The Oscar race is officially on.
The Odyssey is here.
I could just leave things right there and be fine with the review, but that wouldn’t be very nice now would it? I mean, expectations were high since the tickets for the IMAX screenings of Christopher Nolan’s latest opus went on sale A YEAR AGO, and the trailers gave us just enough to do what trailers do in getting our interest piqued, but with a three hour run time (and if you see it in said IMAX, build in another ten minutes for the opening of Dune: Part Three amongst the trailer parade), the question is whether or not he could deliver AGAIN. For reference, see the above statements.
Matt Damon plays Odysseus, a man who is seen in his homeland of Ithaca as the hero of the Trojan War who has gone missing for two decades. The wife he left behind in Penelope (Anne Hathaway) still believes in the return of her beloved, and his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), stays by her side and fends off the throngs of suitors led by Antinous (Robert Pattinson) that want the throne for themselves, which includes killing Telemachus. All the while, Odysseus has wound up with Calypso (Charlize Theron) with his memories returning to him slowly but surely, causing him to make a plan to get home.
With a star-studded cast that also includes John Leguizamo, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, mia Goth, Benny Safdie, Himes Patel, and Samantha Morton, Nolan reminds us that he really is the big dog on this generation’s block. With his penchant for practical effects and an ability to get his cast right where he needs them right when he needs them there, he unleashes his vision of one of the most studied stories of all time with fury and intensity that Homer demanded of it when it was written.
The conscious choice to not have any of his actors affect an accent except for those that are not American to do American accents is one that I am glad I knew about going into it. In doing so (at least to American audiences), I think it takes a level of pretentious out of the film itself and grounds it in an “everyman” kind of way that I was actually OK with. There also is a lack of linear storytelling that works, especially for those that may not be as familiar with the source material. Even knowing the story, I looked forward to how it would unfold as it went along. There are differing opinions on what is truncated versus what is dragged out, but I really did not have a problem with any of it.
The cast themselves are nothing short of spot-on, and given the practical sets they are allowed to play in that makes it that much better and I am sure easier for them to fall into their roles. From Damon’s man-on-a-mission to Hathaway’s intense queen who is the true strength of her family and even Holland who shows some awesome character development, everyone is on their A-Game inside this film in that “rising tide raising all boats” kind of way. There is also a seriously great performance from Leguizamo as Eumaeus that should be taken into consideration when ballots are being cast next year.
There is no other way to say it: The Odyssey redefines the word “epic” and sets the bar for films of its ilk for generations to come. Without a huge powerhouse of a film outside of Denis Villenueve and Dune: Part Three come the end of 2026, this may be a two-horse (pun intended) race for all of the awards, but there may not be enough to go around. Just… WOW.