4.5 out of 5 ships (one of the best of the year)
I go to the movies because I want to feel something, and The Odyssey left me breathless. While not without his indulgences, Christopher Nolan has consistently been one of the strongest blockbuster directors out there for me, and The Odyssey sees him expand into large-scale fantasy and provide it with a simple yet effective emotional hook that kept me invested from beginning to end, even if the sails started to waver a bit near that end.
The great king and warrior Odysseus (Matt Damon) went to fight in the war of Troy 20-odd years ago and seemingly vanished on his course home. While all the eligible suitors of the land have shacked up at his castle hoping his loyal wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) may choose one of them as her new beau, his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) sets out on his own journey to find out what happened to his father while the obnoxious Antinous (A deliciously despicable Robert Pattinson) plans to take Penelope for himself at all costs. Will Odysseus ever odyssee his beloved again? Will Telemachus have to accept Robert Pattinson as his new father? Will you make it without a bathroom break? See it and find out.
The Odyssey blew me away. It takes the time to emotionally hook us before the spectacle kicks into gear, so if you’re a little antsy early on, you’ll be paid back for waiting with grand action. The cast seamlessly disappears into their characters and two standout sequences dip into horror territory, but Nolan knows just how far to go without them feeling out of place. Odysseus’ crew are largely interchangeable, but their dwindling numbers add tension and Damon is a reliable emotional center. Tom Holland is also solid in a purely dramatic role, but the standout is Robert Pattinson clearly having the time of his life playing a scoundrel. He’s never come alive like this onscreen to me and I hope they continue working together. The story’s themes of determination, the personal cost of war, and how far we’d go for those we love work well, the musical score is excellent, and the production design and camerawork are gorgeous. Epic fantasy can easily disengage me, but i’m ecstatic to say The Odyssey‘s an exception.
All that said, The Odyssey has a few minor waves that hold it back from 5-stardom to me. Some of the editing feels wonky early on, Elliot Page fumbles in a small but important role (about 5 minutes total), and my butt was numb during act 3, but outside of those quibbles, this is easily one of my favorites of the year and of Christopher Nolan’s catalogue. The Odyssey matches epic fantasy with simple but effective emotion that overstays its welcome by a hair, but is still great adult entertainment at the movies. Odyssey it!
Rated R for Violence and Some Language