I usually struggle with afternoon movies. At an old job, I worked from 5 am until 1 pm, booked a 1:30 pm showing at AMC, proceeded to fall asleep, only to perk up, having little idea what was happening in the story, with regularity.
So, deciding to see The Odyssey for the first time at 2:00 pm on Wednesday might not have been my best idea. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, surely, especially the climactic final hour. But with Christopher Nolan, half the story falls in the first few frames, and I wasn’t all there.
I liked the film my first go-around, but it floored me on the second, just a few days later. Any hesitancy in buying into Nolan’s world, which was very present at first, went away, and I simply became absorbed in one of the most iconic stories of all time.
Soon after, I realized that The Odyssey is not alone in this evolution from first to second viewing. It is simply an indispensable trait of all of Nolan’s movies. To see his work once is to experience it, but to see it twice, is to understand it.
–
For me, newer to Nolan’s filmography than others, that goes back to Tenet. Released during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, a majority of people saw that film at home. I am not one to criticize, but that experience was fundamentally different than the one I had, pilgrimaging to a half-empty theater with masks on in what felt like a dance with death.
But while others critiqued sound and story — namely that they missed some key dialogue — I was blown away by what I saw and heard. Yes, the story was complex — heck, even the lead star openly said he did not understand the script — but that should be seen as more of a feature, rather than a bug.
Fast forward to January 2024: Tenet comes back in IMAX 70mm, and, suddenly, a majority of people start to see the film the same way I did, as his hidden masterpiece. That is in part because of proper presentation, but even more so, because much of the audience probably already knew the ending, and, as a result, exactly what to watch for at the beginning.
–
Nolan’s films can be convoluted or challenging to understand. But from another point of view, they are incredibly intentional. On a first viewing, the scope and scale of the storytelling is arresting. In that, it can be a challenging puzzle to figure out where that intention lies, in what line of dialogue, character trait or story thread.
But, on a second viewing, when the surprises have been unveiled and the awe diminishes ever so slightly, the audience knows where to look. And, in doing so, they start to understand and appreciate, or at least I do.
–
The Odyssey has so many of those moments. Initially, I was confused by one of Odysseus’ actions, only to realize that the foreshadowing of it happened within the first act. Secondly, the film relies on two key mementos, both of which are left behind by characters before Odysseus’ voyage to Troy. On the first viewing, I did not know how significant these items would be, but on the second, I saw exactly how Nolan weaved them into the fabric of the story itself.
What I find especially incredible about Nolan’s filmmaking is not just what is new with each viewing, though, but what stays the same. Even when I know how the film is going to end or what the characters will do, the tension of their decision-making never fades. I got goosebumps or tears in my eyes with each of The Odyssey’s biggest moments each time.
That is because this is not traditional blockbuster filmmaking that relies on hype, nostalgia or cameos to generate those emotions. It does it through good old-fashioned storytelling, and things that we all relate to: courage, loss, faith and family.
It is more akin to poetry or a favorite song. Things that speak to the soul no matter how many times you listen to or read them.
–
Now, of course, this is still a blockbuster, and presentation certainly heightens those emotions. Everything on-screen feels real, and in large part, that is because it is. Do not think for a second the audience does not recognize that.
The IMAX format — I feel incredibly lucky to have seen this film twice in IMAX 70mm — is, obviously, top class. I had to stop at numerous points and remind myself that someone, or something, was rigged up with a 300-pound camera and climbing a mountain in Morocco to make all this happen. It is simply incredible when you think about it.
Ludwig Göransson’s score is another Oscar contender. Just as Nolan employs mementos, he employs motifs, from Penelope’s breathy woodwinds to the thunderous strike of Odysseus’ bow pluck. It is no secret I am a huge fan of his work, and this is some of the very best.
I do not love a fair amount of casting here. It is not Tom Holland or Zendaya’s best work, particularly when Spider-Man: Brand New Day is sitting in theaters right alongside it. But, others, such as their MCU counterpart Jon Bernthal and John Leguizamo, are surprisingly right in their place.
But, no one stands out more here than the man himself, Matt Damon’s Odysseus. He is simply incredible, every bit as dutiful and powerful as he’s expected to be. And, in the film’s final few moments, he feels like a Bronze Age superhero.
–
While The Odyssey is making headlines for its controversies, stunt doubles and sold-out tickets, it, like all of Nolan’s films, is most memorable for its storytelling.
Thematically, just as with Oppenheimer, this is about a man confronting what he has done to the world, and living with both the triumphs and the burdens of that. Like Interstellar, it is ultimately about family, and the lengths a father will go to be with his kid again.
As with Tenet, its end depends on its beginning. And, yes, Odysseus’s combat skills seem to have come from The Dark Knight himself.
So, this may be Homer’s story — perhaps the very best ever told — but The Odyssey is very much a Christopher Nolan one. And it’s another Best Picture contender too.
Leave a Reply