Given I’m a big fan of a book to screen adaptation – and I love anything a bit fantastical – Homer’s epic being transformed to the big screen should’ve been all the reason I needed to immediately head to Cineworld when it was released in mid-July. I probably shouldn’t admit, though, that I’m a bit sceptical about the buzz Christopher Nolan films often garner, ultimately putting off watching The Odyssey – until now.
While Christopher Nolan films might not be an instant pull for me – they’re just rarely my kinda films, don’t come for me – I’m prepared to admit I was wrong to wait, because The Odyssey was one word, and that word is epic. And these moments embody that and why you have to see it on the biggest screen possible before it leaves Cineworld.
The Battle of Troy was a climactic success
The motif of Odysseus on the steps of Troy flashes up on the screen throughout The Odyssey, but the battle itself only plays out once, and my god it was a sight to behold. From the ginormous wooden horse washed up in the sand, to it being hauled into the realms of Troy, and the moment the Greeks within snuck out and slayed the people of Troy.
In many ways, although the battle itself is actually told through Homer’s Iliad, its inclusion really packs a punch in Odysseus’ ultimate realisation that he and his men have singlehandedly destroyed the goodwill of Zeus’ law.
Circe’s scene has settled it: men are such pigs!
Men take and they take and they take, and Circe was just doing what all us women have long wanted to do: turned them into the gluttonous pigs that they are. Okay, I’ll reel it back a bit, but there’s a reason the likes of Samantha Morton who plays Circe and other members of the cast including Zendaya have kept hush hush while hyping up this scene. The visual effects are just astounding, the underlying message coming through loud and clear!
When you then think about the fact no CGI was used to bring this scene to life – just the incredible combination of animatronics, puppetry, makeup, and a little (stage) movie magic.
I love that we didn’t get to hear what the sirens sounded like
There was a degree of curiosity of how Nolan would create the siren song, and what his interpretation of a sound that will literally send men crashing their boats against the rocks for. How does one embody something as powerful and fatal as that? Well, you just don’t.
During the scene, Odysseus is the only one of his crew to hear the siren’s song, tied up while his crew stuff their ears with wax. Throughout the scene, the sound is muffled as though our ears are also filled with wax, and we only hear the indecipherable roar of Odysseus’ shouts and, in the aftermath, he explains that hearing the siren song made him not want to return home after all.
Perhaps it was the safe choice not to hear the sirens, but I think anything trying to replicate it would’ve always fallen short.
Robert Pattinson plays a snivelling, cowardly villain so well
There was a lot of incredible acting throughout The Odyssey (I’m here to advocate for Anne Hathaway getting an Oscar for her performance as Penelope, to be honest. When she laid into Tom Holland as Telemachus? Legendary), but none felt quite as compelling as Robert Pattinson as Antinous, one of the suitors vying for Penelope’s hand and to replace Odysseus as king of Ithaca.
He played that slimeball so well, and also found a real comical flare in what is otherwise a fairly straightlaced adaptation. From taunting Telemachus about his daddy to never truly getting his hand dirty and proving to be quite the coward when a fight between Odysseus and the rest of the suitors broke out in the climax of the story. Let’s add a Best Supporting Actor nom to the Oscar list, actually.
I did get a bit fidgety the more The Odyssey went on – but was locked in for the third act
The Odyssey runtime isn’t for the faint of heart at just shy of the three hour mark. I’ll admit my attention span needs some stretching – though I’ll be at the picketline protesting for a 90-minute cut-off until further notice – but that is a long ol’ time to be sat down for.
While I was enraptured for the most part, around the two hour mark I began to get fidgety. Yes, I even checked my watch. But Nolan clearly knew he was at risk of losing his audience, because he totally locked us in for the third act.
Finally revealing how long Odysseus has been with Calypso, he builds a raft and leaves it in the gods’ hands of whether he will survive this final, treacherous leg back to Ithaca. It’s here that my lacking knowledge of Greek mythology worked in my favour, because I had no idea what the outcome would be as Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar and takes part in Penelope’s challenge to her suitors.
Honestly, writing this out makes me want to head to Cineworld to watch The Odyssey all over again, and to inhale every single Greek mythology retelling on my bookshelves. Luckily, it’s still screening in IMAX, because this Nolan epic needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible.
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