“The Odyssey,” like so many other great movies, was brought to life through another great story.
It follows the mythical journey back home of Odysseus, the heroic king of Ithaca, returning from his expedition in the 10-year-long Trojan War. The movie is based on The Odyssey, one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer, the other being the Iliad, which follows the story of the Trojan war prologuing Odysseus’ journey back home.
A short summary of the movie’s premise is: After a decade of war and loss, Odysseus is eager to return home. Unbeknownst to him and his men, the journey back home is fated to take 10 years, with Odysseus as it’s only survivor.
“The Odyssey” stood out for its all-star celebrity cast which included Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron, as well as being shot entirely with IMAX 70mm cameras, making the at-home streaming experience extremely subpar compared to the theatre.
Christopher Nolan directed this movie in hopes to revive movie theatre culture and raise the movie’s box office success. While the effects on the box office’s success are not yet apparent, it does seem that “The Odyssey”, and other upcoming movies like “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” have been causing an increase in revenue for movie theatres.
As for the all-star celebrity cast, while watching the movie, it sometimes felt difficult to separate the actor from the character, particularly in the role of Athena as played by Zendaya. The role itself, although carrying a great importance to the storyline, had very few lines and scenes. Athena would mostly appear at times of Odysseus’ anguish and self betrayal, as a vision of the people and values he was leaving behind, while he progressed through his expedition. The plain styling and lack of speech made it hard to see just Athena, the first thought that came to mind was of Zendaya instead of Athena.
The lack of depth felt in the character was especially interesting to note, considering that Zendaya’s red carpet appearances took center stage in the media.
The highlights of the movie hinged on high pressure moments, action, and the long awaited return of our hero. A large part of the screen time was spent on the brewing problems in Odysseus’ kingdom due to his disappearance after the war. Nolan seemed to want us to see the effects that Odysseus’ internal state was causing on his actions.
Throughout the movie, characters kept mentioning that Odysseus was struggling to find his way home because he truly did not want to go home. This perplexed both our main character, and the watchers, as we see the intense trial Odysseus goes through in his effort to bring himself and all his men home safely.
The feeling of frustration builds up, until Odysseus realizes that his guilt for the war crime he committed to win the Trojan War, is preventing him from his homecoming. This action was an ultimate betrayal to his character, as he is built up to be someone who cares deeply about a fair fight, justice, and honor. Using a trick in the name of his god to win, followed by the killing and raping the people of the opposing kingdom of Troy was in complete contrast to the character we see, who refuses to hunt for his dinner without warning the animal being hunted.
Nolan writes his main character extremely well, where the audience follows along on the internal emotional journey with Odysseus.
However, the ending was a bit predictable. The homecoming and rightful treatment of the people taking advantage of Odysseus’ wife and son was written out exactly as you would expect, with little room for twists. The enjoyment of the scene hinged on the fact that the audience would feel immense satisfaction at seeing the villains finally get what they deserved. Instead of actual depth and plot, it carried an air of self righteousness by focusing so heavily on Odysseus’ battle with the villains. It would have been much nicer to see the impact the final reveal had on Penelope and his son, who had so long awaited to see their father and husband come home, only to find out the atrocities he had committed and reconcile the man they knew and the man Odysseus became.
As modern displays of ancient myths go, “The Odyssey” did not disappoint nor break the sanctity of the traditional story. The story’s lessons and motivations behind the characters aligned with the myth, even if there were discrepancies to the original story, such as the lack of gods.
Although the movie somewhat lacked shocking twists and turns, it made up for it in emotional depth and turmoil. Following along the action was incredibly entertaining, but the insights provided felt more intense, making the narrative immensely easy to connect with.
