SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
The King of Ithaca, Odysseus (played by Matt Damon), has led his men on a quest to end the Trojan War. Their win comes at great cost, however, and now Odysseus and his remaining warriors are trying to make the long and arduous journey home. Waiting for him to return, despite it having been 20 years and many other men having returned already, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) is trying to fend off suitors who are desperate to seize the throne through marriage. Meanwhile, their son Telemachus (Tom Holland) holds out hope that the father he has no memory of will return. Desperate to bring hope to his mother and squash the suitors salivating at their chance — and possibly to claim the throne for himself — he sets out on a quest to learn all he can about his father. His leaving the safety of Ithaca is the only excuse Antinous (Robert Pattinson), Polybus (Corey Hawkins) and their faction of dissenters need. If they kill him while he’s sailing on the open ocean his disappearance will remove the last obstacle standing in their way of possibly securing the Queen’s hand. Taking that risk, Telemachus travels to Sparta and learns that his father survived the war but, after the ships took separate routes home, hasn’t been seen since. Is Odysseus dead? If he’s alive, will Telemachus find him before Penelope takes a new husband? Will Ithaca still be standing regardless?
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
Put simply, this is what filmmaking should be. The grand scale, the epic stories, the deep characters, the large sweeping (real) landscapes. This is why we go to the movies. Even if this isn’t your favorite genre or how you like to be entertained, everyone leaving the theater will acknowledge that THE ODYSSEY is elite filmmaking.
Based on Homer’s 7th (or 8th) century BC poem of the same name, THE ODYSSEY is not only the first movie ever shot entirely with IMAX cameras but it simultaneously feels like it was made during the golden age of Hollywood. BEN HUR, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and STAGECOACH are all examples of classic, epic films that are larger than life. THE ODYSSEY fits into that category where the audience leaves the theater in absolute astonishment for what they just witnessed on screen.
Damon and Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, in particular, go through different levels of hell to film their roles. The rough seas aren’t shot in The Volume. The beach with scattered wreckage isn’t CGI. The ship sailing on the ocean isn’t added in post. Unlike MOANA where everything seems like it was shot on a soundstage, THE ODYSSEY is all practical and real, reminding us what the best of cinema looks and feels like.
Despite INTERSTELLAR, MOMENTO, OPPENHEIMER and INCEPTION already being on his resume, director Christopher Nolan — somehow — has done his best work with THE ODYSSEY. Not only is the cinematography beautiful to look at but the characters are rich and layered and deep. He truly takes the audience on a journey for the ages, just as Homer tried to do almost 2,100 years ago.
Put simply, THE ODYSSEY is a near perfect movie. The only thing it misses on is the balance between music and dialogue. There were more than a handful of times where my ears couldn’t determine what was being said over the volume of Ludwig Göransson’s incredible score. Without that one oversight, it’s perfect. Perfect casting, perfect performances, perfect story, perfect costumes, perfect message, perfect filmmaking.
JKG SCORE: 9.5 out of 10
Untitled Film Project 