After conquering the Oscars with Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan looked to the ancient past to slay his next filmmaking giant. His target was the Greek poet Homer and his legendary epic about a fate-filled journey home. Facing unreasonably high post-Oscar expectations and entrusted with a famously difficult-to-adapt story, Nolan nevertheless defied the odds (and the gods) with The Odyssey, adding yet another masterwork of epic filmmaking to his unrivaled resume.
The Odyssey is a fantastical saga rooted in Greek mythology, but Nolan takes a grounded approach to the source material, emphasizing the human emotions inside the larger-than-life story. At the center of that story is Odysseus, the long-suffering king of Ithaca, who is desperate to return home following the Trojan War. He faces many obstacles both during and after the war, hiding inside an enormous wooden horse to storm the city of Troy, coming face to (single-eyed) face with a giant Cyclops and surviving the deadly song of the Sirens, just to name a few.
Nolan brings these breathtaking moments to life as only he can, using practical effects, on-location shooting and a seemingly divine mastery of light and composition to create some truly indelible images. However, what makes Nolan’s version of The Odyssey exceptional is the human drama that anchors everything else. Matt Damon is no doubt the biggest piece of that anchor, delivering what is possibly the greatest performance of his career as Odysseus. Not only does Damon physically transform himself into the muscle-bound king; he also taps into Odysseus’ tormented inner life, conveying the unspoken doubt that consumes him on his journey.
Damon’s on-screen prowess is matched by fellow Nolan regular Anne Hathaway, who previously worked with the director on The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar. Hathaway elevates the role of Odysseus’ wife Penelope into a fully three-dimensional character, her portrayal mixing quiet elegance with cunning resourcefulness and fiery defiance.
The rest of the film’s A-list cast is stacked with talent, but among the many standouts are John Leguizamo as the blind servant Eumaeus, Samantha Morton as the beguiling sorceress Circe and Robert Pattinson as the smarmy, smooth-talking suitor Antinous. They are just a handful of the dozens of characters who occupy a space in Homer’s vast and intricate epic, which unfolds via shifting timelines and a circuitous narrative that nestles stories within stories.
Adapting such a long and winding tale is certainly no small feat, but Nolan strikes a perfect balance. Then again, he has had plenty of practice, having drawn inspiration from Homer many times before. From the nonlinear structure of Memento to the arduous journey home in Interstellar to the morally conflicted protagonist of Oppenheimer, much of Nolan’s career has been built on the foundation of Homer’s long-enduring epic. By making The Odyssey, Nolan has embarked on a kind of cinematic homecoming, finding his way back to the story that has always driven him forward.
