The Odyssey
31/07/2026
Nolan does it again. A journey for the big screen. Yet for the man seeking perfection, there are a few cliffnotes.
Photo by © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
One of, if not the most awaited, films of the year. From the director whose reputation and credibility as already one of the all-time virtuosos of moving imagery make even the top A-list actors around the world feel like kids during Christmas when they get a call from their agents to be in one of his projects. Nolan's Odyssey has finally hit theaters. I have taken my time after watching it upon its release to digest this herculean undertaking in bringing one of the oldest literatures from the cradle of philosophical civilization to the silver screen, for it is a story that deserves pondering. Especially the way that Nolan interpreted the poem, which has been translated and told through different perspectives numerous times already.
First, to get it out of the way, I really enjoyed the overall experience. It is truly as Nolan intended it to be, a spectacle that is best enjoyed within an IMAX theatre with incredible acoustics. I think that is ultimately what carries his retelling of the story. The highs are incredibly persuasive and touching during the critical moments of the film, and those high beats definitely hit the layout of how Nolan wanted the narrative structure to work. It is, for most, a very intimate retelling which draws on the philosophy of war and mankind's turning from openness to individualism and greed, as well as the post-traumatic way that individuals deal with the outcome of their actions that shape critical moments of humanity's history. A deconstruction of a character. It is in some way a continuation of Nolan's historical reflection that he began with Oppenheimer.
The narrative layout, however, definitely suffers from one condition: the overall runtime of the film. For some, it might be too long overall; for me, it is too tight, with not enough room to let the imagery and narrative breathe at times. It is a tough thing to manage, especially in an epic such as this, to condense into just under three hours. I felt that at times the film was falling under the sheer weight of Homer's story, with trying to balance too many aspects. One such instance are the critical mythological moments that may have needed even more runtime to fully highlight the epicness of Odysseus' adventure. These moments are some of the biggest moments of the original story. Nolan did a spectacular job with his dedication to a practical effects approach, and in this case, as with many times in the past, the end effect is jaw dropping that does not take the viewer away with overly hyper-realistic and many times unpolished CGI, as has become the norm when dealing with mythological creatures in Hollywood. But that was to be expected. I just feel like, in this case, the only thing that hindered these scenes was the pacing, as there was too much to tell and not enough runtime in order to properly let the scenes settle in before moving forward, as his main point was to focus on the deconstruction of Odysseus.
Photo by © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Worth highlighting is the performance of the cast, which Nolan definitely assembled with some of the biggest names in the industry. Personally, I feel like there is sometimes a thing as going too big, and certainly a lot of the actors featured in this epic have been in other hit projects that have been released this year. I understand that for some viewers, and in the discussion online, it could be a case of feeling tired of seeing the same faces too frequently in different roles, but then again, this is how the business operates, and the cycles of mainstream stardom come and go for many of the cast members. In the case of The Odyssey, I do not think that such a grand casting necessarily hurts this film; my only note in the assessment of the epic can be the aforementioned performance of these A-listers, since expectations arise. The absolute knockout of the park for every scene they were in was Leguizamo and Hathaway, phenomenal acting and truly embodying their characters in the pain they were left in after their master and king abandoned them for war and what followed. I feel like Matt Damon truly came alive in the latter part of the film, especially in the scene where he reunites with Penelope, still disguised, and explains, with beautiful writing and delivery, the main takeaway of the story about war and how it changes those who took part in it and the world. For Tom Holland, I feel like he did just fine, but none of his scenes really affected me in the performance as much as the others. The overall acting was good, but I cannot say that overall it knocked me out like some of the other performances did when tied together in some of the previous Nolan projects.
Another aspect that I felt was very unbalanced was the score. Oppenheimer's score, done by the same Ludwig Göransson was a wild ride in terms of sound design, which really complemented the film throughout its entire runtime. In The Odyssey, I felt that it was too monotone and limiting at times. Certain moments, like the Siren scoring as well as the main Odysseus theme, were utterly spellbinding. But for the most part, it felt like the heavy melancholy dragged on at times.
Overall, packed together, the film definitely delivers, especially at the end. I believe that the hype that naturally occurs with projects made by such highly regarded artists like Nolan can rarely, if ever, be satisfied, especially when it comes to a story that has been retold for as long as this one. Nolan told his version, and I see his vision for the takeaway; I just do not think that this is his best, or maybe even close to his best, work. It is a spectacle of a journey to embark upon, yet I feel like a certain bit of magic was missing. But then again, it is all subjective ;)