from the series Movie Corner…
5/5 Stars
Universal Pictures 2026
Adventure/Dark Fantasy/Adventure Hero
By HOWARD MCQUITTER
I anticipate a Christopher Nolan Film (Memento, The Dark Knight,
Interstellar, Oppenheimer, The Prestige, Insomnia, et cetera) will be memorable.
The Odyssey is no exception. Nolan avoids using Computer Graphic Imaging
(CGI); applauded by many who are fans of his work.
It is Nolan’s version of the ancient Odyssey story that is estimated to be
about 2,700 years old and written by the Greek poet Homer sometime between
the 8th or 9th century BCE (Before Common Era). Some modern historians
believe the long oral story may have been by more than one person. Be that as it
may, Nolan makes The Odyssey a most passionate, riveting film, larger than life,
an extraordinary adventure journey, a cinematic wonder, and all done on 70mm
entirely in IMAX.
Odysseus is a war-torn warrior, away from his wife Penelope and son
Telemachus for 10 years. He hasn’t seen his son since he was an infant. That
absence from his family comes at the end of the Trojan War. All together he has
been gone 20 years from his home in Ithaca. Odysseus’ journey back home is
treacherous: fighting enemy soldiers, nearly being swallowed in a sink hole,
facing near death for him, and his men from the Cyclops and more challenges. A
hand on Odysseus’ shoulder is Greek goddess of wisdom, warfare, and
handicraft, Athena, the one friendly source throughout his dangerous ordeal.
While Penelope at times gives up ever reuniting with Odysseus, Telemachus just
wonders if his father is even alive. Eumaeus, a pig farmer for the elite Ithaca,
who is blind in Nolan’s version, but not in Homer’s, seems to be anticipating
Odysseus’ return.
Odysseus is a man not only war-weary, but he is reflecting on what’s been done
and what’s going to be done. He has plenty on his mind. He cannot rectify the
many losses and the hope of returning home with no guarantee of that return.
Cast: Matt Damon (Odysseus), Tom Holland (Telemachus), Anne Hathaway (Penelope), Robert Pattinson (Antinous), John Leguizamo (Eumaeus), Lupita Nyong’o (Helen/Clytemnestra), Elliot Page (Sinon), Samantha Morton (Circe), Jimmy Gonzales (Cepheus), Corey Hawkins (Polybus), Iddo Goldberg (Amphimedon)
Director: Christopher Nolan.
Screen Writers: Christopher Nolan and Homer
Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema
Composer: Ludwig Goransson
Editor: Jennifer Lame
Running time: 172 minutes. Rating: R
Howard McQuitter II is a longtime movie critic. He has been reviewing movies for the alley since 2002.
