“Epic” doesn’t do Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey justice. In the strictest definition of the word, that’s what The Odyssey is, both in scale and genre: a sweeping and spectacular adaptation of Homer’s ancient mythic tale of Odysseus on his long journey home to Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War. But it’s also so much more. For every moment of awe-inspiring spectacle, there’s the quiet terror of the aftermath. For every heroic feat committed by Odysseus and his men, there is the savagery of war. And for every grand victory, there are the horrors.
Introspective and haunting, The Odyssey feels like Nolan is turning a new page in his filmography; a film that continues the soul-searching introspection that his Oscar-winning Oppenheimer grappled with, and deepens our understanding of one of the oldest stories in history. But it’s also a crowdpleaser in every sense of the word, a rousing and spectacular feat of blockbuster entertainment that wrestles with monsters and myths in equally dazzling ways.
