Claudio Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (1640) is perhaps the best opera based on Homer’s The Odyssey that focuses on Odysseus’s return to Ithaca after the Trojan war. At the time, the work was unique and controversial. The compositions were crafted with more eloquence; trading booming arias for a softer and more personal presentation. Christopher Nolan’s passionate epic, The Odyssey, finds a kinship to Monteverdi’s work. The filmmaker uses Homer’s classic tale to reach inside the soul of a man questioning the viciousness of warfare and the fallacies of legend.
There are but a handful of working filmmakers who respect both the art of their craft and the old school style of the grandiose, star-studded, epics. Of the elders, there would be Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Ridley Scott. John Milius is still alive, but hasn’t made a film in decades due to illnesses. Each of these legendary directors has done one or more large scale films, infusing their respective works with the lessons learned from studying the filmmakers (and styles) of yesteryear.
This is not to say there aren’t great directors working today. There are quite a few, but with the ease of digital, anyone can make a movie. What is becoming lost is the craft. While a blessing to budding filmmakers with no “Dream Factory” connections, digital cameras are equally a curse when it comes to the art of making films. Digital uses natural light. There is less of a need to design within the frame. Such effortlessness removes the challenge of technique. Steven Soderbergh and Michael Mann are the rare exceptions; shooting most of their works digitally, but creating signature and recognizable lighting designs.
On digital, the equipment does the heavy lifting. The desire to “worry over” framing and lighting compositions is no longer a concern. Strapping a camera on one’s shoulder and making sure your actors are in the frame is all many of today’s directors need. With the exception of a chosen few, modern directors seem to have no discernable vision. The effect being that 98 percent of films today have begun to look identical. The craft of telling stories through carefully constructed visual motifs is fading into a digital darkness.
Out of respect for the purity of his profession, Christopher Nolan made a proclamation to always shoot on film. Speaking to DGA Monthly in 2012, the director stated, “I’ve felt increasing pressure to stop shooting on film… but I’ve never understood why… it’s far better looking, it’s the technology that’s been known and understood for a hundred years, and it’s extremely reliable. I’ve just carried on making films in the way that works best…”
Nolan may be considered part of the “newer” generation of filmmakers, but his style and influences are firmly planted in the works of older masters. Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott, Fritz Lang, and Alfred Hitchcock are the directors most mentioned when discussing his favorites. Over his less than thirty-year career, Nolan has taken great care to honor his directing heroes by using what he learned from them, molding his own style, and designing his every work with invention.
After winning Oscars for the over-praised Oppenheimer, the director takes on his riskiest project to date. Nolan’s mastery for storytelling and character among a big canvas has never been stronger. Thirteen films in, The Odyssey finds Christopher Nolan at his boldest and most philosophical.
For those who didn’t pay attention in class, Odysseus (a tremendous Matt Damon) was once King of Ithaca, ruling fairly alongside his queen, Penelope (an excellent Anne Hathaway), eventually having a son, Telemachus (a great Tom Holland).
King Agamemnon (Bennie Safdie, in the coolest costume of the film) and brother Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) charge Odysseus with leading an attack on the city of Troy. Yes students, the Trojan Horse; one of the film’s most gripping sequences. The story of the Trojan Horse attack was actually found in Virgil’s Aeneid, the tale of Trojan hero Aeneas, who fled the fallen Troy and went off to build Rome.
As Odysseus sets sail with his army and helps the Greeks to victory, he and his men become lost on their journey home, where they battle monsters, magic, and the wrath of the gods.
Ithaca has fallen on dark times. Most fear the King dead, causing a multitude of hopeful suitors to hang around the kingdom in hopes of wooing the Queen and becoming the new king. The men drink and eat and completely disrespect all that Odysseus and Penelope have built.
The most villainous of the suitors is Antinous, a sniveling bully who seems to be the strongest contender. Robert Pattinson is quite good in the role, but the actor seems to be in another type of film. Where the large cast adds humanity to each performance, Pattinson is pure “bad guy”, always snarling and ready to throttle anyone who crosses him. The actor gives a good performance, but the work is drowned by too many greater turns.
