Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, starring Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Matt Damon, follows the Greek king Odysseus on his ten-year journey home to his family after fighting in the Trojan War, while facing dangerous creatures and angry gods along the way. Right from the opening scene, the visuals and sounds were incredible. The massive scale of the IMAX cinematography along with the booming sound design are consistently amazing throughout the entire runtime. It is especially insane when you realise the movie was shot on actual IMAX film cameras, which are so heavy and complex they can usually only shoot about five minutes of footage at a time.
However, at almost three hours long, the movie just felt too long at the start. Because Nolan goes right into a heavy backstory without much explanation, having some knowledge in Greek mythology is basically required to avoid getting confused at the start. Even though the visuals and the sounds were incredible, the opening dragged so much that the people sitting next to me in the theater fell asleep.
Fortunately, the movie finally wakes up during the terrifying Cyclops scene. That moment completely changes the energy of the film. What makes it even better is knowing that no CGI was used for the movie, just practical effects. While the technical parts were always strong, this is where the story finally picks up pace and matches the quality of the visuals.
The film also succeeds because of how well it handles its characters among the chaos. For instance, the dramatic confrontation between Queen Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway, and her son Telemachus, played by Tom Holland, is incredibly well done. Hathaway shows the distress and fury of a mother left behind, which gives the audience a reason to care about the family Odysseus is fighting to get back to.
Ultimately, I highly recommend The Odyssey, especially if you are a fan of Greek mythology, but it requires some patience at the start. Even though the three hour runtime feels stretched in the beginning, the acting, visuals, breathtaking effects, unmatched IMAX scale, and sound design make it worth watching in the end.