Translation can be a beast. In order to come up with a faithful yet fresh take on a tale a few millennia old, so many needles need to be thread. Not the least of all period-accurate costuming. And many the gods save you if you cast one person out of place. Ultimately you must go with your gut on the choices you see fit. However, Christopher Nolan isn’t one to listen to overly pedantic whining on the internet. He was too busy with a 60-foot animatronic cyclops to wield.
All this is and more awaits those you haven’t seen his adaptation of The Odyssey. Which, judging from the $125-plus million-dollar haul this opening weekend, I guess not many stayed away. For those who did, let me catch you up to speed. Spoilers for the 3,000-year-old story, Matt Damon (in one of his finest performances) plays Odysseus; king of Ithaca. After defeating the city of Troy and winning the war, he and his crew set sail back only to be beset by peril at every turn.
The usual suspects (the aforementioned Cyclops, a witch, a trip to the underworld, sirens) are all present). Under Nolan’s direction, there is a less direct approach that leads an air of mystique over the more fantastical elements. I remember, back in 1997, NBC had a miniseries version around the time I read Homer’s book. That interpretation utilized a lot of CGI, hip for the time however makes everything from sets to characters look rubbery. Not in Nolan’s world, men can be turned into pigs effortlessly and giants can tear you in half. Hades and Calypso’s island are places you can vacation to if you so desire. Just beware you don’t overstay your welcome.
As is the case of all of Nolan’s projects, the cast is stuffed with as many A-list actors as he can muster. Aside from the mains, my personal favorite was John Leguizamo as servant and counsel Eumaeus. A magnetic and underrated actor, he has been the go-to for period and literary film; from Moulin Rouge to Romeo+Juliet. Here he is one of the first people we meet and what an impression he leaves. I will not be surprised if he gets many supporting actor nominations come award season.
In a superb run of this year’s acting turns, Anne Hathaway brings her stoic fury to queen Penelope as she fends off wolves at her banquet tables night after night. Wise to the ways of these men, her cunning resolve is all she has between her son and her kingdom being overrun. Tom Holland’s Telemachus wants to help and lead, however is still inexperienced despite his tutelage.
Much has been discussed about Lupita Nyong’o’s casting as Helen of Troy. However, my only gripe came when I realized that she would also be playing her sister Clytemnestra. Nolan, for the most part, carefully edited the flashbacks to avoid confusion. Because we know, all too well, how good Lupita is at playing dual roles (see my US review).
The fact that this wasn’t a story about the gods didn’t faze me in the slightest. Apart from Zendaya’s portrayal of Athena (who is the only god who really matters to the story), Nolan seems more concerned with what we humans are doing in the world. Odysseus, in a way, created his own atomic bomb in the Trojan horse. This gorgeous rendition, black against the morning sky, sticking out of the sand as the tide washes out. Its presence reminds us of the burning plane at the end of Dunkirk or the black box of the machine in The Prestige, seeds of our own destruction. War, for Nolan, is not always about glory. Sometimes a piece of our ourselves is lost in the interim. Much like our hero, the question reminds: How long must we wander before we find our way home?
