The Odyssey | Film Review

 

After the Trojan war, Odysseus (Matt Damon) begins a perilous journey back to his family.

I was really looking forward to this film. I've read the book, so I was familiar with the story, and I heard amazing things when it came out. Despite not being the biggest Nolan fan, I thought I'd probably enjoy this.

But I really didn't expect to love it as much as I did!

There are so many great things about this movie I don't even know where to start. This is the first film that I've seen in IMAX and I'm so glad I got to experience it that way!

One point of apprehension before seeing the movie was the length and pacing, given that the movie is almost three hours. But the pacing is so good that you really don't feel that runtime. You're invested and locked in from the second it starts, and because there are so many characters that we need to hear about, you're never stuck in one place for too long.

There wasn't anything I'd cut out. There are a few scenes that I maybe would have shortened, but other than that everything was exactly as it needed to be.

There's a lot to be said for the performances. In my opinion, the vast majority were amazing, there were so many standouts. If I'm giving out Oscars, Damon's name would already be engraved on one, but there are definitely others that will be in contention and with good reason! Himesh Patel is someone who definitely isn't getting enough attention for my liking!

The story itself was told so well. As mentioned, I've read the book so nothing that happened was really a surprise, but this is a really interesting retelling. The way we go back and forth, and get so much time with so many characters, is just fantastic.

There's a great mix of genres here, including horror, which I didn't expect but really loved!

I really enjoyed the mythology and all of the fantastical elements. I was curious about how these could be used and interpreted, as the story outside of these moments appeared to be quite grounded, but it worked really well. The magical elements fit right into the main story, nothing felt out of place.

And with that, the visuals were also amazing. Whether we're looking at scenery, magical creatures or costumes and make-up, everything is just stunning. The locations were amazing and all felt incredibly real, the costumes felt authentic and there's not one thing that pulls you out of the movie.

For me, the last third is where the film really comes into its own. Everything that happens to wrap things up just leaves you with so much adrenaline and excitement!

And then there's the ending, which surprised me in the best way.

So overall, this is probably my favourite film of the year so far. It's definitely worth seeing in the cinema, but even if you don't, it's so worth watching! And I expect we'll be hearing a lot about it come Oscar season!

9/10