Inspired by Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s poem, Nolan’s screenplay paints the troubled king as world weary. Odysseus was a revered king and commander of armies. Now, years away from the family he loves, he begins to question the meaning of what they have done, manifesting a self-imposed purgatory. Longing and heartbreak have befallen Odysseus. Determination has turned to doubt. He MUST get home to Penelope and Telemachus, where he will have true purpose once again.
The emotional precision of Nolan’s screenplay brings deeper understanding to the classic characters. Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway give subtle, nuanced, performances. As Odysseus, Damon looks inward, using his deep eyes and older features (Lest we forget, the actor is now 56) to convey emotions. The film’s style is not the place for Charlton Heston-styled bellowing of majestic dialogue.
Hathaway matches her co-star in restraint. As Penelope stays inside the kingdom, fearing the consequences of her husband’s death, Hathaway doesn’t overplay the drama. The actress is quiet and steady in portraying Penelope’s strong reserve; a ruse to keep her safe and one that hides worry and sadness.
While Nolan’s attention to character and emotion is forefront, the filmmaker doesn’t fail the story. The mystical parts of Odysseus’s journey are front and center.
Polyphemus, the cyclops, is marvelously detailed in one of the picture’s most exciting moments. The great performance artist-actor Bill Irwin plays the cyclops as a lonely monster who eats humans without hesitation. As the men try to escape without being devoured, Polyphemus becomes something metaphorical regarding the futility of war.
Samantha Morton is a chilling part of another nail-biting sequence. The actress plays the witch, Cerce, who curses Odysseus’s men. The moment is terse and suspenseful. What transpires would make Cronenberg and Hitchcock stand up and cheer.
Hoyte van Hoytema’s 70mm/IMAX compositions are incredible. This is the first narrative motion picture to be shot entirely in IMAX. Nolan and his cinematographer capture the scope of Odysseus’s longing, as it becomes reflected in the vast loneliness of the sea. From the blackness of a Hades where fallen soldiers find no glory, to the sunbathed beauty of Calypso’s (Charlize Theron) seaside home where she keeps Odysseus beyond his memories, The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan’s most sumptuous film to date.
The supporting cast does great work. Zendaya brings an ethereal peacefulness to the goddess Athena, while a traumatized Helen (Lupita Nyong’o) has not yet found her way to Aphrodite’s charms. Mia Goth and Corey Hawkins make a meal out of their smaller roles, as a “double agent” servant and a would-be suitor, respectively.
Two shining jewels are John Leguizamo and Elliott Page.
Leguizamo is the blind man, Eumaeus, a former slave who is a trusted friend and mentor to Odysseus. The actor finds strength and heart within the broken Emaeus, leading to a quite moving performance.
Elliot Page is equally strong as Sinon, the brave soldier who tricks the Trojans into accepting the famous horse. His path will be different from that of Odysseus, as the gods have other plans. Page finds Sinon’s warrior spirit, ultimately becoming a symbol of lost valor.
With a deconstructive eye, Nolan goes behind the mythology, casting Odysseus as a man who begins to see that the spoils of war are useless, when the victors lose sight of the real enemy. In a surprising parallel to 2026 America, Some men only concern themselves with how future civilizations will remember them. Others only live for their victories and power.
Modern audiences have been cultivated to fear the epic, which gives studios pause when deciding to green-light pictures longer than two hours. With the rare exception, pop culture entertainment is the predominant genre that always gets a pass. Peter Bogdonavich penned a book about cinema titled, Who the Hell’s In It? Moviegoers in 2026 ask, “How the Hell long is it?”
Fear not a picture’s length. Focus on its substance.
The Odyssey towers over today’s cinema as a passionate and stirring epic, made in an era where Hollywood shudders at the mention of the word.
Wrapped in an entrancing ambient score from composer Ludwig Göransson, this is the finest version of Homer’s classic tale. With supreme care and skill, Christopher Nolan has crafted a monumental cinematic achievement.
The Odyssey
Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliott Page, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, Bill Irwin, Himesh Patel, Lupita Nyong’o, Corey Hawkins, Mia Goth, Will Yun Lee
R, 173 Minutes, Universal Pictures, Syncopy
