Nolan’s Odyssey skillfully translates the epic into the modern tongue. As someone who loves the poem, I was interested how he would accommodate the supernatural myth into his formalistic style.
Discourse over accuracy on casting, accents, and costume miss the point of a great adaptation. Like James Joyce’s Ulysses, the essence of the story is taken through a fresh lens for a modern audience. If you want a ‘pure’ Odyssey, just read the Odyssey! But even that is an oral tradition which has been retold and reimagined over hundreds of years. It’s hard to take many of these criticisms seriously when a lot of it online has become a bad-faith, bigot magnet.
I’m more divided over the treatment of Odysseus. Nolan trades the arrogant, tricksy hero for a more guilt-ridden, selflessly noble champion. It’s an interesting reimagining of the Siege of Troy, where he reckons with the dishonesty of the Trojan Horse as opening a Pandora’s box of deceit and civilisational breakdown. It takes the customs of hospitality and places Odysseus’ greatest achievement at odds with his noble core. Where the original poem is a metaphor for the anxieties in the era of early Greek colonisation, Nolan flips the perspective onto the colonisers. It’s a powerful, effective take.
Many obstacles in the return are caused by the crew, but grumbling Odysseus is never really to blame - this flattens his character. Where are his taunts? His tricks? His personality? I only really feel like we get a glimpse in the Siren’s scene. Nolan touches on Odysseus’ responsibility with a brilliant reimagining of Circe, but I never feel much of an arc with Odysseus himself.
Penelope feels slightly flattened too. She’s incredibly cunning and still distrustful of the stranger in the poem. I would like to have seen her exercise more agency within her circumstances at home, but Tom Holland was good as an ambitious yet powerless son. Special shoutout to shipmate Himesh Patel, Pattinson’s snivelling Antinous, and in terms of iconography alone, Aura-memnon.
I loved the ambiguity of the Gods being represented through the elements as the Greeks would’ve seen them. Zendaya’s Athena acts more as a flickering conscience than the loyal deus ex machina from the poem. Yet we still see the otherworldly when necessary - the Cyclops, the dead, the giants, and it’s great!
The craft for this film is second-to-none. The dedication to the locations, giant puppets, set pieces and forced perspectives really bring the tale to life. Göransson’s non-orchestral score with reconstructed, ancient instruments is beautifully done, and the restraint in the Sirens’ scene is genius. The action is good, but the John Wick finale was a little too frenzied to follow for me. And as always, Nolan’s visuals and cinematic scale are incredible. For such a mammoth task, Nolan clears and delivers a good film.