**** THE ODYSSEY. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, Himesh Patel, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, and more.
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One cannot talk about The Odyssey without addressing the 70mm buzzword that is “IMAX”. For the average plebeian, IMAX is a type of film format that uses bigger film stocks to produce a bigger and better image. But is this just another Blu-ray? Is an IMAX ticket really worth the extra R50? And how do you spell Oddyssessey anyway? To answer these important questions, WeekendSpecial dispatched their number one Gen Z writer to see Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, at Ster-Kinekor in all its IMAX glory.
Ancient Context
In case you haven’t read the book in the +/-2800 years it’s been out, the premise of The Odyssey sees Odysseus (Matt Damon), king of the fictional island of Ithaca, returning home after the decade-long Trojan War. However, this homecoming takes another decade as Odysseus and his crew encounter all manner of storms, Gods, and mythological monsters.
The first two-thirds of the film are a series of self-contained but connected sequences that explore each of these encounters. Each encounter is narratively and visually distinctive which makes the film’s three-hour run-time fly by. Although some parts of the original are omitted, the most iconic aspects, such as: the Cyclops, Calypso, Circe, Scylla and Charybdis, Sirens, and the big wooden horse, are here.
The artistry of a technophobe
Nolan’s opposition to CGI led to the vast majority of the film’s effects being practical; the results of which are visually extraordinary and give this epic tale a Nolan-esque sense of realism.
The encounter with the Cyclops, Polyphemus, in particular, feels like short horror movie complete with a brutality befitting of ancient times. The practical effects and sound design are extremely immersive, giving an unsettling degree of believability that has one wondering if such beasts truly existed once upon an ancient time.
After escaping Polyphemus, Odysseus and his crew reach the island of Aeaea, the reason for proper nouns being banned in Scrabble and home to Laestrygonians – giant, armour-clad cannibals. What follows is an action sequence straight out of 300. It’s this kind of variety in tone, action, and visuals that makes The Odyssey so compelling.
Synths and sirens
The film’s soundtrack was composed by Ludwig Göransson, who recently collaborated with Nolan on Oppenheimer. The score for each encounter fits the landscape and tone expertly. The black sands of the underworld is accompanied by an eerie and avant-garde synth track with a mix of 808 bass and otherworldly choir chants, whilst the ancient setting is reinforced by folkloric instrumentation featuring lyres and the ancient aulos.
Some of Göransson’s dramatic scores, however, feel like being on a very exciting roller-coaster that only goes up. Certain battle scenes have music that only ever escalates in intensity, capturing the violence and drama, but never resolving.
The oddity
The Odyssey’s only glaring imperfection is its sporadic use of contemporary language. Telemachus (Tom Holland) asking, “When will dad be home?” seems like it will be followed by, “Because he said we’re getting takeaways,” which takes the audience out of the grandiose adventure.
A must-see blockbuster
The Odyssey is intense, epic, visually varied, and narratively compelling from start to finish. If you’re looking for a character drama like Oppenheimer and don’t care for fantasy then this might not be the film for you. But if you’re interested in mythological blockbusters (or grew up reading Percy Jackson) then this is a must-see. Would it be worth seeing if it wasn’t shot in IMAX? Yes, absolutely. However, with a resolution that’s 3-4 times better than 4K displays, IMAX is undoubtably the best way to view it. Seeing is believing and believe me, you have to see it.
What: The Odyssey
Where: Ster-Kinekor cinemas
WS
