My Thoughts on Nolan's The Odyssey

[00:00:01]Oh, hello. If you are watching, um, thank you because you have probably either donated to my Patreon or are doing a YouTube membership. So, I just wanted to thank you for my support because, uh, yeah, it means a lot.

[00:00:16]Allows me to do kind of stuff like this.

[00:00:17]So, today uh it is currently midnight right now and I just came back from seeing Nolan's The Odyssey by Homer.

[00:00:28][laughter] And uh yeah, I'd like to share my thoughts on it because um yeah, it's uh what what did I say here? I said my thoughts on this movie are complicated, which is what Emily Wilson in her uh her translation of the Odyssey says. Odysius, let me tell you about a story about a complicated man. And that's that's kind of this movie for me.

[00:00:51]We we'll get into it, but yes, um I'll have a non-spoiler section and then I will go into spoilers for both the movie and uh for this 30,000y old uh poem, you know, you know, like if you're going to get spoiled by like Homer is the Odyssey, it's kind of late, you know.

[00:01:12]Um, so yeah, I will I will have a defining point where I'll start talking about spoilers. Um, just for I'm looking over here because I have notes. Um, just for some background, uh, I would call myself a big fan of Homer. I've read, um, like the Iliad and the Odyssey. I've read a couple different translations of it now. Like, uh, my introduction was Emily Wilson's translation, which I think is a very great translation. uh despite some critics of it. Um it's a great translation. Some of her renderings of of u of Greek is is very beautifully done. Um, and then I've also listened to Robert Fagel's translation, which the the audio book has, at least for the Odyssey, has um Ian Mckllen, who I know as uh Gus the theater cat, you know, [laughter] uh and cats, also known for Gandalf, probably probably better known for Grant Gandalf. Um I I recommend those translations. They're very good. And um yeah, and and just I also tell people just read a bunch of different translations after reading it once all the way through because you can get different it's a it's a poem that was in there poems that are in Greek. So you'll never really fully grasp the original original meaning unless you know Greek.

[00:02:33]So oh by the way [laughter] like how I just went right into this. I am uh I went to the movie theater like this.

[00:02:40]Here we go. Let's see. I am a I'm in my like my This is a a kiten. This is a kiten which is a traditional ancient Greek dress. This is basically like the t-shirt and shorts of ancient times. Um which would be worn by men and women.

[00:02:59]It's very flowy, very comfortable. I spent all day uh wearing this kiten. I went to a a thrift store like this and I went to get pizza like this and I went to the movie. Absolutely nobody remarked on it. Like nobody cared. [laughter] Nobody cared which I thought was really funny. Um it would just people just like did not bat an eye at this. So which I think is really funny. So you can dress up like an ancient Greek and nobody would care. It you understand here. I'll get into the review. I promise. You look you paid for this so you you get as much of me as you want. um the the the clothing that like okay if you want Mediterranean clothing ancient ancient Mediterranean they liked flowy material because the ancient Mediterranean was hot and like sweaty. Um and you definitely feel that with this like when you're walking around you're like wow I am so cool like cool as in temperature- wise so you understand it. Um, I'll get into this with the movie where the movie like I am more historically accurate than anything in the movie to be honest the at least with clothing. Um, because yes, uh, I should get into the movie.

[00:04:04]Okay, thoughts on the movie itself. My thoughts are complicated. I would definitely say it's worth seeing. It is um, a gorgeously shot movie. It's uh, I Okay, I think some Okay, here I'll get into it. Some people I think will be my experience was I was very disappointed with some aspects and some choices of the movie and then really impressed with others. So it's a for me it's a mixed bag. Um definitely I'm thinking definitely more positives than negatives I think but some negatives are pretty strong. Um first of all it's an extremely wellsh shot movie.

[00:04:43]If you know Christopher Nolan he he knows how to shoot movies. He knows how to do like really gorgeous gorgeous sequences. Um, beautiful beautiful landscapes, beautiful um, just cinematography in general. Some good some good light like I don't know use of lighting um, and darkness and shadow just that you you expect that from Christopher Nolan. That's just that's part for the course for him. Um, okay. Uh, that's great. There there's some there's some improvements.

[00:05:13]Okay. I'm not I'm not okay. I'm not a person who believes something should always follow the source material. I think I I I I will probably talk and compare a lot with the original um Greek poem a lot throughout this this review.

[00:05:28]But let just know that like okay, if it's a if there's a change and it's a good change, that's a good change in my book. That's that's good. It's good. It doesn't have to follow if it's an improvement on the source material, it's a good improvement regardless. like following the source material is not does not mean something's great or good, you know, like if you follow the source material and it's good, that's good. If you don't follow the source material and it's still good, that's good, too. Um, so yes, what can I what other things praise? I really like the framing of the movie. Um, it is told this is kind of typical Nolan style, too. It's told kind of out of order. Um, lots of flashbacks, lots of flash forwards, lots of uh just you're you're jumping through time, jumping from character like not just only just from characters perspectives, point of views, but also in time. It's kind of a movie a lot about like remembering and storytelling. Um, which is very good. That's that's uh I will I will praise the movie that is very close to the source material. A lot of the Odyssey is characters remembering and characters retelling. a lot of a lot what a lot of people I would recommend reading the Iliad and the Odyssey.

