Christopher Nolan The Odyssey Film Review: Whenever a film of Hollywood’s greatest magician and master of lighting the brain without any pill, Christopher Nolan, is released, such an atmosphere is created among his fans in India as if a big festival has arrived. By the way, common Bollywood fans like me regularly sit down with dictionaries and time-travel books to watch Nolan’s films, and never know when the past, future and present will come together and spread raita! After making films like ‘Inception’, ‘Interstellar’ and ‘Oppenheimer’, Nolan this time has jumped straight into three thousand years of Greek history. He has brought the film ‘The Odyssey’ based on Homer’s story.
Simply put, ‘The Odyssey’ is not a film that screams to tell you how many billions of rupees have been spent in making it, rather it is a very emotional and surprising story of a warrior’s return home which has the power to blow your mind without any unnecessary science-fiction. But has Nolan, who has always made complicated films, been able to entertain the Indian audience this time? Will this pairing of Matt Damon and Tom Holland be able to get your money back in theaters or on OTT? To know this you will have to read this review till the end.
Story
The story focuses on Odysseus (Matt Damon), the great warrior and king of Ithaca, who is trying to return to his home after the end of the Trojan War. But fate has something else in store. Odysseus has been away from his family for 20 years, out of which he has been spending 10 years just to reach home by sea. Why? Because along the way he encounters dangerous sea monsters, witches, as well as some of his own big mistakes that repeatedly block his way back home.
On the other hand, in Ithaca, Odysseus’s home, his loyal wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and her young son Telemachus (Tom Holland) are struggling with a different dilemma. Considering the king missing, many greedy and vicious people are circling like vultures to capture his palace and marry Penelope. Whether Odysseus is able to overcome all these dangers and reach his wife and child safely or not, this is the real story of the film, to see which you will have to go to the theater and watch this film.
How is the movie?
If you are looking for suspense like ‘Inception’ or ‘Tinet’ in this film, then you may be disappointed. This time, Nolan has left his old habit in which he used to show the audience that he has brought something different and unique. Not only this, the pace of the film is a bit slow in the first 40 to 45 minutes, which may bore our Indian audience a bit. Because here thriller means an explosive twist and the sudden entry of the hero every five minutes. Nolan has given a modern touch to this old story, but in the first half when the hero wanders on different islands, the story becomes very dull at many places. It seems that brother, take the issue forward, for how long will you keep swimming in the sea? Looking at the slow pace of the film, it seems that Nolan has completely missed the mark this time, but then the real drama begins and we are convinced that Nolan has once again done wonders on screen. But without any comic relief, this three and a quarter hour long film can tire the lovers of Indian masala films.
direction
Christopher Nolan’s biggest strength is that instead of creating a fake world sitting in front of a computer (CGI), he relies on using real sets and practical effects in front of the camera. He has done the same in this film also. When the scary one-eyed ‘Cyclops’ (monster) enters the film, looking at him it seems as if a scary painting has come alive. One gets goosebumps watching horror scenes shot with real props without any major VFX. In fact, looking at all these scenes, it seems that Nolan should make a pure horror film now, he will cut corners in that too! The cinematographer of the film has shown the sea not as a beautiful picnic spot, but as a very dangerous swamp, which doubles the fear of the scene.
Read this also- Dhamaal 4 Box Office: Dhamaal 4 needs so many crores to be a HIT, on the other hand Ajay Devgan made waves in overseas also
acting
Matt Damon (Odysseus) Has given the best performance of his career. The character of Odysseus is that of a cunning and cunning person who knows how to avoid betrayal and deceit and can also play tricks himself if needed. That old innocence on Matt Damon’s face and the vicious cunning hidden behind his eyes add charm to this role.
Tom Holland (Telemachus) has finally got freedom from that latex suit of Marvel’s Spider-Man and he has proved that he can act strong even without blowing webs in the air. The pain and anger of a son who wants to prove himself by coming out of his father’s shadow has been portrayed very well by Tom.
Samantha Morton (Sirsi) The screen presence he has shown in a small but very scary role is one of the best supporting roles of this year.
Before the release of the film, some experts on social media had expressed their displeasure over why a black actress (Lupita Nyong’o) was cast in the role of ‘Helen’, even though it is a Greek story. But the interesting thing is that none of the actors in the film are real Greek and yes, Lupita has completely silenced everyone with her acting.
See it or not?
No matter how great a director Nolan becomes, one of his old habits is clearly visible in this film too and that is that he is unable to give depth to the women characters. A brilliant actress like Anne Hathaway was placed in the role of Penelope only so that she would sit in the palace and wait for her husband to return and bear the burden of pain given by other men with tears. The script remains completely silent on what is going on in his own mind, what are his desires. This is a cliché that Nolan has not been able to get out of even after so many years.
Overall, Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is not a film that you can watch to pass time while chewing popcorn. This is such a cinematic journey, which demands your complete attention and time, keeping the mobile aside. Even if you don’t feel completely connected to Odysseus’s violent past, Nolan’s storytelling and his impeccable craft won’t let you take your eyes off the screen. Nolan always says that ‘don’t try to understand’ his films, just feel and this film is the best proof of his advice. If you are a fan of Nolan and want to taste a classic Hollywood cinema, then this is a masterpiece for you. But if you are a fan of South and Bollywood masala films then this film is not for you.
Leave a Reply