We’ve never needed gods to show us how fractured humanity is. How time and again, man has contributed to the destruction of the world, causing it to burn over and over while others rebuild and reshape. How generation after generation, the calamities of war seem to teach us very little. We’ve only needed to look another person in the eye to see all the pain that’s continued to remain lodged in the depths of their soul, driven by all the ways they’ve suffered in their own lives. How people have persisted in abusing and misunderstanding Zeus’ law or Jesus’ teaching in the name of selfish ambitions. And as much as Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey is an adaptation of a grand epic, it’s how it serves as a careful examination of the world today that makes it a career-defying achievement.
Whether Oppenheimer or even The Dark Knight trilogy, part of Nolan’s legacy and why he’s always had such a universal appeal as a filmmaker is the way he explores our human complexities. The depths of where a human being will travel to in order to find some modicum of understanding that’ll fulfill their purpose. It’s as relatable as it can get, no matter what time period we examine, who, or what gender. Our innately human need to find purpose and perseverance is bigger than what we can fathom, which is why an epic like The Odyssey continues to be studied. And ultimately, why Nolan was always the perfect filmmaker for it.
It’s also profoundly telling of how broken the state of the world is when, amid wars and turmoils and economic downfalls, people sit behind a computer and spread vitriol about a movie they haven’t yet seen, solely based on the casting. Based on silly matters like the accent that’s being used or the specific use of a modern word, without once questioning the why behind it. Still, myths and tragedies continue to hold their weight—they stand tall, ready to ensure that people will dissect every minute of it while simultaneously always there to remind us of what’s at stake. The correct lessons people never seem to learn.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Is a Tremendous Adaptation
The success of an adaptation lies not only in honoring the heart of the story, but in the intimate understanding of the text itself. While a different medium requires changes, yes, it still has to capture the significant beats, and Nolan’s screenplay does this remarkably, proving what most people forget: that poetry is a different kind of beast than narrative writing.
Right off the bat, despite the detail that some viewers might be thrown off by the American accents versus what might’ve traditionally been British in a film like this, it’s the structural beats in the spoken words that immediately stood out to me. And it’s a brilliant showcase that he took inspiration from Emily Wilson’s translation rather than Homer’s text because that translation is a distinctive adaptation that understands the importance of language on a molecular level.
That detail allows The Odyssey to be more palatable to people who might not have studied literature, theories, or even Greek mythology as extensively as those of us whose majors required it. The depth of a story doesn’t shine in how dense it is, but rather how accessible it can be without losing the details. And Nolan does this effectively with his screenplay, which is made all the more impressive when paired with the visual spectacle he delivers.
An adaptation of this scale really is the epic we could’ve expected from a Christopher Nolan film. It’s why it almost feels cosmic that he’d not only be the one to direct it, but also to do it fully with IMAX cameras for the very first time in film history. There are domino pieces in effect here, and that technical achievement is an article of its own. Still, from the screenplay to every directorial decision, Nolan brilliantly explores the intimate story of endurance and the fragility of humanity in a way that’s going to stay with me for a long, long time.
The Cast Doesn’t Miss
There’s something especially rewarding about watching a show or a movie where people had wildly premature critiques about the casting and knowing that every single person is about to bring their A-game. And being their A-game, they do. There’s not a single person in The Odyssey who’s miscast, and every moment works because of what these actors bring.
Matt Damon is an obvious standout performer, bringing to our screens one of his strongest performances to date, and Tom Holland is a close second. (This one’s especially rewarding for me because having seen Holland continuously prove people wrong is a gift that keeps on giving. “That’s my Spider-Man,” I say proudly every time.) But the work that both Damon and Holland do throughout the film is no small feat, and it’s precisely what makes the adaptation shine as a love letter to legacy—a story about parents and their children and the unceasing loyalty that’s as thick as blood.
It’s ultimately because of the performances and the characterizations that the humanity in the adaptation feels more relatable and honest. Different times, same story. The same beating heart that’s present here today, with grief and agony at the forefront of what countless people feel day and night. The waiting, the hoping, the pain and losses in a constant, never-ending battle for some semblance of peace.
The Odyssey Is a Love Story
The intimacy of a homecoming and the warmth of a love story is what I never expected from The Odyssey. Yes, Odysseus’ love for Penelope is prevalent in the original text, but it’s not as bold nor is it as evocative for someone who appreciates romance as I do. So color me surprised at how breathtaking Nolan’s approach to the story is. How the choice to showcase that Odysseus’ love for his wife and son strengthens his humanity and makes him more of a hero than anything else.
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The detail that a man is at his softest and most vulnerable in the conversations he has with his wife, his son, and his dog is something that’s going to haunt me in the best way. No one does a third act with as much nuance and depth as Nolan does, and as he fires on all cylinders with flashbacks to the battle at Troy and Odysseus recounting the most important details of his journey, your heart is in your throat as he sits in front of his wife to do so. Head down, heart on full display. There, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and John Leguizamo are at their best. That scene, and everything we get during it, is why people study Greek mythology and try to understand every little detail.
Oppenheimer’s third act is still one of my favorites in recent years, but everything we get in The Odyssey proves that Nolan is only capable of improving himself. The emotional depth in those moments comes to life with such staggering intimacy that the tragedy becomes even more harrowing. Understandable.
With superlative editing once more from Jennifer Lame, The Odyssey defies the barriers of filmmaking with extraordinary depth and staggering intimacy in every frame. Ludwig Göransson delivers a sensational original score, and every beat leads us to a perfect film. We might as well start engraving the Oscars now because The Odyssey is indeed the best movie of the year and undoubtedly the best adaptation of the last decade.
Because, really, at its core, The Odyssey is the movie we need, right at this exact moment, to remember what we’re doing here. How we can’t keep living amongst AI, wars, genocides, and our own individual heartaches without treating people with the kindness they deserve, because that’s all we’re capable of as human beings. The only thing we have true control over is how we treat other human beings, our integrity, and our truth in a moment in time where so much can be twisted. Every single choice we make matters, and that’s a truth that we need to be reminded of constantly.
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First Featured Image Credit: ©Universal Pictures
Incredible review for an incredible movie. Couldn’t agree more