[00:06:40]They're great. Um definitely worth reading. I don't know. Big big big big comments from me here. You should read the Odyssey and the Iliad. Um because they're good. Um a lot I think if you if you read them, you'll be surprised how much of the story is told in flashback.

[00:06:57]Um here I'm gonna put some images up real quick, too, so you have some some visuals, not just me talking. Um, here we go. We got some Odyssey images here. I'll put the poster up or I'll put the put the Trojan horse up. How about that? You get a little Trojan horse there. Um, please forgive me. Please forgive me if I'm uh a little a little disjointed here. I'm not I'm not used to the the movie review format. This might be this might be one of several takes. So, if you're watching this, that means I went with this take. Um, other positives. So, yeah, this the the story the way the story is told is very interesting. Um, there's some extremely great sequences.

[00:07:46]I I will say some of the if you're familiar with the the Odyssey um there's some set pieces, you know, there's some some epic epic fantasy uh like mythology scenes that are everybody knows about like I don't know this is not a spoiler.

[00:08:04]The Cyclops um uh the pig I don't know the Cersei the witch Cersei um going down to Hades to speak with uh Tyresius, you know. Um there like how he handled those sequences is awesome, you know, like I I think I think those sequences are handled extremely extremely extremely well in this movie and I think a lot of people will will praise them. They're just visually interesting. They're executed in a very cool way. Music um like pacing pacing is really good in them. Um so that's worth praising. Um let's see what else do we have. Um, I do like some of how the direction of the morality of the story. There's there's stuff that are uh that is not in the original source material or at least it's kind of downplayed in the original source material that it makes the odd the story of the Odyssey and the Trojan War more important, you know, like it's it is more narrative focus, more thematic poke focus. thematic postes like they're trying to say something bigger than the stories that what's just happening in the story. Um I did like some of that. I did like some of that.

[00:09:15]Um and there's some there's some good performances. I will say one of my favorite performances in the movie was um I I need to have a picture of of Robert Patterson here. Robert Patterson as um Intenuous does a great job. I don't know. Maybe I'm just colored by the fact that I like Robert Patterson just in general, but he does a pretty good job in this movie as kind of the [ __ ] Intenuous. Let me get a picture of him.

[00:09:44]Nolan. Um, he does a good good performance. Uh, to be honest, uh, we can start getting into the negatives to be honest. I Here, let me put him up here.

[00:09:59]Let's see. Where's my buddy? Where's my buddy? Uh, Robert Patterson.

[00:10:06]Here we go. Tenuous. Here he is. There's There's Robert Patterson as as Inuis.

[00:10:11]He's I think he's the standout performance of the movie. A lot of the other actors We'll start getting into my negative thoughts, non-spoilers. A lot of the other factors I think are either kind of blah, you know, like they don't give too too strong of a performance for me at least personally um or they're kind of bad, you know, [laughter] like like um like who Okay, uh Tom Holland ah he's kind of a we like it might be colored by the fact that I don't like um Telmachus and Telm in the source material of the Odyssey is not a super likable character. Um, Telamakus, for those who don't know, is is Odysius's son. Um, young son. Here, I'm gonna again pull pull up pictures of the actors while I'm talking about them. Um, so, uh, here I'll remove you, Robert Pat.

[00:11:12]You were Robert Pat, you're the best part of the your best um not best part but best performance I think in the movie. Um, yeah. Like, okay. Okay. Tom Holland as Telmachus.

[00:11:27]I didn't really I I don't really like Tom Holland in general as an actor. Um, and what he's in. I He doesn't doesn't Okay. In there's one movie he did really well in, I think. Um, The Impossible. He does. That's him very very young, but um, you know, he's kind of meh. Um, [sighs] uh, and Hathaway is all right as Penelope. Um, uh, if we want to get into Matt Damon, I don't know if Matt Damon does a great job as Odysius. I'll talk about this in the the spoiler section, but it might be the fact that uh he he just he doesn't he doesn't feel like Odysius. And that might be more of the screen writing than the than than the acting, the performance, but uh yeah, like there was a lot of I think there was a lot of kind of not super standout performances. And I don't know what where to put that that on if it's the actors or if it's the material they're having to work with. Um it might be the it might be the it might be a mix because I think like that's the thing is like Robert Patterson has the same material that they do but he I think he gives a stronger performance. But um yeah, that was another one of my criticisms. Another kind of for me is the I'm not the biggest fan of the dialogue in this movie. It feels clunky in some areas. very clunky in some areas. Um, very uh very uh yeah, I I I would say clunky. I would say clunky. Some of the dialogue feels like forced. Um like characters are just kind of like like telling telling you things. It doesn't flow in a natural way a conver like a conversation should. Um and then like o there were some cringe lines in this. At least for me, there are some cringe lines like um one of the lines that I wrote down as soon as I got out of the movie was our civil our civilization of bronze is collapsing and or or our civilization is collap like okay a big a big component of the story um is that the characters are kind of aware that they're living in the Bronze Age collapse. So they're and they voice that they're living in the Bronze Age collapse and you're just like that just feels really forced, you know, like when people talk like that. Uh when people talk about what they're living through like aware that their civilization is collapsing or it's just forced. It's forced and it kind of is like it it feels clunky. Clunky is the way to describe it because I feel this way about some of the dialogue about the mythological elements too. Um feel clunky. And granted that some of that is on the source material itself where like you need these characters to go places and in order for and they need to kind of be forced to go a direction. Um so that's a little that's a little you know the dialogue the some of the acting the dialogue not my favorite. Um, let's see.

