hasn’t returned.
His journey home went a wee bit wayward after a “slight” detour, during which he survived a cyclops, a witch, sea monsters, sirens and other ethereal beasts, including the Gods themselves, before finally washing up on Ithaca’s shores to save his Kingdom from a bunch of cunning “suitors” waiting to pounce on his absence and snatch it from under his son and heir, Telemachus.
That just about summarises it anyway.
Nolan’s masterpiece
Apparently, Christopher Nolan was supposed to direct Troy some twenty years ago. But then Wolfgang Peterson, who developed the film, didn’t get his Batman V Superman movie green lit and so asked for Troy back.
Twenty years later, Nolan finally has his own Greek epic. And it. Is. Gorgeous.
Seriously who gives a shit about historical accuracy, when you’ve got shots like these (and more) that will leave you drooling?
Here’s what I loved about the film:
The cinematography is world class
The acting is world class
Ludwig Göransson’s score is world class
Nolan’s direction is world class
This on IMAX is world class
The storytelling is world class
Why it spoke to me
If you’ve seen any of my film club “reviews” you’ll know that I’m always looking for a story that resonates, regardless of the media.
The Odyssey was no exception.
Now I haven’t read the book (yet), but I did connect with Nolan’s world building and narrative.
Odysseus is all of us going through the motions in life. Just when we think we’ve done the right and dutiful thing in figuring out how to penetrate an impenetrable fortress, we quickly realise that that may not always be a good thing.
We tear down walls and watch as people descend to the level of beasts in their pursuit of lust and power, while we look on in despair, knowing that this was all our doing.
I remember once, at work, being asked by my boss to do something that would result in somebody else losing their job and being torn between having to do my duty and doing the right thing.
In the end, I couldn’t go through with the request and ended up walking away, which means I don’t see the ghost of a jobless colleague every day at 3AM.
And then, when trapped in a cave with a giant cyclops, just when we’ve figured out a way to escape and save lives, we decide to give our Ego a boost and take the beast down. It backfires, more lives are lost and we barely make it to safety.
It reminds me of a time when I participated in a pub quiz. We were top of the leaderboard and had the chance to double our points at the end. Double or nothing. You’d think finishing first would be enough, but we made the collective decision to keep playing and ended up losing all our points – and the title – to another team. Ouch.
Odysseus’ journey is transformative. In every conundrum, he has a decision to make as the leader of his men. And every decision has its own set of consequences. Do we continue out into sea and lose all men to a giant whirlpool? Or do we veer off course, brave another monster, but lose fewer men?
Can we overcome lust, gluttony, temptation and guilt to finally get to where we’d set out to in the first place?
Life itself is an Odyssey. It’s not always straight-forward. We may pick a course from A to B, but, often, we’ll meet unexpected challenges and obstacles that will test our resolve and throw us off course. And only when we go through these challenges, will we emerge on the other side as our best selves.
Is mainstream media influencing people’s perceptions?
I was out with a group of friends and one of them was talking about their experience with The Odyssey. According to them:
I can’t stand Tom Holland
Why is Helen of Troy black?
It was too long (see my post on phones and attention span)
It was historically inaccurate
Something about Anne Hathaway’s forehead
What’s up with the diverse cast
Why are none of them actually Greek
I’m sure there was more, but by this point I’d completely switched off. I’d read all this in a “critic’s” review of the film already. She’d regurgitated it almost word for word and when she was done, I asked her one simple question: “is that what you really thought of it?”
She looked at me, bemused, and said, “I mean, yes, like why do they cast…” snore.
Look, let me be honest with you. If you want to watch the film, go out and watch it. Form your own opinion. Look past the casting and the historical inaccuracy and embrace it for what it is.
It’s a Nolan film. It’s epic. It’s beautiful. The actors transform into the characters they play. In fact, I wrote a short verse about it:
This man they once called Bourne
He now dons the helmet of Odysseus
His taut frame sits in its armour
He strings bows like in the days of ardour
His wife, the beautiful and majestic Queen
His son, discovering his heritage still
Though in another world she dresses in prada
And he swings on a web from building to building
As for Eurylochus, we’ve seen him strum a guitar
And make people laugh
All this in another life
In this life, he serves as Odysseus’s right hand
The strings detach
The stage is gone
All that’s left is the fate of Ithaca
And the one hero that can bring her back to glory
No cameras. No rigging. No crew. No cast.
No lens to capture the fate of the ancient world.
Just a man who wants to get home, no matter what.
And that is the true Odyssey.
Yes there are other adaptations, each with its own merit. I haven’t seen the other ones (yet), but on its own, as a cinematic set piece, I can’t imagine a better version tailored for the big screen. The cyclops scene alone is worth making the trek to an IMAX theatre.
For me:
If you’d like to share your thoughts on the film, actual or otherwise, please do so in the comments. I’d love to hear what you (actually) think.
Just Me Lakhani 