Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, Elliot Page, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, Charlize Theron
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey naturally runs nearly three hours because the movie is of course about an odyssey, but it is staged as an epic adventure with horror elements and healthy moments of divine intervention on behalf of its hero Odysseus (Damon). Damon convincingly assumes the role and is a sturdy, resourceful protagonist who is on a journey home following the Trojan War which is sidetracked by battles with mythical monsters, witches, and the wrath of the gods. Odysseus is gone from his home island of Ithaca for twenty years. In the meantime, Odysseus' palace is overrun by would-be suitors for Odysseus' wife Penelope (Hathaway), who remains steadfastly faithful to her absent husband. The most persistent of the suitors is the scheming, devious Antinous (Patterson) who thinks he has the inside track to the throne.
Odysseus' son Telemachus (Holland) decides to leave Ithaca to search for his father and determine whether he is alive which will not only bring he and his mother peace, but will shape the future of the kingdom. However, having a stepfather like Antinous is hardly a positive. The previous Nolan films from Interstellar on to his Best Picture-winning Oppenheimer (2023) were artistic triumphs but lacked in the story department. The Odyssey, based on the epic poem by Homer, is more plot-driven and chock full of Nolan's famed production values. It looks gorgeous and while not as taut as Clash of the Titans, it covers the same ground successfully.
Among the standout sequences involve a witch on a remote island who turns Odysseus' crew into swine and watching how Odysseus pieces together these bizarre events. The Odyssey is gargantuan in scope and moves through many characters and worlds seamlessly without boring us. There are times having such a distinguished cast would feel like a movie hedging its bets, but Nolan doesn't mind going for broke and being bold, even with movies like Tenet which was released during the pandemic but was hardly the movie to break the movie business out of its doldrums.
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