Review 787: The Odyssey

Of all the auteur directors still working today, it's hard to find one that defies filmmaking conventions and takes my breath away more than Christopher Nolan. There's something about his films that while outwardly cold and detached, have a very humanist emotional centre that make them event cinema and The Odyssey 

The story of Odysseus is one that pretty much almost everyone knows and one that I'm very familiar with. It is, essentially, the OG heroes journey. It follows battle-worn Odysseus (Matt Damon), King of Ithaca and his decade-long journey home after the Trojan War to reunite with his loyal, iron-willed Queen Penelope (Anna Hathaway) and their devoted son Telemachus (Tom Holland). What unfurls is a thrilling, at times overwhelming, exhausting and distressing epic adventure tale of gods and monsters as Odysseus and his warriors face tests of courage, valour and endurance if they are to return home.

This is an epic fantasy film of overwhelming ambition, an Odyssey if you will (pun intended) of  It's a war story, a love story and a coming of age story all rolled into one. It's a coming-of-age story for Odysseus' son Telemachus (Tom Holland), having to grow up and become a man in the absence of a father that he bearly remembers.

There's an almost post-modern feel to it in the way    and an almost David Lean influence that can be felt in the way Nolan stages the opening scenes.  But rather than a straightforward retelling, Nolan uses Homer's tale as a lens to examine our world more or less what he did with The Dark Knight trilogy. Drawing hard-hitting parallels between the collapse of Troy and the conflicts that we are facing today. Through, Odysseus' journey Nolan asks what values do we uphold and how will history judge us?

Throughout his journey, Odysseus has a couple people that function as almost angels on his shoulders and his conscious, they are his second-in-command Eurylochus (Hamish Patel) and the Goddess Athena (Zendaya).

At its core, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is a film about PTSD, guilt and facing up to what you've done; Odysseus is someone who goes to war and who's apparently heroic actions have left him feeling so removed from heroism that he literally cannot go home again. It's a film that turns the very concept of heroism on its head.

Many of Nolan's films deal with subject of time; His fascination with   a thematic backbone that can traced back as far as Momento which told the story of Guy Pearce's Leonard Shelby in reverse. With films like Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet and more recently Oppenheimer   This concept is more prominently explored with Odysseus and his alternating experience of remembering and forgetting his homeland of Ithaca and what he did during the Trojan War. Much like a modern soldier healing from trauma, Odysseus uses the Lotus flowers forgetfulness to numb the pain and guilt that he carries back with him from the City of Horses. 

the score by Ludwig Goransson is visceral and intense; a moody, atmospheric score that's unique for this genre by eschewing the orchestral hallmarks that have become synonymous with these types of films in favour of a  In many ways, the score is like a fine wine, deep and crisp and subtle.  there's a scene where Odysseus and his men try to safely pass the singing hideous sirens which involves an excellent use of sound as they plug their ears so they can't hear their hypnotic tunes 

Once again, Nolan shows how adept he is at direction ensemble casts. Dear Gods, this film has a stacked cast including but not limited to, here we go: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson (at his most unpleasant), Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'O, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Hamish Patel, Samantha Morton, Will Yun Lee, Mia Goth, Logan Marshall-Green, Jesse Garcia, Andrew Howard, Nick E. Tarabay, Elyes Gabel, Corey Hawkins, James Remar. Rather awesome.

Damon's portrayal of Odysseus is a nuanced one with his grizzled presence being an ideal fit for this Greek hero. This is someone who left his wife, son and kingdom to go to war   and in the later scenes, he makes you feel the pain and regret when he finally reunited with Penelope.  a hunted veteran burdened by PTSD from Troy and guilt over Horse's betrayal of trust between nations 

Tom Holland   Fittingly, they are kept apart for the majority of the films running time but when they finally get on screen together, there's a poignancy and a   as Holland is able to effortlessly hold his own against his older co-star.