Wildly Adventurous, Nolan’s IMAX ‘Odyssey’ Takes On Huge Risks 

Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of the Greek poet Homer’s The Odyssey is one of this summer’s most hyped blockbusters. Starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, Tom Holland as Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, and a roster of Hollywood regulars (like Zendaya, John Leguizamo, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Corey Hawkins, and Elliot Page,) the cast is as eclectic as the many tales that comprise this lengthy second poem about the Trojan Wars.

Homer’s first poem, of course, is The Iliad and, while it concerns Achilles’s campaign to defeat Troy, none of its mortal characters, other than the Achaean King Agamemnon, come to play any part in The Odyssey. So, worry not; Nolan’s three-hour, $250 million iMAX production (not including an additional $125 million for marketing) requires no investment of time to study Greek mythology. Yet, a synopsis of Homer’s second epic poem, as scripted and cast by Christopher Nolan, might help immensely.

While there were 24 “books” that Homer wrote as chapters to his epic tale, there are really three distinct story lines in The Odyssey. The first is the predicament of Penelope holding power while Odysseus is absent on his journey to and from Troy. Dozens upon dozens of wantonly wolfish men attend to Penelope’s court, drinking the castle’s wine, dining on free banquets, await certain news of her husband’s death so they can legitimately vie for the throne of Ithaca. 

The second story line is about young Telemachus, the king’s son, who protects his mother, fends off the abusive suitors, learns to fight bravely, and ultimately finds the courage to leave Ithaca to search for his father. 

The third plot line follows Odysseus’s adventures. And there are many. After hiding with his men inside a wooden horse, they gain access inside the walls of Troy and defeat the Trojans. But sailing home risks the ire of many gods. Surviving brutal seas and, worse, deadly calm ones—and now starving—Odysseus and his men land on an island where they attempt to steal the sheep of the Cyclops. And for what they do to him, Poseidon challenges Odysseus with the deadly wail of the Sirens, the whirlpool of Scylla, and a six-headed monster. They survive (in smaller numbers) and meet the witch-goddess Circe who all-too-kindly feeds them, and then sends them off to descend into Hades. On yet another island, they must not eat the abundant, roaming cattle or discover the wrath of Helios, the sun god. Then, as if Odysseus hasn’t yet met his ultimate challenge, he finds himself stranded on a deserted island where, except for the intervention of two gods, he survives seven years nearly alone.   

Mind you, if this seems like the definition of an epic film—a definition once famously offered to Humphrey Bogart by a hat check girl: “What’s an epic? It’s a picture that’s real long and has a lot going on!”—consider too that Homer wrote his original tale with flashbacks (likely a literary novelty in his time) and then compound that with Christopher Nolan’s necessarily tight script that jumps expediently from one storyline to the next. Yes, there’s a lot going on, but it works. In fact, the film’s climax is worth every minute (about 140 of them until then) when justice, love, and pathos beautifully entwine in classic form. 

But there are a few flaws (not to mention some odd casting). Nolan’s most obvious challenges seem to have been creating the visual effects necessary for monsters to do their magic. And yet, rather than creating break-through animation like the once-famous skeleton soldiers who battled Jason and his Argonauts, Nolan deftly uses his iMAX camera to merely suggest what is happening. Some might think that’s a cheat; others may argue that true magic is only an illusion anyhow. 

Matt Damon’s Odysseus is a manly mix of muscles and metaphors. There’s no doubt his character is an intelligent hero because he’s seemingly obsessed with morality, even in the face of mortal combat. He professes Zeus’ Law: “Be kind to strangers because they may, in fact, be gods.” Damon, who grew a beard and chiseled his abs for this arduous role, also delivers  notable lines like “The cost of sacrifice is in the power of the person making it.” (Wait. Huh? Is this the Greek origin of “With great power comes great responsibility?”) Yet, Odysseus claims no great powers and for that reason Homer’s tale is really about the intelligence and integrity of mortals, not the power of the gods. 

Speaking of Spiderman, Tom Holland leads much of this classic tale. A mere newborn when Odysseus leaves for Troy, we catch glimpses of his childhood. Although not yet a man, Telemachus defends his mother’s fidelity while the ravenous court of want-to-be-kings abuse him as well as his blind mentor, Eumaeus, played lovingly hip and slick by John Leguizamo.  As Telemachus, Holland is perfectly fine, delivering the youthful, can-do spirit required of any heir to the throne.

Meanwhile, stranded on the island of Ogygia, his father still lives, though hardly aware. The immortal nymph Calypso has fed Odysseus fish and lotus flowers both to keep him dazed and herself entertained. Bizarrely, Charlize Theron plays Calypso as if she just stepped off the set of “The Housewives of Santa Barbara,” blonde hair, toned arms, cosmetic skin, and an all too-charming demeanor not to be trusted. Also, the goddess Athena visits Odysseus on the deserted beach. Played by Zendaya, she appears several times throughout the film, playing the most empathic role of any of the gods Nolan allows us to see. 

Of the many court suitors, Robert Pattinson plays the most evil of the lot, Corey Hawkins plays his abettor, while Mia Goth conspires with Logan Marshall-Green to fool the queen. Anne Hathaway plays her role coolly, but seems more than distant in her screen-protected domicile. All too briefly, Lupita Nyong’o plays two roles, that of Clytemnestra and her sister Helen of Troy, yet it’s only the features of her beautiful face (you know, the one that launched a thousand ships?) that have any reason to be included in the script. Perhaps the most controversial role in The Odyssey is played by Elliot Page, but only because his character, Sinon, does not appear in Homer’s work. Christopher Nolan transposed the wonderfully deceitful character from Virgil’s The Aeneid. And there’s something very clever in that. What seems not so clever is the inordinate expense of casting Hollywood’s elite to play so many roles.

By all rights of Hollywood, any film credit should include Nolan’s directorial insistence to shoot this entire movie in iMAX. Sure, the format is visually arresting, and the details are sharp. But my guess as to why all the film format hype is purely to sustain box office profits. In less than six weeks, The Odyssey will likely start streaming on home TVs. But the cinematic benefits of this expensive technology will only survive if it serves to draw more bodies into movie theatre seats. 

Is that why the specially designed popcorn bucket for The Odyssey is an iMax camera and not a Trojan horse?

C. Prentiss Orr is a Pittsburgh-based writer who covers film, live theater, and other topics for Entertainment Central. He is the author of the books The Surveyor and the Silversmith and Pittsburgh Born, Pittsburgh Bred.

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