This Christopher Nolan fantasy action epic is based on the ancient tale Odyssey by Greek poet Homer. After ten years of war, King Odysseus (Matt Damon) sets sail for Ithaca, desperate to reunite with his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway). His journey home is treacherous beyond imagining … hence the run time of almost three hours! (Did somebody say, restrict fluids?!)
The star-studded cast goes well beyond Damon and Hathaway, with Tom Holland, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Lupita Nyong’o, John Leguizamo (!) and Benny Safdie amongst the others thrown in for good measure.
Nolan’s legacy and this cast are at the heart of the significant buzz in the lead up to release about how great this film is. DOES IT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE?! … this is what everyone is asking!
For me, heck yes it does. This is EPIC. I loved it.
While watched in IMAX Melbourne - more on that here for movie nerds - I was pondering if I’d recommend seeing it at IMAX specifically, as Nolan intended. For most of the film I thought, nah, give me a reclining seat for this one where I can have a comfy chair for a three hours of intensity and I’ll pay the price of a smaller screen. But then … hooo boy … the thunderous crescendo of the film that was SO exciting made me think, oh there is definitely something special about this experience in this particular type of cinema. You do you, my friends.
The Odyssey is spectacular film making that most, though not all, will love. For example, the friend who slid into my Instagram DMs when I posted about going to the Melbourne premiere asking if they’d like it when they’re a “Billy Elliott and Four Weddings & A Funeral sort of gal”… the answer is, nahhh. But if you love epics, big names, classic stories and/or restricting fluids to prevent mid-movie loo trips, then this is for you! Go forth!
The Odyssey opens on Thursday 16 July, runs 172 minutes and is rated M. Trailer here. (FIFTY MILLION views of a trailer ain’t bad!)
PS - the friend I took to the premiere didn’t love it as much as me. He agreed it’s epic, cinematic brilliance but the story didn’t float his boat. And on that note I’ll say this - you do really have to pay attention as there’s a LOT going on. I probably need to see it again to pick up things I surely missed.