The Odyssey

“No rating site is a perfect gauge of public opinion, but I believe that Rotten Tomatoes is about as accurate as it can get. Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, which is the cumulative rating of all audience ratings, has Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey rated at a 96 percent, or a 4.8 out of 5 stars. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say people loved the Odyssey. But why? The production and cinematography of the Odyssey is literally unprecedented, its visuals emphasizing the importance of viewing in an IMAX theatre. This points to Nolan’s Odyssey purely for commercial success. To truly discover the purpose of Nolan’s Odyssey, its themes in relation to Homer’s must be distinguished. More importantly, the lack thereof. Christopher Nolan softened themes and points of view of the Odyssey to ensure its success.

Odysseus’ character within Nolan’s Odyssey contrasts with Homer’s to be functionally distinct. While both Odysseuses start in the same place (Troy) and have relatively the same actions, the initial breakpoint between these two heroes is the characterization of the crew. After the escape from the cyclop’s island  (in Nolan’s Odyssey) Odysseus’ crew pushes against his leadership, sidelining him. Nolan’s decision for this confrontation is where the two characters diverge. Nolan’s Odysseus accepts this critique and changes addressing his crew on an equal level. This confrontation never happens in Homer’s Odyssey, and Odysseus’ crew remain effectively his underlings. Nolan’s change not only removes the hubris from Odysseus, but makes him humble. Without his hubris, Odysseus is the perfect leader; someone that the audience can easily root for for being a good guy. 

The second big disconnect between these Odysseuses is at Circe’s Island. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus frees his men then sleeps with Circe for a whole year before Odysseus gets bored and decides to leave the island. In Nolan’s Odyssey, Circe is used as a mirror to push an anti-war narrative that characterizes Nolan’s hero. Circe holds a mirror to Odysseus by showing him the trauma of actions akin to his. She exemplifies the innocents corrupted from the pain and destruction of pillaging and war. In this way Circe represents Odysseus’ confrontation with the impact of his actions, where he is forced to acknowledge the barbarism of his crew. Odysseus’ recognition of the barbarism implies he exists on a higher moral ground than his crew and thus the rest of the soldiers by Odysseus’ refusal of the food and showage of hospitality. This adds onto Odysseus’ intense focus on reuniting with his family, because his only care was getting home rather than extorting Circe for supplies and sex. Nolan’s Odysseus no longer has the hubris nor the infidelity complicating his person, leaving Odysseus as a shiny perfect husk of a character. 

Odysseus’ goal of reuniting with his family destroys Telemachus’ journey to manhood, the anti-war narrative in Nolan’s Odyssey, and the baseline characterization of Odysseus. In Odysseus’ confrontation with the suitors, he removes Telemachus’ agency to control his own house. The issue of the suitors gets solved for Telemachus, who gets left with the immensely sour nobles. Yet Odysseus’ solution makes zero sense in relation to his supposed character development. Right before the climax, Odysseus has an epiphany where he comes to terms with the evilness of war and conflict. Immediately after he tries to slaughter every single suitor in his house. The total disconnect between the two can only be resolved if Odysseus realizes that war has not, in fact, changed him, and that war is natural. Sadly, the way in which Nolan’s Odysseus goes through the massacre removes the last bit of similarity with Homer’s Odysseus. Odysseus, whose whole point is that he is the most cunning, uses his brute strength to string this bow and kill the suitors. His plan to hide away the weapons doesn’t succeed, which (to a certain extent) contradicts the idea of his intelligence being his greatest trait. The only remaining bit of Odysseus’ character is his devotion to family, which is emphasized by the injuries which he takes removing the suitors from his home. There no longer exist any themes outside of Odysseus being a perfect man and a good husband and father.

The key revelations which hit Odysseus throughout his journey are simplistic and agreeable, which brings up the question: why choose these simple ideas out of the complex ones of Homer’s original Odyssey? Focusing on simpler themes makes the Odyssey a nonradical movie; the audience's views are not challenged upon consuming the media. Thus Nolan’s Odyssey’s purpose is to show how awesome Odysseus is (if it is appropriate to call the character in Nolan’s Odyssey Odysseus, given the immense difference between Nolan and Homer’s versions of the character.) The Odyssey as a product cannot be enjoyed by small groups; it must be able to be enjoyed by all. It  leans into the safe idea of a perfect Odysseus, which sells more than a complex and prejudiced character. The simplifying of Odysseus’ character indirectly forces audiences to focus on other aspects within the movie, yet because of the simplification of the story itself, the focus is driven to the cinematography. Christopher Nolan created an easy-to-digest story with breathtaking visuals, which just so happens to emphasize a return to theatres given the stylistic shooting approach. In short, I believe Nolan’s Odyssey is in essence a product rather than a piece of art. The emphasis on 70mm IMAX creates a rare commodity in just seeing the movie, which increases the commercial value of the film as a whole.