[00:14:42]And uh, some of the stuff I'll save for the spoiler section. Some of the stuff I'll save for the spoiler section. There's some extra material that I think is a little weak, you know, like they there's a I will talk about this in the spoiler section. there are added scenes to the to the mo to the the story stuff that is not in the original source material and then stuff that I don't even think is in mythology because there's stuff that is added in that is from Greek mythology but there's also stuff in here that is added in that's from just just a movie original. Um and some of that is not my favorite cuz it it feels like busy work for certain characters. It feels like mini bosses, you know, like it feels like it feels like video game, you know, like mini boss. We need to we need to fill in some time here. Um, so, so yeah, like Okay, so Oh, okay. Before I move on, um, I really really am not a fan of some of the art direction. Um, some of the costumes, a lot of the costumes I'm not a huge fan of. Um, and I think I would say that, see, okay, people are going to yell at me here that I that I'm being poo poo, um, it needs to be historically accurate kind of thing. Um, I think I would say this even if we're it's not historically accurate, you know, like I I think some of the the the costumes suck. The costumes kind of just suck. Um, like God, look at look at look at look at Telmachus in here. Like it it just it like it just is not visually interesting to me. Um, and then it doesn't Let's see. Let's see if I can pull up Telmakus again. Um, yeah, we got like these kind of t-shirts and pants just kind of gray blah. Um, so there's that. I don't really like too many I there okay one some of the costume some of the costumes I will say like the Agamemnon um armor originally I was a critic of it and now I kind of am like this is pretty cool the Agamemnon armor is really cool just and how it's lit is is very nice in the in the story or in the the scenes I like his little Here he is aimed here he's got his little ponytail of of bones of of uh of of um vertebra and he's got his tall crest that I like. I I like there's some there's some con like his costume is probably like the only costume that I really like and everybody else I really don't like. So costumes is kind of like a blah for me because you that's the thing with it's coloring me here. That's the thing with ancient Greece and just with fantasy in general.

[00:17:36]you can just go hog wild with your with the costumes and what what you want car characters to dress as and stuff if you're not like if you don't care about historical accuracy just just go crazy then I think with this some they didn't go crazy enough like that's the thing is this is a good the Agamemnon armor here is a good level of crazy I just wish I wish we got more of it you know like I wish all the characters had armor that's kind of ridiculous um so costumes not the biggest fan like Calypso and her her fishnet thing. Like that's a it just feels like crappy Game of Thrones um Game of Thrones armor here. Like just kind of just lame. Like it's just just not super interesting, you know, in my opinion. Like you you have a lot of opportunity. And then second second, I really did not care for a lot of the sets. A lot of the sets. I did not care for a lot of the non naturalistic sets because a lot of this movie takes place outside or in a cave or on beaches. Um, a lot of the sets I did not care for like Ithaca and the interior of Ithaca and the exterior exterior and interior of Ithaca where it's this big. Uh, let me see if I can get a picture of it for us here. Um, I don't know. They just feel like ruins, you know? Everything feels like ruins.

[00:19:06]Like, this is a thing that a lot of movies and TV shows have a problem with is they depict ancient or historical buildings as ruins in this in the the time that they're supposed to be set, which is just not that's not how that works, you know, like they would be, I don't know, thriving thriving looking places. They wouldn't look like modern tourist attractions, you know? You walk into like a you walk into like a medieval castle and it's the walls are bare and they're stark and gray or everything is just just like blocks, you know, just bare blocks and they just don't feel lived in. Everything's faded, you know, like it that's not what these places would look like when you're living in them. People they just wouldn't look like that at all. you know, people would people when people live inside a building and especially if they're royalty or nobility or something like that, you make it look good, you know, like like you know, like I'm not living in like a place with like holes in the ceiling and and paint chipping on the walls, you know, like [sighs and gasps] it it bothers me and it's just visually not that interesting because they that's the thing is like the palace at Ithaca is based on um the interior I can tell as like archa archology nerd. It's based on the palace of Minos at Kosus or Konosus, however you want to say it. Um, but here's the thing is here I'm going to pull a picture of Nosus here. Um, here's the thing is that they make it here's Nosis.

[00:20:37]Like I'll pull a picture of Nosis. Um, a reconstruction of what Nosis would have looked like. Um, and you can tell that they're they're using this they're using these as as historical reference. Here's here's Nosis. So yeah, the interior of Odysius's home, Ithaca is his is his his house looks like this um in the movie, but but with all the colors gray and muted with the paint chipping and with stone on the wall like it will not look it does not look this beautiful like this chair like this throne. This is a very famous throne in the palace amino um which is it's an archaeological it's an object that's real um is is featured in the movie. These pillars are kind of featured in the movie, but all this color is just zapped out of the movie.

[00:21:21]It just is all drab and and stuff. So, [sighs] you you watch it and you're like, I wish you did not go with that art direction because this just looks like it looks like we're in like a bombed out ruin. It looks like we're in like like France, World War II, or or Stalinrad. You know, why are people living here? Um, it's just not the choice that I would have for it. and I just don't know if it looks good. Um, and just when you have something like this, I would love to see this reconstructed in people in this environment. That'd be just so pretty.

