'The Odyssey' Review: Christopher Nolan goes epic with his most ambitious film to date

When a movie has a stacked formed of A-listers including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Charlize Theron, it's singular that much radical volition spell spot "The Odyssey" successful theaters not due to the fact that of who's on-screen, but alternatively who's down the camera. 

In an epoch wherever movie stars nary longer warrant container bureau success, Christopher Nolan is successful an elite people of filmmakers who are capable to capable that void.

"The Odyssey," adapted from Homer's epic poem circa Ancient Greece, tells the communicative of Odysseus (Damon), the king of Ithaca known crossed the onshore arsenic the "hero of the Trojan War," and his years-long travel home. 

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Jimmy Gonzales is Cepheus, Matt Damon is Odysseus and Himesh Patel is Eurylochus successful "The Odyssey," written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan. (Melinda Sue Gordon © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.)

Waiting for him successful Ithaca are his woman Penelope (Hathaway) and their lad Telemachus (Holland) — neither of them are definite whether Odysseus is inactive alive. Their palace has go overrun by imaginable suitors for Penelope arsenic the throne remains vacant, the astir salient being the villainous Antinous (Pattinson). 

Throughout his tiring travel location from Troy, Odysseus comes crossed iconic adversaries, including the Cyclops Polyphemus (an unrecognizable Bill Irwin), the sorceress Circe (brilliantly performed by Samantha Morton) and the Sirens.

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Anne Hathaway is Penelope and Tom Holland is Telemachus successful "The Odyssey," written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan. (Melinda Sue Gordon © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.)

A batch has been said astir "The Odyssey" successful caller weeks: betwixt the absurd net rumor that transgender histrion Elliot Page was formed arsenic Achilles — which is wholly mendacious — the off-the-cuff remarks astir Homer from Lupita Nyong’o, whose casting arsenic Helen of Troy sparked backlash successful itself, arsenic good arsenic reports that Nolan allegedly relied connected classicist Emily Watson's much modern mentation and translation of Homer's poem.

Minor casting decisions and mildly flippant interrogation comments shouldn't dictate whether to spot a film. To get worked up implicit petty squabbles is conscionable exhausting. If you take not to spot "The Odyssey" simply due to the fact that of what you work online, that's your prerogative. As for me, I simply spell by a film's prime and amusement value. On some counts, "The Odyssey" passes with flying colors. 

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Matt Damon is Odysseus and Zendaya is Athena successful "The Odyssey," written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan. (Melinda Sue Gordon © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.)

What I couldn't get retired of my caput arsenic I was watching "The Odyssey" was juxtaposing it to the live-action "Moana" I saw the week prior. Both had eye-popping budgets, yet everything astir "Moana" appeared perfectly fake and lazy and everything astir "The Odyssey" looked truthful existent (again, this is simply a movie with a Cyclops). 

That's due to the fact that lone 1 of these movies committed to existent artistry, arsenic Nolan reliably does. The specified beingness of the live-action "Moana" is much violative than immoderate of the aforementioned alleged controversies that preceded "The Odyssey."

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Robert Pattinson is Antinous successful "The Odyssey." (Melinda Sue Gordon © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.)

From "The Dark Knight" trilogy, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk and 2023 Best Picture victor Oppenheimer, Nolan continues to rise his ain ceiling, arsenic "The Odyssey" is by acold his astir ambitious movie yet. He's a maestro craftsman who was capable to instrumentality a batch of moving parts and enactment them unneurotic successful a cohesive and (mostly) coherent narrative. 

Nolan fundamentally formed fractional of Hollywood and there's lone truthful overmuch surface clip to spell astir for them. Some were capable to maximize it with beardown performances (Pattinson and Morton were among the standouts) portion others were underutilized contempt their unthinkable talents (Theron, Zendaya, Nyong'o). Damon does a perfectly good occupation arsenic Odysseus, but astir immoderate starring antheral could've fixed that performance. 

Nearly each accumulation constituent of "The Odyssey" is apical tier, from Hoyte van Hoytema's stunning cinematography, Ludwig Göransson's almighty score, the editing, the accumulation design, the costumes, the ocular effects — there's a batch to marvel at.

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Matt Damon is Odysseus successful Christoper Nolan's "The Odyssey." (Melinda Sue Gordon © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.)

The Verdict

It's ever an lawsuit erstwhile it comes to a Nolan picture, and "The Odyssey" — the archetypal movie ever changeable wholly connected IMAX movie — is nary exception. It's a captivating, remarkably made epic worthy of being seen connected the metallic surface — the bigger, the better.

★★★ ½ — SEE IT NOW

"The Odyssey" is rated R for unit and immoderate language. Running time: 2 hours, 52 minutes. In theaters now.

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