Okay, fine. I went to a movie and have blown it out of proportion as usual as though it actually meant something. Yeah, well, it did to me. Let's set sail here, shall we?
I had been hesitant to take in THE ODYSSEY for reasons ridiculous and unknown. After all, I am a huge Christopher Nolan fan and have been since MEMENTO. He has risen to the top of the heap of 21st century filmmakers with one great film after another (TENET not withstanding).So what was holding me back? When the trailer dropped last winter during my last visit to the cinema for my birthday (see blog post NO OTHER CHOICE), I recall shrugging my shoulders with a dismissive "meh". It didn't appeal to me. No fan of sand and sandal pictures per se, let alone movies about gladiators (back off, Peter Graves), I dropped it in the Maybe file. But this was Nolan, for chrisssakes. Have a little faith, Chern. As the summer approached, I withheld my enthusiasm. When THE ODYSSEY had finally seen the light of day, the critical waves crashed to shore and butts were placed in seats throughout the world. That wasn't what prompted my desire to finally join the throngs. One thing that spurned me on was the inevitable backlash that greets pretty much everything these days. See previous post regarding SUPERGIRL: SCREEN TIME) The anti-woke crowd went straight for the jugular led by the increasingly insane Elon Musk who actually proposed his own adaptation of Homer's poem, AI generated, of course, and telling what he claims to be historically accurate, with exception of swapping out a horse for a Trojan Cybertruck.
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Guilt was another motivator. While procrastination continued to the end of summer even though THE ODYSSEY managed to stay in theaters unlike the standard and absurdly short theatrical window for new releases and the choices of venues were still viable. But taking in a film isn't exactly easy for me these days with life rearing its increasingly restrictive head, so I waited until my two week vacation in order to dive into Nolan's Mediterranean waters. Fast forward to the present in which I had three false starts until yesterday and all systems were go-go-go.
Arriving at my theater of choice for the afternoon, I discovered, much to my inherent joy, that I could THE ODYSSEY Elvis-style. The King o' Rock 'n Roll used to rent out movie theaters so that he could enjoy movie after hours without interruption from his adoring public. Of course he had his Memphis Mafia with him. Not me. I was all by my lonesome self, the first time that's happened since THE RIGHT STUFF back in 1983. You don't have to lecture me that this isn't very good for business especially when cinemas are struggling or the benefits of the communal experience of watching a movie with an audience. Sometimes I want to be alone with my movies and let the experience take me away to that place I always want to be, right there on the screen. So there I was, Lonesome Trojan Joe plunked down in an otherwise empty mid-size auditorium with a more than adequate screen and superb sound cranked up for my deafening ears, all set for showtime.
Now as for the movie itself, I must be honest to admit that it took a bit for me to get to that special place of mine for a few reasons. The editing in the first section is very choppy, almost slapdash. It gave me the impression of a recap of the previous episode and I expected Matt Damon to say "Previously on THE ODYSSEY..." This had nothing to do with Nolan's propensity for playing with timelines than it was clumsy exposition. Secondly, the actors are devoid of accents or Americanized actually. I admit this is a refreshing change from most period films that insist of English accents to give it, what, authenticity? So even the Brits had to adhere to our verbal ways. However Nolan's script those same traits and I was thrown for a loop when, for example, Telemachus (Tom Holland) refers to his parents as Mom and Dad. I try to get past this and other anachronisms as the movie and I forged on.
Once THE ODYSSEY found its footing, it didn't let up and I don't think I blinked, let alone close my mouth, for the next two and a half hours after that. Truly bombastic in all the right ways in its spectacle and action, then moving in ways that I didn't expect, Nolan brought it all together into a feast for the ages. Many fantastical elements were horrifying with the cyclops and Circe's scenes standing out from the rest. (Regarding the later: Veganism might be the wisest option) Performances across the board kept the levels high throughout. There is a sense that, casting-wise, Nolan has given us another "Hey, look!" movie, as in "Hey, look! There's Zedaya!" or "Hey, look, there's Elliot Page!", though I didn't find as distracting as I did with OPPENHEIMER. Now here are four words I never thought I'd write: Matt Damon is magnificent, carrying the bulk of this epic as Odysseus on his shoulders in the manner of another mythological character, Atlas. Two others that deserve special mention are the incredible Samantha Morton as Circe and, again, praise for an actor I've given before, John Leguizamo. I do admit that I found the aforementioned Tom Holland not to be up to the task. He's from that current crop of man-boy actors (Timothy Chalamet, et al) who find it difficult to be taken seriously as an adult as though having taken lessons as Neverland Dramatic Academy. He doesn't sink his scenes, but he doesn't help either. Finally, when all has been said and done, THE ODYSSEY helped lift me higher than any film of the recent past, flaws aside and almost forgiven for its strengths of which there are many, outweigh and overwhelm everything else to which I can only add "Whew!" Sorry to have doubted you, Mr. Nolan.
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This was a beautiful note to go out on meaning that this is the absolute last three hour movie I will sit through in a motion picture theater. While I didn't feel its length this time around, it's too long of a haul for me anymore. I just don't have that kind of stamina. Two and a half is pushing it too. So the next epic is going to have go on without me. That's a sad thing to admit for a lifelong cinephile as myself, but reality sometimes bites you right in the ass especially if you've sitting on it for 180 minutes and change.
But my odyssey isn't over, not by a long shot. I'll continue to support the theatrical experience with my presence, hopefully with more frequency. I have an even longer dissertation on the subject I'll bore you with another post. (It might be longer than this movie) For now, I will close with gratitude having experienced THE ODYSSEY on the big screen where it is truly meant to be seen and especially the manner I was fortunate enough to view it. Even though I waited too long, maybe it was the right time after all.
And thus, at the end of his long journey, Chernus the Old...er, Chernus the Bold, rather, returned home to the arms of his loving wife having completed his quest and all was right in the world again. His world, anyway.