[00:21:54]That's Nolan's art direction. Fine. I personally just don't. It doesn't do much for me. So, yeah, clothing and some of the sets are just kind of not great. But the visual effects with a lot of stuff is very great. Like I talked about this when I was talking about the great the big sequences.

[00:22:12]um some of the mythological the effects look great for some of the mythological things going on. Um the battle scenes look good. Um just a lot of great visuals in there. So yeah. So okay, like I said for this this is towards the end of the nonspo spoiler section. We're about 20 minutes in. Um I would say for non-spoilers, it's a good movie. Very good movie. Probably very technically impressive. very um visually impressive.

[00:22:44]Um some great pacing, some great a great soundtrack. I I I neglected to do that.

[00:22:49]Great soundtrack, great sound design.

[00:22:50]Some of like the screams and sounds of creatures and special like I I like they sound good.

[00:22:59]So technically very impressive movie. I think some of the dialogue can be very weak and a little cringe is the way I I'll phrase it. Um, at least me personally, I don't know if it's great. Um, some of the performances are not my favorite from the actors. Um, but it's uh definitely worth seeing.

[00:23:22]Definitely worth seeing. I would recommend it. Um, for me, if I had to give like a rating to this, it would be like a I'm thinking like letter box rating. I'd say like this is like a seven or an eight, you know? like it this is a solid movie. I'd want to watch it again, you know, like I it's one of those movies I'm like I'm not I'd be interested to watch this again. Um and so so yeah, non-spoiler over. Let's go into the spoilers. So, so it's an adaptation of of Homer's Odyssey. I will say they uh they adapted way more stuff than I thought they would. Um they they like that's the thing is the Odyssey it's a very it's probably a hard story to adapt just for for many reasons. Um, for one thing is it's told in a really weird way where there's um, you're introduced to a character. You're introduced to Telmakus and you see um, Odysius's situation at home and then he tries looking for his father, looking for news of his father and then he's told a story by somebody and a fl and that's flashback and then sometimes there's a flashback within a flashback. You know, that's the thing is a lot of the story is not told um in the present. Most of the story is told in the past. And like what people think of as the big chunk of the story because I think a lot of people read read the Odyssey or at least a chunk of the Odyssey in in school is they assume the majority of the Odyssey is Odysius coming home and that's just that's not um that's not what the Odyssey is. It's not the a lot of the Odyssey is Odysius comes home probably what is it somebody I somebody once like showed it to me on like a thing like either it's a third or twothirds of the way through the book. So a big chunk of the of the story is Odysius in hiding at home which is a lot of people don't really think of that because a lot of times the adaptations have it wrap up very quickly. Um, so I will say the adaptation Nolan's honesty um does a very great job of kind of getting that weird flashbacks and and being retold and being remembered and being sung um storytelling aspect which is it's hard to it's I could see that being very weird to adapt. So um so yeah, a lot of stuff is adapted. A lot of stuff is adapted. I would say the great sequences of the movie, the best where the movie really shines is the parts where um okay, I wrote them down. We have the Cyclops, Polyphemis in his cave. Um Cersei and the pigs extremely well done.

[00:26:01]Oh my gosh, the C Cersei and her pigs scene is I where the part of the movie where I locked in there. Sometimes you're watching the movie and you're like, "Wow, I really I'm really digging this." And that's for me it was visiting Cersei. Um the retelling by um by Menaaus of the Trojan horse of the infiltration of um Troy and them hiding in the horse. Amazingly well done sequence. Great pacing, great sound design, great music. It's being I don't know. It's right here. You can see it right next to me here. This is the horse getting pulled in by the Trojans.

[00:26:37]Awesome sequence. And then just like yeah, the buildup of them trying to open the gates and stuff. Um that's a great sequence. The sequence in Hades is very good. I think how they depicted Hades.

[00:26:48]Um, Odysius has to visit Hades. He has to sacrifice a creature like a lamb or a sheep and they the blood and then they the spirits eat the blood and they can talk to Odysius. I think that's very well done. So that's very well those are some very well done sequences. I think those are where the movie it is at its best. Um, I will say where the movie it can be a little mixed is with the added material.

