The film has a runtime of exactly 3 hours. But those 3 hours never feel like 3 hours. The opening, especially the introduction leading up to the Cyclops scene, may not fully draw you into the story and can create a certain disconnect. But once you get past that point, the film becomes so fluid and fixes you so firmly to the screen that you do not even want to leave your seat during the intermission.
Those who have read and love the epic "The Odyssey" will immediately notice the gaps and altered sections in the screenplay. It is possible to understand that covering the entire epic in a 3-hour film is impossible and to accept the abridgments. If the screenplay's abridgments improve the story and add a new layer of depth, that is a successful choice. However, some of Nolan's drastic changes add no philosophical depth to the film. On the contrary, they become one of the main factors distancing the viewer from the story's central thread.
The scenes that tire viewers the most are those between Odysseus and Calypso. These sections are excessively long and offer the viewer almost nothing, nor do they serve the story. On the other hand, there are the Circe scenes. The tension created by this character, played by Samantha Morton, catches you completely off guard. There is no other scene in the film that reaches so deeply into the viewer or disturbs them with "body horror" elements. The direction and visual composition remind us why Nolan is still at the top. The Trojan War, especially the claustrophobic tension inside the horse, and the scenes of anticipation are magnificent.
A special mention must be made of the cast, particularly Benny Safdie's Agamemnon. He fills the screen in every scene with such weight and charisma that the viewer can only be amazed. Matt Damon gives an excellent performance as Odysseus, a complex hero wavering between arrogance and remorse, crushed beneath the burden he carries. Robert Pattinson, once again proving how far he has come since "Twilight," is so natural and commanding in the "villain" role in this film that this casting choice could be considered one of the best decisions of the year.
Before the film's release, there was a great deal of media noise, much of it baseless, about Elliot Page playing Achilles. However, Page appears in the film in a completely different role, as Sinon. Page portrays the pain of a sacrificed, unsuspecting person and Odysseus's dark betrayal so deeply that the performance leaves no room for objection.
Anne Hathaway, meanwhile, delivers one of the best performances of her career. Yet a cinematic reality once again comes to the surface here: Nolan cannot write female characters. The lack of any depth in Penelope's character, and her use merely as a motivational tool, a prop in a world of men, is deeply uncomfortable to watch. What holds everything together on screen is not Nolan's writing, but Hathaway's sheer acting skill. The greatest force completing the film's atmosphere is Ludwig Göransson's score. Especially in the Sirens scene, the tension of that forbidden desire reaches deep into our bones purely through sound design.
Ultimately, "The Odyssey" is not Nolan's best film. It does not reach the philosophical touches or emotional peak of "Inception" or "Interstellar," but it is undoubtedly not one of his weakest works either. So, is Nolan the best director of our time? He is one of the biggest names keeping the film industry alive with mass audiences, but some of the decisions he makes are driven precisely by the desire to please the masses and by commercial ambition. This prevents him from creating a truly flawless work of art.
But despite all of this, "The Odyssey" is more than just a film. It is a vast visual experience about human arrogance, chaos, and what a person might sacrifice simply to avoid being alone and return home. And sometimes, the experience itself is enough to make up for its minor flaws. It is a film everyone should experience on the big screen at least once.
7.2
Author’s rating
