Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey – An underwhelming retelling disguised as an Epic IMAX Trojan Horse

 By Ana Lazarut 

It seems that when Christopher Nolan releases a new film, the world stops spinning for a few days to allow everyone to see said film and discuss it for at least a week, creating an unbearable feeling of FOMO in anyone who is not clued into his works.  

Before The Odyssey, the only Nolan film I had ever seen was Oppenheimer, and to be perfectly honest, I can’t remember much of it other than the final half an hour and funnily enough, my experience with The Odyssey was quite similar.  

I left the QFT after what was to be an epic retelling of The Epic tale, feeling underwhelmed. After three hours of sitting in the QFT, with the best seats booked, I thought I’d leave those automatic QFT doors that never seem to work properly with a new sense of bravery and dignity as if I myself had sailed the seas and trialled with monsters and gods. I was expecting fanfare and trumpets and bravado. Instead, there was only cars honking, that weird smell Belfast has, and the underwhelming thought of “that was okay, I guess”.  

The issue was not that the film was bad; it was the fact that this film was marketed and hyped up to be the second coming of Christ, making it impossible for it to live up to such expectations. I am exaggerating my disappointment slightly, but I think there is something important to be said about the buzz surrounding Christopher Nolan and how he is viewed as Odysseus himself, although sometimes his films don’t blow (me) away.  

 
Dramatics aside, the film’s cinematography and sound were done well (although Nolan did not compose the score; the credit largely goes to 3 times Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson). Nevertheless, it is Nolan’s project, so I begrudgingly give him some credit for the goosebump-giving and tear-producing period-accurate score. There was never a lull in the music or a clear break between pieces; It felt like an endless journey (excuse the pun). It was consistent with certain motifs – most notably being the bow plucking and hums –, yet it still had its variation in tempo and dynamics.
 
The cinematography then was not as mind-blowing as the score, but it was still good. It felt reminiscent of something by John Ford with the sea being so vast and almighty. Yet I was distracted by my wondering of how such shots were achieved with the IMAX camera, which takes me to my next point:  

A major draw-point of the film was its technological feats rather than the story itself, which I argue took away from the experience.  

In other words, I was so incredibly aware that I was watching a Nolan film due to the fact that most of the press centred on how Nolan achieved a certain effect, or how he didn’t allow for any Ugg Boots on set, or how there were no phones allowed on set. The auteur was not felt in the film itself but rather in the film’s process of becoming. This isn’t necessarily always a negative thing, but in the case of The Odyssey, where the script is lacklustre and the development of the story feels unfinished at times, it becomes huge as the film is marked as groundbreaking due to the name behind it rather than the material itself.  
 
For example, the animatronic moulding used for Circe turning Odysseus’ men into pigs gained attention due to the lack of CGI used. However, the moment was cut so unbelievably short. Odysseus’ affair with Circe and their child was omitted, making the year-long event a conversation. And in omitting these elements, Circe was used to show off the animatronics. Her autonomy was reduced at a point where her agency is central to the story.   
 
It must be said that the final reveal of Athena’s violation in Troy was impactful and interesting, but the build-up to that moment felt redundant and too in-your-face. Zeus’ law was mentioned in every scene as though Nolan was expecting people to be on their phones while watching the film, having to be constantly reminded of the point of the story (and I can’t really blame him for it). This then, alongside the first hour of the film where Holland’s Telemachus learned of his father’s past for the first time as a means to introduce the story through flashbacks, made for lazy writing and a boring viewing experience. 
 
Not all is bad in Ithaca, however, as there were some stellar moments (but they were few and far between). The final hour from the moment Odysseus returns disguised until he and Penelope sail away was captivating and tense and everything you’d want in an epic. But I’m not quite convinced the journey justified the outcome… Elliot Page’s performance in Hades was short but very impactful in highlighting the change of Odysseus from a brave man and hero to a coward who betrays and steals and sends loyal men to their deaths. Other great performances included that of Pattinson, Zendaya, Patel, and Leguizamo. However, their impact on the 3-hour feat feels too small against the film’s focus on the effects and the Nolan process of filmmaking. 
 
Overall, the film was good, not great, and it felt like a trick devised by Odysseus himself to convince me to sit for a 3-hour film where I forgot half of its events.  

Maybe that is why Nolan kept reminding me of Zeus’ law?