In Theaters: "The Odyssey"

THE VERDICT: ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST | ★★★★★
Adventure · 2h 53m · Rated R · In Theaters Everywhere
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Robert Pattison

The Setup: After the Trojan War, Odysseus begins the long, dangerous journey home to Ithaca, crossing paths with the Cyclops, the Sirens, Circe, and other mythic threats along the way.

The Odyssey is nothing short of spectacular. Christopher Nolan takes one of the foundational stories of Western civilization, the archetypal hero’s journey, and gives it renewed urgency without dismantling its traditionalist ethos. He weaves modern ideas about the guilt carried by soldiers into timeless themes of civility, duty, fatherhood, and the clash between idealism and pragmatism.

The world Nolan creates is grounded and physical, but it remains at the mercy of the gods. Their presence manifests through trauma and justice, but also through crashing waves and bolts of lightning. Nolan seems interested in whether human beings are truly the captains of their own destinies, but he appears to want it both ways: Odysseus is shaped by his choices, but also by forces far beyond his control.

Nolan is working at the height of his powers, balancing a star-studded cast anchored by a rugged Matt Damon with panoramic locations and breathtaking set pieces. His penchant for telling stories in fragments actually serves the episodic nature of Homer’s tale. Each mythical encounter feels like its own adventure while still pushing Odysseus toward the home he has spent years trying to reclaim.

The film feels both modern and in conversation with classic cinema, particularly the sword-and-sandal B movies of the 1950s. That influence is especially apparent in Nolan’s reliance on practical effects, which give the monsters and battles a sense of playfulness that’s rare in recent popcorn flicks. Ludwig Göransson’s score, which uses tactile sounds like clashing metal and breaking wood, gives the film an otherworldly vibe.

As in most Nolan films, the dialogue is at best unremarkable and at worst jarring. But this bothered me less and less as the narrative unfolded because Nolan understands something primordial about cinema: It’s a visual medium, and everything else is secondary.