Christopher Nolan adds another entry to his filmography, releasing a film every three years: The Odyssey. Based on Homer’s popular book The Odyssey, the movie is a marvel of a book-to-movie adaptation. The movie stands out when it comes to music, cinematography, and acting. The loaded cast of Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Anne Hathaway makes the movie feel unreal. In my opinion, casting Elliot Page is poor casting, as it takes you out of the experience.

The Plot and Structure

As far as book-to-movie adaptations go, this should be the gold standard. When adapting a book, half the job is already done, as the pacing and plot are already established. However, the movie is well-paced, taking its time with each scene like a page in a book and carefully and strategically selling the fantastical parts of the movie. The length of the movie had me wondering when one scene would end or begin. The movie follows the classic journey of Odysseus, making his 20-year journey back home while the suitors and Telemachus stay and feast in their kingdom. While some of the monsters that appear can be jarring and, at some points fill like a thriller will never make you feel like you’re in a horror. This does seem to be expected, as Nolan has hinted at the release of a horror movie. However, the movie is good; most viewers were never able to enjoy his full vision in 70mm IMAX and had to compromise with a regular cinema screen, losing some of what was filmed.

The Effects

Christopher Nolan has never been known for his use of CGI, but rather for his practical effects. I was amazed to see that the Cyclops was an entire puppet and that everything was practical, along with the cave itself. The second encounter with the giant characters, using a short woman to act in place of the men and having tall men act as the giants, while using clever filming techniques to make one side appear bigger than the other, is ingenious. During an altercation with a witch, the men’s appearance is physically changed in a jarring scene, creating a unique and disgusting effect.  Through and through, the effects are a spectacle in the film industry.

The Controversial Cast

The cast, made up of a transgender actor and a woman of color, has upset some people on the internet because it’s not historically accurate. Personally, neither ruined the viewing experience, but seeing Elliot Page as a “fierce warrior” who doesn’t have the build of one took me out of the experience. Other than that, the casting did not bother me all that much. While some may not mind the casting choices, I personally dislike some of them.

Music

Ludwig Göransson returned to work with Nolan, having composed the original score for Nolan’s former Oscar-winning film, Oppenheimer. Göransson’s music was something I wasn’t expecting to pay attention to, but the sound design—which I can describe as a hollow metal pipe with chains hitting it—is really clever for the scene. Nolan and Ludwig are almost best friends when it comes to filmmaking and the score.

8.3/10