THE ODYSSEY

Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Himesh Patel, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Corey Hawkins, Samantha Morton, Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page

Homer’s The Odyssey may have felt like a daunting task to read in your English class. Don’t let that stop you from enjoying Christopher Nolan’s adaptation which is a staggering work for everyone involved. See it on the biggest format you can. The entertainment industry rarely makes movies of this scale anymore. It’s refreshing to see the quality and care put into The Odyssey, as it reminds you of the power of filmmaking to transport you to a different time and place and make it look tangible and relevant to today.

Matt Damon leads a rather large ensemble as Odysseus. The Trojan War may be over, but this is the beginning of the story for Nolan as he finds Odysseus, the once king of Ithaca, on a journey back home to reunite with his wife, Penelope (Hathaway) and his son Telemachus (Holland). It’s been eight years since the fall of Troy, and Penelope is losing faith that she’ll ever see her husband again. There are plenty of suitors at the castle including Robert Pattinson’s Antinous who is ready to marry and become King. Telemachus believes his father is still alive and sets out on his own dangerous journey to find him. Christopher Nolan tells this in non-linear order to showcase the life Odysseus had before the war, his plight as the captain of his men, and his arduous journey back home with visions of the goddess Athena (Zendaya) and the mysterious Calypso (Theron).

Here’s my review