[00:27:14]Um, because the movie does feel does feel the need to add stuff. Um, they give Intenuous, like one of the lead suitors, a backstory. Um, that is uh, yeah, it's all right. It's all right. It gives him something gives him some type of connection to to Odysius as opposed to like no connection, you know, in the in the in the the source material, Odysius just shows up and he has no idea who these guys are, you know? He's like, "Who the [ __ ] are you guys?" Um, like I I guess he knows their family. But yeah, um, they added some stuff with Helen that was kind of interesting that Helen of Troy is scarred by the war, like physically and and mentally. Um, and there's almost like a little bit of a feminist reading with with Helen that uh that she uh that she re and this is that's the thing is I think I could see people being upset with this being like woke or something like that. In the source material, Helen is kind of aware that and part partially that she is she feels guilty a little bit for at least in in in some translations that she she feels a little guilty that she is responsible for the war and all this death and that is in the the movie as well. They chose they chose to expand on that. Um, one of the added source materials is like Intenuous sending bandits, like these rainy these guys, to go after Telmakus while he's away. And there's like a mini boss fight. There's like a stupid little action scene with Telmakus and Odysius in hiding. Not a fan of that. I think that sucked. I They the movie could have just gone without that. Um, I think they might have just wanted to have more action. So, that's some added stuff that I didn't didn't care for. Um, oh, added one big added thing is that they added sea people. You know, the sea peoples, the the the sea peoples every talks about um in the Bronze Age collapse, they added them in. Like that's something that's not in um Homer Homer's Iliad or Odyssey. Um se Okay, here's the thing. Se people are like a modern concept, you know. Okay, I'll have to explain this to you, Dave. they would not have been called the CP. Okay, for people that don't know, Bronze Age collapse the the Iliad and the Odyssey is takes place towards the end of the Bronze Age um and recounts somewhat real historical events like it seems like like there was a historical city of Troy um that was besieged and destroyed by an invading force. Um, and we now know archaeologically that that invading force probably was made up of Greeks, um, that are now known as the Sea People. Like, at least the Sea People is is what we call this confederation of warriors that went around that seem to have been destroying several cities in the along the the coast of the Mediterranean towards the end of the during the Bronze Age collapse. Um, they destroyed Troy. They destroyed Ugarit probably. Um, they destroyed they destroyed many cities. I'm trying to think of some of the other ones I know by name in my uh by heart. Um, here's the thing is this confederation of of warriors. They're kind of been this is they've been retroactively conflated together into a single group that is referred to as the sea peoples because they kind of came from the ocean. Um they they were a a a boat fairing people that the thing about the sea people is is that there probably were several they were not a single invasion. There are many sea peoples and they were probably never thought of themselves collectively as a group. Um the I the word sea people like the term sea people is a thing that comes out from the I think the late 1800s and I think it's a French translator a French historian the archaeologist just decided to call these groups the sea people because they were never called this in ancient times um they were typically referred to by their tribal name like the sea people they were the pleset charardana sheridan like um they had names they had these weird names that are most of them are otherwise historically unattested.

[00:31:31]So we have just have no idea where they came from or where this is where the mystery of the sele was like we have no idea where they came from or where they originated except maybe the pleset who probably came from cit as a as a uh they were like a g ethnically Greek probably people. Um so that's the thing. So this is there's a bit of a historical anacronism. This is a little silly when you think of archaeology. They would not have been called the sea people and they were not they probably like were call saying that they came from the sea you know I guess they came from the sea actually and we do actually have like letters in Ugar that are saying that like there's an enemy from the sea but like were those the sea peoples were those an unrelated group we don't know that's the thing is a lot of this is a lot of the Bronze Age collapse is weird and mysterious and a lot of our theories are like assume like people on the outside who are not archaeologists or historians assume assume them to be true where they just they probably they they they're too they're too neat and history typically is not neat. Um anyways, that was a roundabout way. The sea people are brought up in this movie like part of the part of the motivation for Telmachus and Penelopey to try to find Odysius or try to have Telmachus become king himself. Um are the are motivated by legends of the sea people. They're like the sea people are coming and they're ending civilization. Our civilization's ending. Um, which is a little silly because people in this time period like that's the thing is we have the hindsight of history to say that this was the end of an era. The bronze age was coming to all the trade routes, all the the the writing, the linear linear A, linear B. um we have the hindsight of history that these things are going to be abandoned and they're not going to come back for several hundred years after the Greek Greek dark ages. people then would not have thought that you [laughter] know like in the same sense that like Romans like Romans if you were to tell a Roman um that the Roman Empire is falling in 400 AD or something like that a Roman would have been like no it's not like the Roman Empire is not falling like we're we're still here like like there there's a little bit of like goofy like this is very goofy for me to see as a as an archaeologist person into history. um that people like you see ancient people that are like aware of like these distinctions that we're aware of like retroactively that historians have like created because like in reality like you know we have no idea what direction history is going like we're not sitting around saying that like oh the I guess people do say this about America they're like America's falling oh but like we're not aware that it actually is you know we're not aware like of these trends um so it's kind of goofy it's a little goofy fine. They do they they pull they they they use the sea people as like a metaphor, a thematic connection that I think is very very good. I think that's really cool because like again as archaeologists we know that the sea people were probably like the the heroes at Troy and the sea people in archaeology were probably one of the same. Like the that's the thing and that that's a cool revelation. I think a lot of people talk about that and the movie uses that like they're the whole movie they're kind of in fear of the sea people coming and destroying their civilization, destroying the Greeks or whatever. And there's a moment where Penelope and and Odysius are like we're the sea people. Like like us Greeks were the sea people this whole time. Like we were gearing up to fight people, but we are the invaders. We're the people that have gone and violated. the movie makes a big deal out of guest right in a way that I think the original source material doesn't. the original source material does care about guests, right?

[00:35:24]Like, okay. Um, they're making a bigger statement about humanity and society.

[00:35:31]Um, and I think that's very cool. That's a very interesting take to direct direction to take this in. Um, where I think so, one of the main themes of the story is that guest right is important.

