Join the que. It’s getting to the point that if you don’t have aa view on Christopher Nolan’s version of the Odyssey you must be a hermit. Epic coverage for an epic movie.
Before watching it, at the local cinema, I sat with a pint in my hand overhearing a couple of people sitting behind me. There were having that very discussion. Lots of compare and contrast. Some comments were not atypical of a film about Greek mythology. Even the subject of Star Wars and Spiderman came up.
It’s a risky business making a film like this one. It immediately invites thousands of professional critics to look deeply. To subdivide every minute into an academic review. From school desk to university lecture theatre, I can imagine a lot of huffing going on.
I’m not going to get into the discussion about authenticity. For me that’s a complete dead end. Afterall such tales were made for retelling. The whole tale comes from an era when the written word wasn’t as it is now. Likely be like a gigantic drinking ballad told to enthral diners where a host is aiming to impress.
Is the film entertaining? Yes, it certainly is. Big, bold and engaging. It’s long. But on first watching the time goes quickly. I wouldn’t say the pace was always fast. It’s more the dramatic moments that captivate. I feel like I’ve been shipwrecked numerous times.
Casting was spot on for the most part. I know Calypso is a nymph in Greek mythology, but she looked as if she had walked out of a scene from Sex in the City.
Being me, I did wonder how the Cyclops made cheese when his hands where so large and his sheep were so small. Bigger sheep would have solved that one.
Poseidon was responsible for a great deal of torment. He however was left out of the casting.
Locations didn’t fill the screen in the way of Lord of the Rings. Far more focus on the characters. There were places and scenes that didn’t fit my idea of a long-lost Greek landscape. That didn’t detract from the storytelling.
Modern sensibilities crept in to draw that line between an ancient time and what’s happening in the world now. It wasn’t just a homecoming story. War, and its consequences peppered the plot.
Echoes of the virtue of the “rule of law” where evident. The Greek Gods set in the background. Ever present and ready to mess up the hero’s plans at any moment. Easily offended and not troubled by their impact on this world. Classical messages, as they ripple down the eons, do remind us of how fickle fate can be. Doing the right thing is not always obvious. What’s heralded as greatness often contains much tragedy.
From the point of view of filmmaking, it’s going to be fascinating to see what Nolan does next. How about an epic and modern Macbeth.
John Vincent 