WARNING: Spoilers ahead…on a story 2.5 millennia old.
Finally got around to watching it this weekend. After the Mt. Everest sized stack of cash it made and all of the glowing reviews, honestly, it was pretty underwhelming.
First thing’s first. The dialogue was AAAAAAAAAWFUL. Seriously? What the hell? It sounded like I was listening to dialogue written by a small team of junior high students. And not the junior high students that take honors English. I was fine with the choice to do American accents, although I would have preferred British accents for a movie like this cuz it just sounds classier. But that wasn’t it. It was the actual words used by the actors to communicate to each other. It was just so dumbed down and sounded so boring and basic. I’m assuming it was a choice made on purpose to maybe connect with as many modern English speakers as possible, but it largely killed the film for me. I was actually kind of shocked how bad the dialogue was in this movie.
Another thing that kind of bothered me, although not nearly to the same degree as the dialogue, was over-acting. I felt like there were some performances that were dialed up a little too much. To the point where it kind of took me out of the film because I felt like I was watching an actor trying to shoot for an oscar a bit too hard. I think the main culprit on this one was Anne Hathaway. Alternatively, I think there was also an issue of under-acting. I’ll get to that below.
Pacing. Despite having 3 hours to tell the story, I kind of felt like some things were skipped over too quickly. Other things that they spent too much time on could have been shortened to allow more time for things I think deserved the time more. Scenes didn’t really punch the way I thought they should. In the book the scene where he comes back after 20 years and his dog is still alive but dies as he touches it and it recognizes him is really impactful, but it was just kind of glossed over in the movie with little to no emotion from Matt Damon. Same with Odysseus finding out Calypso had trapped him on the island for years. Not a lot of emotion there. Actually, I think the only scene Damon really sold was the siren scene. He did the opposite of over-act for most of the movie.
The film looks great. Gotta give it that. The cinematography is solid. And I’m not saying the film was bad (other than the dialogue which was truly awful). I just don’t get the massive hype. Honestly, I still prefer the 90s made for TV version with Armand Assante. I think the dialogue was better. The acting was better. The pacing was better even though it’s almost exactly the same length as this new version. And they did it without the star-studded cast the new film has. Obviously the new version has better special effects, and I do think overall better cinematography. I acknowledge maybe there’s some rose-tinted glasses thing going for me with the 90s version as I grew up with it.
I guess I’d give this new version a B. Just a mid-range B. With a special handwritten in red ink note in the margins that the dialogue is an F.
Ok, crucify me now.
EDIT: You know what, I’d like to add a few things I did like, beyond the cinematography. I liked Odysseus’ monologue about the siren’s song. I liked his monologue about his point of view of his role in the war when he’s talking to his wife. I liked that Athena ended up being a ghost of someone he watched get murdered at Troy (although I do not like Zendaya as an actress).
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Can’t argue with lack of taste. The movie was phenomenal and if you don’t see it, it’s because you don’t want to see it.
Tom Holland and Zendaya have 0 range. Every single movie they play the same people. Especially Tom Holland ruined the immersion for me. He sounds like a GenZ teenager.
I’m on board with everything here except:
The cinematography is solid
It was utter garbage lol, and I’m glad I didn’t drive several hours to a real IMAX theater when the lieMAX theater already showed how awful the cinematography was.
The scope and framing was crap, the lighting was dogwater, the color grading was dogshit, the scenery and setting was ass, the CGI was blatantly noticeable but at least not as awful as the Avatar sequels, and the audio was nothing special and just earrape in the theater I was in (could be film, could be MJR).
I got MJR’s Tuesday special and I still want a refund for the 3 hours wasted on this film lol.
I could go on a much, much, much longer rant about how awful this film was but the takeaway here is that:
- A lot of these problems are generic to Hollywood, so this film is a B/C but it would have rated a solid F even 20+ years ago.
- The Odyssey’s connection to human society is archaic and a relic of the past (8th century BCE, Greek) which is why modern authors jokingly refer to it as a long winded story with no real meaning, as if Homer was just an old dude telling a never ending story. Hence why it’s almost pointless to make a film version of the story without significant adaptation or changes, which Nolan chose to do in the worst way possible (wtf is Zeus’s law? where tf is Poseidon, the dude actually responsible for the plot?).
- Go watch O Brother, where art thou? instead.
The Asylum presents: The Odyssey was surprisingly not completely awful. It wasn’t good, for sure, but it looks like they actually tried.
Source: I accidentally downloaded it while looking for the real Odyssey
I went to this movie for three things: the spectacle, the cool sounds, and watching serious actors act seriously. It delivered on all those fronts when I watched it.