[00:35:44]that taking care of strangers and the less fortunate and and um the weak and beggars and people that are destitute is very important. You should you should you should um it's the the the responsibility of the host of um of of all of us to take in guests and and and treat our guests well and feed them and clothe them and house them. And this was something that was very important in ancient times. You see this in the Bible with um story of Lot and the angels. Um and you see this in the the Odyssey with um with Odysius. He and his guys as a beggar. He he asked for guest right. Um Telmakus asked for guest right. Um Odysius tries to get guest right from the Cyclops and is rejected. Like it's an important part that like you should treat. This is where the the the the movie takes us in kind of I think a little more than what the source material does, which is neither good nor bad, you know, like I I I the movie has I think at one point they say you should treat others the way that you want to be treated, which is um kind of like it feels like a very Christian kind of thing, you know. Um feels like a very Christian modern thing. Um ancient times they had they had a version of that.

[00:37:00]Guestright was a version of that. But here's the thing about ancient times is they still had slavery and they still had nobility and commoners and stuff.

[00:37:08]And that's the thing is like when people say that like the Odyssey, Homer's the Odyssey is about taking care of the less fortunate and stuff like that. It's like it is to a point like that's the thing is Odysius when he is a beggar is a noble beggar. Like he is a beggar of a noble background. He is the son of Ducalon, a a king of Cree, you know, and and there's this idea in ancient times and in the Odyssey that yes, like you should treat people according to their station and it it it's about like your background, you know, like that that you if you're a noble, you deserve noble treatment. If you're a commoner or like a slave, you deserve that level of treatment. Um, and I think this is where people like overextend it. Like, you know, the this movie is making it about that like you should treat everybody the way that you should be treated, which is how I it's great. That's how we should do it today. Um, but in ancient times, no, no, they wouldn't they wouldn't have that. They wouldn't have that that that uh that sweet kind kind thing where you're like yes yes yes we should treat everybody equally and everybody kind and we need to extend like that's that's really not like the the Odyssey has elements of that. Yes. Like the Trojans and the Greeks like there is an element that we should treat each other as as respect with a level of respect even when we're at war with each other. But like that doesn't extend to to slaves, you know, that doesn't ex like like it's like they earn their lot in life like that kind of thing. Um but the movie decides to take that and expand on it and then expand on it like in a big way where I think a huge moral of the movie is they take guest right and extend it to the whole world all to humanity that all humans should extend the guest right to each other. Um, and that is how we keep civilization because yeah, like there's the the realization is that like really this the sea people who are destroying civilization are those who do not respect Zeus's laws. Guess right.

[00:39:09]Um, there's kind of like a very Christian a lot of this is very Christian like this is a very modern Christian morality, modern Christian religious kind of understanding um that they're kind of recontextualizing but it's fine. Um, so I did like that. I like that aspect that that they're trying to say something deep that the the taking of Troy itself was a violation of guest right because they they they the Trojans accepted this gift and were tricked by it and that's a that violates something about humans and and causes death and war and that we need to the the the key to keeping civilization whatever you know like society is we treat each other kindly and we don't do stuff like that. we we don't act selfishly. That's fine. That's good. I like that. I like that as a as a as a a theme for the story. Um, but here's the thing. This is my big hot take. My big hot take, if there's a hot take that you will see in this video watching this out there, is Odysius in Nolan's The Odyssey doesn't feel like Odysius. Um, like that's the thing. This is my hot tick is that this is not Odysius in really any meaningful way. Um ah like at every chance okay the Odyssey and the Iliad let's focus on the Odyssey. The Odyssey is a fascinating poem, a fascinating story in the sense that everybody does something problematic in it and and it and I think even in ancient times you were supposed to interpret it as problematic. Like this movie at any chance it has tries to sanitize Odysius and tries to make him likable and moral than than anybody else. So like yeah, Odysius has this moment in the movie where he is like kind of like woke, you know, he's kind of like woke. He's like, "Yes, like war is the root of all evil or you know, get violating guest right. We need to treat everybody as equals." Um like and that's just that's not Odysius, you know, that's not [laughter] that's not the ancient Odysius. ancient Odyssey like the the Iliad Odyssey are interesting where they're neither they're not entirely pro-war and they're not entirely anti-war either. They're very humanizing. The Iliad spends a huge portion of it humanizing the non-Greek characters like Hector and Pryam and and and and that's you're supposed to feel conflicted about the taking of Troy that like oh my gosh these are kind noble people and and some in some instances more kind than our main character like our character or Greek characters like Achilles or or Ajax or or Agamemnon. Um, like you're supposed to feel that way.

[00:42:00]But yeah, Odysius saying that he's anti-war is like very that's kind of out of character for him. Um, and let me get to the sanitization. So, um, a lot of stuff in this movie is cut and I will get to that, but I will let me talk about the sanitization of Odysius that occurs in this movie. I don't know if they're like here's the thing. Odysius in the original Odyssey is like an [ __ ] He is a He is a a an awful person. Not just kind of. He is an awful person. Um at different instances like he's not entirely you're not supposed to entirely hate him, but you're not supposedly entirely like him either because he does incredibly horrible things even for ancient times. And you're and I think you're supposed to feel this way in the source material like in ancient for an ancient audience. Let me get a let me get let me get when I'm talking about Odysius like ancient Odysius. Let me get a picture of of ancient Odysius here.

[00:42:58]Uh, let's see. I got my piece of pottery that I I use for Odicius typically.

[00:43:06]There we go. Look at that. That's good.

