The Odyssey

Director: Christopher Nolan

Based on Homer’s ancient Greek poem, it follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), king of Ithaca, on his perilous journey home after the Trojan War to reunite with wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland) — a 20-year odyssey facing challenges from the Gods, and, should he get home, dozens of suitors wishing to be his successor. It’s a journey that tests all involved to their limits as they fight for what they love and who they are.

Nolan has taken quite the swing adapting an ancient Greek poem into a 172-minute spectacle, and it pays off with a layered film that, amongst the myth and legend, explores humanity. In Odysseus, it is a portrait of post-traumatic stress, a man reckoning with the consequences of his actions. Alongside it, we see Telemachus’s battle to be his father’s son and Penelope’s unyielding devotion.

Once its rather glacial first 30 minutes are past, it is a film painted on the widest of canvases, shunning CGI for a practical, visceral world where every battle, decision and emotion weighs heavy. In almost every frame you feel Odysseus’s anguish as he tries to make amends for all he has destroyed. At its heart, it’s a film about how we treat others, and how, by shunning the core of humanity in the most brutal ways, everything else collapses with it.

It’s a film of weighty themes, carried by powerhouse performances. Damon is always believable; Holland’s coming-of-age is well pitched, as is Hathaway’s strong, committed Penelope. The support is equally strong: Pattinson’s sleazy suitor, Leguizamo as Odysseus’ loyal servant, Charlize Theron, Zendaya as Athena, guiding him home. As well as a wonderfully disturbing turn by Samantha Morton as Circe. Not a misstep anywhere.

It’s visually stunning, from the belly of the Trojan Horse, through the Cyclops’ cave, to the physical and mental battles with the Gods. For all its wide canvas, Nolan makes it feel intimate and consuming, from start to its blood-drenched finish.

This is not a bright, breezy 90-minute romp; it’s 172 minutes that demands your attention and rewards it.