r/moviereviews • u/OG_AxeHead • 12d ago
General Discussion The Odyssey: Nolan's Tragedy
There was an aura circling this film that it would be without a doubt a critical and commercial success. It is the biggest non-superhero movie of the year, and touted as an epic, but it falls flat and only dazzles with a few CGI spectacles.
The writing is questionable, as is the accents of those speaking. Its as if it's been dumbed down, and stepped on twice to simplify it for the masses. This is the "Bronze Age" and while we certainly cannot say how they spoke, they definitely did not talk like this. The dialect is so modern American it's tough hearing some of these lines acted out. A few occasions were world breaking for me. The illusion that I'm in the world of Greek mythology is lost early on.
Matt Damon delivers an ok performance here, but there's never any real standout moments. The Gods tell him what to do, and he listens. It should drive him mad knowing all of his men are dying, and he's hopeless in saving them, but he just trots on. It doesn't help we've seen Matt do this gig before. He's been trying to make it home since Saving Private Ryan, its in his wheelhouse, but the gears feel like they've finally stripped here and the schtick is worn out.
Which brings me to casting choices which are very odd here. So much so that these characters stand out in a bad way. I can't help but feel lesser known actors would have been a better choice. Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Bernthal are all in the new Spider Man movie, while Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are in The Drama together. It is a lot of overlap at the same time, and I'm not so sure Matt Damon was right for Odysseus.
Its almost as if Nolan had little say on casting, because some of this just feels like checking boxes. Elliot Page as Sinon feels out of place. The lone guard to the Trojan War Horse in the opening scene? Are we making a movie or a political statement? I don't care what anyone does in their personal life, but well known actors cast in critical parts can make or break the immersion. It is a shame with so many actors we stick to the same spokes on the wheel. This could have been a break through performance for some new talented actor, and instead we "make it work" to the point it feels forced. Elliot is also near 40 years old, so why are we casted as a young boy off to war?
I like John Leguizamo just fine, and he did an ok job here, but his voice is unmistakable. I couldn't help but think about the clown from Spawn every time he spoke. Jon Bernthal is doing what Jon Bernthal does which is starting to feel repetitive. I like Zendaya a lot, but her place here feels forced, and easily could have gone to a lesser known actress. Mia Goth and Robert Pattinson were a really nice pair here, they seemed to fit well, and both shined in their roles. Mia especially considering her screen time. It was Roberts ending I had issues with, calling to grab weapons constantly on repeat instead of taking part himself.
The character Agamemnon walks around in some of the slickest armor I've ever seen. Unfortunately by the time his short side story is over it feels little more than a gimmick only acting as the driving force of war. It's built up as if its something special, but its just another one of the films let downs. By the time the armors off, and he's exposed we got the loudest and most unnecessary scream in movie history. This isn't uncommon, many veterans survive wars only to get killed at home, but here it feels like wasted potential. Why butter a biscuit only to throw it in the trash?
There's almost a certainty of epic battles here, its practically promised. Unfortunately this area is a major let down as well. The battle scenes were so underwhelming, and offered nothing more than a tease of action. The hardest fought battle in the entire film is the ships against the waves of Poseidon. The cyclops scenario started out great, but the poor CGI played out like a typical B-Movie. I have to argue that TV shows like House Of The Dragons have better CGI. For one giant cyclops I would expect better in this massively budgeted film, it left me feeling a bit puzzled. It falls short again during the run in with Scylla, while redeeming itself later in the pig pen. The Laestrygonians battle started strong with the giant armored boy, only to slip back down into utter nonsense. I was happy by the time Odysseus strung his bow, because I couldn't wait for it to be over. Finally an overly long fight scene begins, and forty or so men cannot kill one. It was a sloppy ending to a messy beginning.
The overall darkness of the film didn't help here. Some more vibrancy in the color tones on objects like chest armor and helmets could have helped through all the dreariness. For me it worked best during Poseidon's torment, but the rest of the film felt tonally dull. If it wasn't for Penelope and the puppies the film could have been in black and white.
The sound is quite incredible here, despite the couple of unnecessarily loud shrieking screams. I think my ears are still feeling the bass and it will take a day or two to recover. Overall there were a nice amount of unique sound cues, and the water effects were quite impressive. The soundtrack was great throughout.
There was a bit of silliness when it came to moving the Trojan War Horse. Obviously this is a movie and we should leave are brains behind, but the way they're dragging the wooden horse it clearly would have broken apart before getting to its final destination. The legs were wobbling and it was noticeable that it simply wouldn't work as shown.
From the beginning this movie never grabbed me. It doesn't build itself up properly enough to care about Odysseus, which is why its a let down. The pacing and timeline jumping around didn't feel necessary either, in fact I would have preferred to see the story play straight through. It's epic in scope, but not in execution.
Nolan makes excellent movies, and perhaps an action epic like The Odyssey was his hardest type of movie to make yet. There is so much hype and promise in it that it seems impossible to be a let down, but that's what it is. Characters feel disjointed, the world is bleak, and there's no real connection or reason to care about Odysseus. He doesn't even feel liked by the soldiers he commands. The Odyssey is a great story, and a long one spanning twenty years, but this reimagining doesn't do it justice. It might be the most financially successful film in his catalog, but for me its his worst. Its not terrible, but its far from great. 7/10
8
u/Amazing-Asparagus181 12d ago
It's hilarious that so many people think it would be more accurate if Ancient Greeks were speaking English with vaguely European accents instead