[00:43:09]Um, okay. Like Odysius. Okay. For one thing, one huge thing they kind of cut is um Oh, this is big. I really like this was one of the things where I'm like movie, I can't believe you did this.

[00:43:24]They cut the infamous polyphemis the Cyclops dialogue. Um, so one of the most famous episodes of the of the entire Iliad Odyssey of of Homer in general is Odicius's tricking of Polyphimas the Cyclops where they're trapped in his cave and Odysius tries to talk to him to get Guestright from him. Um, and the Cyclops violates, guess, right? He he eats Odysius's men. He eats them up. Um, and they re and Odicius and his men realize they're they're screwed. They're stuck in this cave with this monster that is is horrible. Is is everything that is against the customs of civilization for the Greeks. What what like it is a it is basically like a barbarian, a giant barbarian that eats other humans. Um, like probably this probably was the nightmare of ancient Greeks like like the the Cyclopses. Um, and uh, Odicius has to Odysius talks to the Cyclops and the Cyclops talks back and Odysius tricks the Cyclops by giving him wine and and getting him drunk and then stabs out his eye and they and then the Cyclops um, and and in order to trick the Cyclops, Odysius doesn't reveal his name. He he says that he's nobody or no man, depending on your translation. Um, and that very cleverly tricks the cyclops. So when the cyclops gets stabbed in the eye, for instance, um, he tries yelling out to the other cyclopses and says, "Nobody's nobody's stabbing me. Nobody's hurting me." And the other psychop is like, "Oh, okay."

[00:44:56]Guess so. Um, and that's a very kind of clever It's one of the most clever the most fun. That's the thing is it's funny. Like it's funny like that anybody would be fooled by that, but also it's so quintessentially like Odysius, you know, like that he's the trickster. Like Odysius is like the smartest of the Greeks. He's the trickster and he's a there's it's supposed to be kind of fun.

[00:45:16]Like there's a level of fun and horror mixed in there. And the movie's kind of afraid to do that cuz for Okay, here's the thing. This is a good this is a good like the whole Cyclops episode is a good microcosm of Odysius himself where Odysius, he's clever and he's smart and he's funny, you know? He's funny. This is why I like I'll pull up. This is why I like uh Shawn Bean as Odysius here and uh and Troy. Look at him. Look how happy he is. Look how happy Shawn Bean is to be Odysius here. Odysius is kind of fun and there's a level of humor um in the in the Odyssey. Um he's the trickster.

[00:45:56]He's like Loki or something like that.

[00:45:57]Um and this is why he was probably like a beloved character. Um that's kind of removed. And here's and and so not only that, but Odysius is like an [ __ ] So when he successfully tricks the Cyclops, he successfully tricks the ciphops. He escapes the cave. Um in the original in in in Homer, Odysius reveals himself. He says, "I am not nobody. I am Odysius.

[00:46:22]Tell the other Cyclopses. Tell everybody that it was Odysius who tricked you."

[00:46:27]And that is in in a way that's telling like that is Odysius's character that he is he cannot just let he he needs fame.

[00:46:36]He's an egoomaniac. He needs fame. He hungers for fame and and and that and that's his undoing. His hunger for fame is kind of his own undoing. Um cuz now the now the Cyclops knows his name and and Odysius in the source material is really funny where he like says that I am Odysius son of Leertes from Ithaca like he doxes himself which I think is really funny. He like gives the ancient equivalent of doxing himself and then now Polyphimis who's like tortured now like knows his full full name address and is like calls down on Poseidon his father to do it. So that whole element's cut from the movie because they just they just did not have the Cyclops talk besides just a murmuring a little bit which is a huge shame. That was the biggest one of the biggest disappointments from the movie for me.

[00:47:25]Um because like that's such a big opportunity like that tells you so much about Odysius and that's just an extremely iconic part of the story. But besides that, the Cyclops sequence is great. Like I I talked about this in the non-spoil section. It's gorgeously done.

[00:47:38]Like the effects on the Cyclops is cool.

[00:47:40]the design with the twisted eye and how huge he is and he's like stomping around. It reminds me a lot of um one of my favorite movies is the Green Knight.

[00:47:49]Um there's giants in the Green Knight and I like how those giants are executed. So yeah, so that's one example, the sanitization of Odysius.

[00:47:57]Another example is they cut the infamous a lot of a lot of a lot of movies and and and adaptations cut this because it's it's it's uncomfortable. Like that's the thing is and I think that's intentional. I think because okay the ending point of the Odyssey is weird where Odysius comes home relatively early and he returns to his house. He has all these little subad adventures where he meets his son, reveals himself to his son, reveals himself to his his father, Leertes. Um, depending on your interpretation, possibly reveals himself to Penelope early and she picks up on it. And I think the movie definitely um plays into that. Um, and then he has the the the the test where he strings the bow and then he shoots. Um, and then after he reveals himself, he kills the suitors.

[00:48:49]In the source material, okay, in this movie, let's talk about the movie first.