I had a similar reaction to Oppenheimer. It felt like a 3 hour long trailer. Every scene felt like a cut scene, with no real sense of progression. It was amazing visually, but that was pretty much it. I was simultaneously over stimulated and bored by the end, if that’s even possible.
All my friends were surprised that I preferred Barbie to it. (We did the double feature Barbenheimer thing.)
“It felt like a 3 hour long trailer.” I was having a hard time explaining how I felt after watching it but this pretty much describes my reaction perfectly. So much happened with so little depth, it was the quickest three hour movie I’ve ever watched. I generally like Nolan films but I hated this one, was just waiting for it to end. Also, the acting felt so bland, like everyone was just reading script for the first time.
brother where art thou was a much better oddessey, biggest issue with Nolan’s (of which there are many) imo is the limitations brought by using full imaz, due to bulkiness of that film they have to cut every 30-60s. turning the original epic into a tiktok reel
My wife and I made it a fun week, she showed me Epic the Musical then we went to see the Odyssey.
It was about the first 30 minutes in by the time we wanted to walk out. Not because it was bad, but because it was boring.
Seriously if you want to watch a good Odyssey, watch the fan compelations of Epic the Musical. 1000000% more entertaining than this
Someone should do a classy British dub where all the characters have the thickest Geordy, Glaswegian, Scouse and Norn Irish accents.
Visually it was great.
The acting was wooden and underwhelming.
The sound was poorly mixed, being both too loud and not loud enough.
That’s 2.5 hours and $10 I’m never getting back.
Sounds like most big budget movies these days.
The sound was poorly mixed, being both too loud and not loud enough.
Also known as the Chris Nolan Special
Also known as mixing for dynamic range
Sums up most Nolan movies for me. Look good but that’s about it. Actually screw that they don’t even look that good, mostly grey and washed out.
I liked the acting but I can understand why some people would think that way.
Nothing about that movie was stunning. I’m not sure what the hype is for.
nolan never skimps out on marketing
“My dad is coming home!”
- Spider Man, The Odyssey 2026.
The first time he said “dad” my girlfriend turned to me and said “dad?”
Then we quickly realized the direction the movie was going as far as vocabulary. That we were getting a classic tale told using modern vocabulary. I’ve seen that in other movies and it’s not a dealbreaker for me. But that modern vocabulary combined with just badly written dialogue did not sit well with me.
And I don’t think Tom Holland was the right person for the role. Which is also my opinion for a few of the other actors in the movie.
Then we quickly realized the direction the movie was going as far as vocabulary. That we were getting a classic tale told using modern vocabulary. I’ve seen that in other movies and it’s not a dealbreaker for me. But that modern vocabulary combined with just badly written dialogue did not sit well with me.
I’m not going to try to convince you to like the Odyssey, but you may want to revisit your reasons and biases for disliking it. Ever heard of the “Tiffany Problem” or “Tiffany Effect”? I think you’re experiencing it in regards to the dialogue here.
“Dad” is recorded in writing as early as the 1500s, and some linguists believe it predates that. There’s nothing “modern” about the word.
We need more Romeo + Juliet like takes.
That was the line from the trailer that convinced me the move wasn’t worth watching.
haven’t watched it, probably won’t. i watched dunkirk and tenet, and got the feeling nolan lost his mojo. i just find myself sitting there realizing “this movie is not making me particularly give a shit what happens next”
crucify me too
He still had me at Dunkirk for the most part. I don’t even remember what happens in Tenet.
No one is sure what happened in Tenet
He had a good run, but yeah, he lost it. By lost, I mean his brother didnt work on these new ones with him, right?
Pretty based take.
Speaking for myself, I found it bland but entertaining for most of the ride. Then the last act hit wherein Dr. John Odysseus morbs all over the suitors with his Odyssey skills and I lost all fucking respect.
Might as well have been branded like the cashgrab Marvel movie it turned into near the end.
Be curious of your take on “The Return”
It’s the last third of Nolan’s film but is twice as amazing at times.
Ok. So what the actual shit is with a room packed with dudes getting morbed by a single dude using a bow and arrow INDOORS? I was actually laughing at that part. In a remotely realistic scenario Odysseus would have killed one MAYBE two of them before they swamped him.
Both the 90s tv movie and the book are a little fuzzy in my mind cuz it’s been a long time for either for me, but I’m pretty sure in both of those Odysseus had gotten word to the servants still loyal to him regarding his plan and they helped morb the shit out of all the baddies. It wasn’t him doing it alone cuz lolz no way.
Too many swords in the movie. Swords are rich people propaganda. Back then your main weapon is the spear.
