The Odyssey | Dir: Christopher Nolan | ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Christopher Nolan’s last film, Oppenheimer, was an intense and visually striking success. It won seven Academy Awards in 2024, including Best Director and Best Picture, and earned nearly one billion dollars at the global box office.
Writer-director Nolan has now taken on an epic poem commonly attributed to Homer, dating back approximately 800 years before the birth of Christ, and likely rooted in much older oral traditions.
The epic tale follows the ten-year journey of Odysseus (Matt Damon), King of Ithaca, as he attempts to return home after the Trojan War. Flashbacks depict the war’s final battle, while Odysseus and his crew confront the elements and mythical creatures during their long voyage.
The reimagining of the Trojan Horse is particularly striking. Its immense scale and presence dominate the beach at Troy, before being dragged into the city. Inside, soldiers are tightly confined within its claustrophobic interior. The moment evokes a devastating turning point in the war.
Meanwhile, in Ithaca, Odysseus’s wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) struggles to fend off a horde of suitors. Social expectations demand that a man rule, despite her having governed effectively for two decades.
The manipulative Antinous (Robert Pattinson) is especially determined to convince Penelope that her husband will never return. Their son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), believes his father is still alive and is approaching adulthood.
Blown off course after angering the gods, Odysseus embarks on a true heroic journey, overcoming obstacles and resisting temptation. Haunted by memories of war and destruction, his journey becomes one of doubt, reflection, and the search for redemption.
A visit to Hades—the realm of the dead—is a highlight, where Odysseus confronts the soldiers he led into battle. Although rooted in ancient mythology, the film functions as a modern parable about humanity drifting away from moral and divine order.
Filmed entirely on IMAX 70mm, with spectacular visuals and immersive sound (including motion seating in some cinemas), the film delivers a powerful cinematic experience that is best seen on the big screen.
Lezly Herbert
