Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” was always going to be a difficult movie to ignore. With a reported $250 million budget, an all-star cast and the first feature film shot entirely with IMAX cameras, Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic arrived with enormous expectations. Those expectations seem to have paid off commercially: the film has gone to gross around $1.79 billion worldwide.
Released July 17, the film follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), the king of Ithaca, as he attempts to return home after the Trojan War. His journey takes him through encounters with the Cyclops, Circe, Calypso, the Sirens and other figures from Greek mythology, while his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland) wait for him in Ithaca. The enormous cast also includes Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth and Elliott Page.
With a current score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, “The Odyssey” has received an overwhelmingly positive response for the most part. Christopher Nolan has created a nearly three-hour film which includes complicated storytelling, practical effects, an enormous soundscape and, perhaps most importantly, IMAX.
I can understand the enthusiasm. The runtime never felt like a major problem to me. There is so much story to cover that the film rarely feels as though it is just killing time. Nolan manages to move between the enormous action sequences and quieter moments of Odysseus’ journey without making the movie feel like two separate films. Matt Damon brings a more weathered, complicated quality to Odysseus than the stereotypical epic hero, Anne Hathaway gives Penelope a subtle strength and Samantha Morton is particularly memorable as Circe. Even with such a massive cast, the performances generally keep the characters grounded in the middle of all the spectacle.
The soundtrack is another standout. Composed by Ludwig Göransson, the score combines modern electronic sounds with instruments inspired by ancient Greek music. It might not be the score someone expects from a movie about ancient Greece, but that makes it feel distinctly Nolan. Critics have had mixed reactions to the score, some finding it less memorable than expected, while others praise its unusual combination of ancient and modern sounds. For me, the music works best when it becomes part of the physical experience of the movie. Combined with the sound design and the sheer scale of the action, it makes “The Odyssey” feel like a movie that was designed to be experienced in a theater rather than watched at home.
But how good of an adaptation is it? Nolan said that his adaptation was influenced by Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation of the epic, which is particularly notable for making the story accessible to a contemporary audience, including its famous opening: “Tell me about a complicated man.” Nolan has spoken positively about Wilson’s work and its influence on his interpretation of the story.
Wilson herself, however, has been far less enthusiastic about the finished movie. She said that Nolan’s film lacks much of what makes Homer’s poem meaningful, particularly its psychological, emotional, political and ethical complexity. She criticized the film’s vision as “too confused, its characters too underdeveloped, to deliver what it half-promises in terms of big ideas – although it is very good at conveying big bangs and big giants,” ultimately saying that she “would be ashamed to have written any part of this script.”
The film’s portrayal of its female characters particularly leaves room for criticism. Despite having actresses such as Hathaway, Zendaya, Nyong’o and Theron in major roles, the movie remains overwhelmingly focused on men. Odysseus and his fellow soldiers dominate the story, while Penelope, Athena, Helen, Circe and Calypso are largely positioned in relation to male characters.
This is particularly frustrating because there is so much potential in these characters. Penelope’s experience of waiting for Odysseus could have been its own story, and Circe and Calypso both have complicated relationships with Odysseus that could have been explored beyond their roles in this journey. Most importantly, Athena is one of the most important figures in the original epic, though she is largely reduced to a recurring vision for Odysseus.
Though these female characters may fall flat in this adaptation, the film absolutely excels in media format. Unlike most movies, which are shot digitally or on smaller formats, Nolan shot “The Odyssey” entirely using IMAX cameras. The film’s production used approximately 2 million feet of IMAX film, and Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema worked with IMAX to develop a new camera specifically for the production.
The 70mm part refers to the physical width of the film. Compared to standard 35mm film, 70mm provides a much larger image area, which can produce much greater detail when projected correctly. That matters for this film because it is filled with enormous landscapes, oceans, battles and practical creatures. The larger IMAX frame can make those images feel enormous, and the film was specifically designed to take advantage of that scale.
The giant screen, landscapes and sound design make the film feel immersive in a way that a standard theater cannot quite replicate. IMAX reported that the 70mm version was shown at only 41 locations worldwide, making it a relatively rare theatrical experience. If you have access to an actual IMAX 70mm screening, I would say the experience is worth it. However, you do not need IMAX 70mm to enjoy the movie, and a good standard theater with a large screen and sound system will still give you most of the experience.
Whether you have read Homer’s story or not, if you like Christopher Nolan’s filmmaking style and you want a movie that feels like an event, I would say you should watch “The Odyssey.” But if you’re looking for a faithful adaptation, you should know that this movie takes plenty of liberties with the original story and you might prefer other versions of the story that dive deeper into Greek mythology.
The most obvious place to start would be Emily Wilson’s translation of “The Odyssey.” This version is contemporary and readable, and it would give you the opportunity to compare Nolan’s choices with Homer’s original story. If the film’s female characters leave you wanting more, “Circe” by Madeline Miller is another wonderful read that retells the story from the perspective of the witch Circe, giving her an entire life beyond her brief appearance in the film. Finally, if you want more context for the Trojan War that happens before Odysseus’ journey, Wolfgang Petersen’s “Troy” focuses on the events of Homer’s “Iliad” and includes more context about some characters who overlap with Nolan’s film.
Ultimately, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is an impressive movie to experience, but it works best when viewed as a modern cinematic interpretation of the ancient story rather than a complete replacement for Homer’s epic.