321, The Odyssey

Since I saw the first teaser trailer for this (what feels like absolutely ages ago) I was excited for this movie.  

Growing up as a kid I was a huge fan of Greek Mythology and my regular go-to book was a collection of short stories - covering many of the most famous tales so, to see this one made into an on-screen Epic, by Mr Hollywood Blockbuster himself (Christopher Nolan), I knew we were in for something special.

For those who are not up to speed on their Mythology - Odysseus rules Ithaca, and being Greek - was called upon by Agamemnon (Supreme Commander of the Greek Forces) to join him in the siege of Troy - initially as revenge for Paris (one of the son's of Troy) running of with Agamemnon's brothers wife - Helen (married to the Spartan King, Menelaus).

Although the story of Troy focuses more on Achilles - It was Odysseus who came up with the idea of the Wooden Horse - and as such, Troy's downfall - and that is where this movie starts.

The Odyssey tells the story of the 10yr journey home for Odysseus from Troy, and after such a long time away - back in Ithaca, tensions are mounting as wife (Penelope) is getting closer to having to take a new husband - much to the anger of Odysseus' son Telemachus, who needs to stand tall against a vile hoard of wannabe suitors to not only defend his fathers honour, but try and stake his own claim on the throne should his father not return.

This is a movie of two halves, edited together beautifully.  We have the actual return journey for Odysseus and his crew with all the horrific events that befall them and back at home - the in-house struggles of Penelope and Telemachus trying to maintain some element of order in an ever increasing hostile environment.  

The movie is broken up with flashbacks to the battle of Troy, to Ithaca in present day (and pre-war) plus Odysseus recalling parts of his journey and his home life while in the hands of Calypso as well as real-time events of the journey home so although it jumps around a bit, following the story never gets tricky and the 2hrs 52 minutes absolutely fly's by.

You cannot fault the cast line up gathered for this movie.  Matt Damon is phenomenal as Odysseus and on his side - Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as Telemachus are both fantastic.  Elliot Page plays Sinon - one of Odysseus' soldiers who is crucial to the Wooden Horse Plot and on their journey home they encounter Charlize Theron as the 'Siren' Calypso and the Witch, Circe - played by Samantha Morton, who provides one of the two gut-wrenching scenes of the whole movie.

Jon Bernthal plays the jilted Spartan King, Menelaus and Zendaya is Athena - Goddess of Wisdom and Strategic Warfare who appears only to Odysseus at certain points offering guidance and opinion - all that leads to helping Odysseus in his journey.

I mentioned the scene with Circe as gut-wrenching - and I wont spoil it, but if you know your Greek Mythology - you will know what her powers are.  The other scene you cannot avoid is the Cyclops (Polyphemus).  

Shot using a combination of CGI enhanced towering animatronic puppetry (that looks sensational) it's an awesome scene, actually filmed on location in Nestor's Cave - located in the Peloponnese region of Greece, with a 95 foot caverned ceiling, the cave itself is actually linked to several Greek Myths, originating at the same time - how about that for realism!

Everything about this movie is epic - from the real ships, the on-site locations and the thousands of extras - opting for large scale practical effects and techniques over green screen and CGI so you just know you are in for a cinematic treat.  I sadly was not able to watch this in IMAX format - however considering how good it was in normal cinema scale - I envy those who do!

To round of the cast we have a few other famous faces.  Back in Ithaca we have mentor to Telemachus and loyal friend of Odysseus, Eumaeus (John Leguizamo) and most notably - Robert Pattinson as leading suitor to Penelope, Antinous. (also a nasty piece of work!)

There is a little bit of artistic licence taken by Nolan on some of the plot ideas - there is less intervention from the Gods in the movie as there are in the prior telling's of these tales - but in no way does this take anything away from the story and I was glued to the screen for the entirety of the film.

I have mentioned, Calypso, Circe and the Cyclops as hurdles Odysseus has to overcome - but there are others.  We encounter Sea Monsters, but only in a fleeting, albeit jumpy few moments on screen that won't disappoint and the Laestrygonians - a Tribe of giant, man eating cannibals who our band of warriors unfortunately encounter on yet another resource gathering stop over.  It does feel most of the time, Odysseus and his crew are running for their lives, back to their ship on every island stop over!

We visit the Underworld, for some some dead solider conversation and advice for Odysseus on how to get home and the island of the Sun God (Thrinacia) where the starving crew are warned against easting the cattle - but of course, hunger gets the better of them.

The finale? (Spoiler alert) - well, Odysseus does make it home after all of that and the final scenes of him returning to his family, but having to fend off the desperate suitors is one of those movie moments where you get a shiver down your spine as Odysseus's presence among them is finally realised - and you just tee up for what is a totally awesome conclusion to this epic movie.

My only reservation - considering the Wooden Horse itself was made up of shipwrecked boats and driftwood - it was an absolute work of art!  other depictions have it as a rough and ready horse on wheels - but this thing could have been sculpted by Leonardo himself - a little unachievable for my taste considering the tools and materials they had available to them - but that's just my opinion.

Other than that, you can't fault any of this - from the breath-taking locations and realistic set pieces, to the historical relevance of the the locations and fantastic acting from everyone involved.  

No characters seemed out of place, over acted or non-relevant - some big budget stars having relatively small roles - all in the shadow of Odysseus himself and you just know, being a part of something this phenomenal was payment itself, just to be associated with this film.

I could go on and write more and more about this but I think that's enough for now.  Go and see it - even if you don't know anything about the stories, the flashbacks give ample knowledge for what you need to know and just the cast alone is worth the cost of the ticket and finally, don't wait for the streaming release - see this on the big screen - the bigger the better!

Want to watch the trailer?   Click below: