Rating of
4/4
Sing to Me, Muse
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/22/26
Christopher Nolan continues to solidify his place as one of the greatest modern directors with The Odyssey. I have been a fan ever since seeing Memento (which I still consider a personal favorite) and the hits just keep coming: The Prestige, The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Interstellar, Oppenheimer and now, here we are, another grand spectacle that has all the hallmarks of yet another guaranteed award-winning masterpiece.
The Odyssey, of course, is steeped in ancient history - Homer's epic following the Greek hero Odysseus as he does all he can to return home to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus following the long siege of Troy led by Agamemnon and his brother Menelaus. Odysseus is responsible for coming up with the plan to hide a select group inside a horse - presented as a gift - an offering to the gods - but instead provide the means to open the gates to the city. Menelaus gets back his wife, Helen, and those who survive get to finally head back home. But for Odysseus, this journey proves to be an arduous test as he faces magic, monsters and himself. Facing her own test of will in Ithaca, Penelope fends off a host of suitors hoping to claim her hand in marriage after 20 years of waiting for her husband to return. Led by
Antinous, the group cannot be turned away because of the rules of hospitality - but there is only so much she can do before the inevitable.
The core of the story remains, but Nolan is not beholden to it. Matt Damon's Odysseus is a man plagued by guilt at what he has done. Some may think he is too far removed from the clever trickster presented in the classic material, but this Odysseus is much more approachable and grounded, and Damon gives one of the best performances of his long career in this struggle. In fact, the entire cast is amazing. Tom Holland is at once vulnerable yet determined as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope shows her faith, love and strength in equal measure and Robert Pattinson oozes contempt as the slimy head of the suitors.
But the main parts are just the tip - two of my favorite roles include John Leguizamo as the loyal servant, blind Eumaeus as well as Samantha Morton as the witchy Circe, who in a straight-up body-horror twist transforms Odysseus' men into swine in one of the films more impressive and unnerving scenes. Both should be up for awards in my opinion. The hits don't stop there: Zendaya as Athene, Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, Charlize Theron as Calypso and, yes, even the ones certain people got up in arms about -
Lupita Nyong'o in the Helen/Clytemnestra role and Elliot Page as Sinon - each and every part from big to small is just the right touch and is honestly one of the best ensemble casts I can recall.
Nolan doesn't just rely on his stacked cast, he also provides some memorable scenes. The cyclops was something that truly shook me and I was trying to figure out why it seemed so familiar despite its mutated appearance. I found the answer when I stumbled upon one several articles that said Nolan took inspiration from Francisco Goya's Saturn Devouring His Son, and that transfers over perfectly. Likewise, while the Laestrygonians (or crazy armored giants) are presented as unstoppable killing machines - complete with moving tree prisons - I thought of them as classic horror villains (think Jason or Michael Meyers) in awesome armor just emotionless killers. Circe - well, I already said Morton deserves all the praise for that turn - sirens, lotus petals, Scylla and Charybdis, Helios's Cattle - every trial is presented in such a way that the weight of the actions taken feel very much real.
Perhaps one of the biggest deviations from the source material is the lack of gods - while Athena is present throughout, she acts less like Odysseus champion and more like a reflection of his conscience. While Poseidon and Zeus are referenced frequently, they are never personified. Rumor has it Robert Downey, Jr. was set to play Poseidon before Nolan decided the gods didn't need to be seen to be heard. Another big change is that the so-called Zeus' Law referenced readily throughout the film is not quite the same as the Greek hospitality law xenia. Not to get into detail but Nolan's version is more akin to the Golden Rule (do unto others as you would have them do unto you) rather than just a general "don't be a jerk to your guests". But Nolan uses his version to show how the corruption of this rule - including the use of the Trojan Horse - has essentially doomed their civilization.
In the end, Nolan doesn't need to follow the classic story beat for beat. His own take on the classic is riveting, emotional, awe-inspiring and the best three hours I have experienced on the big screen a long time. This is one journey worth taking.
