Starcast: Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Himesh Patel, Jupiter Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, John Leguizamo, Zend...
Starcast: Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Himesh Patel, Jupiter Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, John Leguizamo, Zendaya and Charlize Theron
Director: Christopher Nolan
Anyone familiar with Greek mythology and The Iliad and The Odyssey will know how Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey will end. But not too many will be aware of what Odysseus, the great Trojan hero, the King of Ithaca, may have gone through as he dwelt on the aftermath of the Trojan war. How his "magical trick" the Trojan horse got the Greeks to enter Troy by subterfuge in the name of the goddess Athena and the subsequent plundering and destruction of an entire city and its innocent inhabitants. Odysseus realizes only too late that he alone is the reason an entire civilization was destroyed and that no matter what he does neither the gods nor he himself can forgive him for this cardinal sin.
The film, released at a time when the world has been witnessing two wars at different fronts, has some relevant messages for us. War is not the answer or solution to problems. It destroys peace and leaves an unending trail of destruction which no amount of whitewashing can erase from memory.
Anyone familiar with Greek mythology and The Iliad and The Odyssey will know how Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey will end. But not too many will be aware of what Odysseus, the great Trojan hero, the King of Ithaca, may have gone through as he dwelt on the aftermath of the Trojan war. How his "magical trick" the Trojan horse got the Greeks to enter Troy by subterfuge in the name of the goddess Athena and the subsequent plundering and destruction of an entire city and its innocent inhabitants. Odysseus realizes only too late that he alone is the reason an entire civilization was destroyed and that no matter what he does neither the gods nor he himself can forgive him for this cardinal sin.
The film, released at a time when the world has been witnessing two wars at different fronts, has some relevant messages for us. War is not the answer or solution to problems. It destroys peace and leaves an unending trail of destruction which no amount of whitewashing can erase from memory.
The Odyssey takes off roughly from where Wolfgang Petersen's 2004 Troy ends, with the Greeks winning a hard-won victory. However, instead of gloating and enjoying the spoils of war, the Trojan heroes have to pay a heavy price for what they have just done.
King Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) has gone back with his wife Helen (Lupita) to Sparta where they live in uneasy calm; Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) returns to Mycenae where he is murdered by his wife Helen's furious twin sister Clytemnestra (Lupita again); but Odysseus (Matt) and his men keep getting off course in their journey towards Ithaca. They face the Cyclops Polyphemus whom they blind only to incur the fury of his father Poseidon who causes a great storm. Henceforth they have to deal with one peril after another, from giant Laesteygonians, the witch Circe (a subtly brilliant Samantha) to even going to Hades, encountering Charybdis, Scylla and the singing Sirens.
Having slaughtered the cattle of Helios for food, the remainder of his crew perish at sea with only Odysseus remaining. He lands on Ogygia where the nymph Calypso (Charlize) keeps him ensnared for seven years fed on lotus flowers till he remembers his past and wants to return to Ithaca.
The Odyssey is not just about Odysseus's journey back home. It's also about the trials of his beloved wife Queen Penelope (Anne) and her eternal wait for her husband, dealing with an empty throne and hordes of suitors. Led by the odious Antinous (Robert) they are bent on her remarrying and doing away with her son Telemachus (Tom).
The Odyssey is not just about Odysseus's journey back home. It's also about the trials of his beloved wife Queen Penelope (Anne) and her eternal wait for her husband, dealing with an empty throne and hordes of suitors. Led by the odious Antinous (Robert) they are bent on her remarrying and doing away with her son Telemachus (Tom).
A magnificently mounted masterpiece of deft storytelling and brilliantly executed action sequences, Nolan does a swell job of showcasing Odysseus's quest for redemption. Matt Damon in the titular role is perfect as the self-disparaging war hero who longs for forgiveness, his home and his family giving one of his most powerful performances of his career. Anne Hathaway as his long suffering wife matches him in histrionics as she keeps her suitors at bay for years on end with her tact and wisdom.
You simply love to hate Robert Pattinson for his rousingly roguish portrayal of Antinous. Tom Holland, however, puts in a rather listless performance as Telemachus. Zendaya flits in and out of the scenes as a luminous Athena who is visible only to Odysseus. Charlize makes for a stoic Calypso, ethereal as the nymph pining for Odysseus's love despite knowing he belongs only to Penelope
Brushing aside all the controversies of having Ellen/ Elliot Page as Sinon and a black Lupita playing Helen andc Clytemnestra along with modern jargon abounding in the dialogues, Nolan's labour of love at 3 hours needs a patient watch, but is worth every minute of its long run time. You can't help but give a standing ovation as the credits roll at the end.
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