[00:48:53]In the movie, he has this like big epic John Wick fight with like 60 people, like, you know, where he's like he's like he's like it's like it's like it's kind of ridiculous. It's kind of like a kung fu movie where like this one guy is defeating tons and tons of suitors like one like all at once. Um, and then he kills he kills and finally he kills and they're all the bad ones, you know, these are all the bad guys that that signed up for this. All the mean suitors and he kills Intinuis and then every all the other suitors who were just kind of following suit bow down and accept him as their king. Um this differs d in my opinion this differs dramatically from the source material where in the source material in Homer the slaughter of the suitors is that it is a slaughter early on there's a level of like the suitors are are like they're fighting back and defending themselves and Odysius is kind of killing the ones that are the the evil ones. He kills the bad ones. He kills Intenuous for example. I think he kills Intenuous first. And there's another suitor who who and of and that's the thing is the the Odyssey goes out of its way to say that there's different levels of suitors. There's the evil suitors who are the the [ __ ] that that are that that are getting what's coming to him. And then there's the suitors who are just, you know, the suitors who are not particularly evil.

[00:50:17]They're eating Odicius's food. They're overstaying their welcome, but they're not particularly evil. And once once Odysius kills Intenuous in this slaughter, um, one of the suitors that is not as as as bad as the other ones is like, we will leave Odysius. Like, please forgive us. Like, we did not participate in this. We will leave.

[00:50:38]Please let us go. And like Odysius and Leotes and his son and Telakus is like, reject that. And it's like, no. Like, you all need to die. And they they kill everybody. They kill all the suitors.

[00:50:51]This is the slaughter of the suitors.

[00:50:53]Um, let me see if I can get a picture of the slaughter of the suitors and maybe just get to the get the one's name right. Like it it it's it's meant to make you uncomfortable where Yeah. Yeah. You Yuri Machus Yurimus um is one of the suitors and he tries to to blame it all on on uh onenuous like the the single bad one. And then there's Infinianos. Like Infinianis is Yeah.

[00:51:23]He's he's one of the good suitors.

[00:51:27]Yeah. Yeah. That's the thing is Yeah.

[00:51:28]Okay. Yeah. There's there's Inenuous, there's Yuri Makus, who are like bad guys, you know? They're the bad suitors.

[00:51:34]And then there's one suitor um Infinianis Infianis who is the most sympathetic of him and he's like actually nice and he like tries to like leave and he dies anyways. So, like I think you're supposed to feel weird about that. Um, as the audience, you're like, "Wow, like Odysius kind of like has a blood lust here." Like this is this is this guy actually that good? And to top it all off too, is the killing of the the maid's servant slave girls.

[00:52:05]Let's say like the correct translation.

[00:52:07]This is this this is some of the drama here is Emily Wilson's translation opted to translate the the maids as slave girls, which I think is is more accurate because that's what they were in ancient times. Um, so for context, the suitors that are trying to woo Odysius's wife, trying to marry Odicus' wife, Penelopey, and overstaying their welcome, being very disrespectful in his own house, they sleep with um many of Odysius's servants or maids or slave girls, female slaves. Um, and I think it's Telmachus who is driving this. So after they they kill all the suitors, Telamachus and I think Odessius is like, "We need to kill the slave girls. We need to kill them all. And Telamakas has a very evil streak here in the in in the Odyssey where he is like the sword is too good for them. They deserve to be hung like in like they like they don't deserve to die by the sword. They deserve to be hung in like an a gruesome fashion. Um and they kill all these women whose only crime was sleeping with the suitors. And and in the context of the ancient world, these are slaves. They're against their will presumably, right? Um that's uncomfortable for both th those that's uncomfortable for both Odicius and um and Telmachus that these are our main characters and yet they're they're murdering um women that are, you know, more more like there's the idea that they were scheming with the suitors or something like that, but um like it's uncomfortable. So there yeah Odysius is execution execution of the female slaves. Um yeah let's see so there's there's aspects of that. Um oh yeah and anyways what I was saying is they cut so instead of having so they they've cut that they've cut that aspect. the the slaughter of the su suitors is more like an epic John Wick thing as opposed to like killing somewhat in a way that's making you uncomfortable that these are these are some of these guys are bad guys but not like the worst guys and some are relatively sympathetic like the like in the original Odyssey the one like the one most sympathetic suitor argues that they should not try to kill Telamakus like he's like that's not right and and still he dies anyways or this the execution of the the slave girls who slept with the suitor whose only crime was sleeping with the suitors as far as we know. Um, removing that sanitizes Odysius and and makes him more moral. Same with the Cyclops dialogue.

[00:54:48]instead of him having the no man thing and then having his ego get in front of him that he is he him being egotistical having needing his name known um is what gets like that's cut too because all all Odysius is done they have a level of it but all he does is take a pot shot at at the Cyclops and make him angry and you know that doesn't have the same effect as him like him like feeling the need to like be egotistical and and and reveal himself you know The only like he could live like that's the thing is like he had the choice of living making it home quicker and and just people don't know this deed of his or at least like they won't hear it from the cyclops or they know the deed and he gets home way later. Um so it's like Odysius is supposed to be like an [ __ ] Odysius is supposed to be an [ __ ] He's supposed to have an ego and he's supposed to have a violent temper and and possibly be like a a murderer, you know, like he that aspects there. Um and also he is an adulterer too. Like he this is ancient times so like adultery doesn't mean the same thing it does now.

[00:55:59]But um he chooses to live with Calypso the sea witch for eight years. And the movie has in the in the Odyssey like he has chosen to do this like he is not I guess like there's a level of that like Calypso is keeping him a little bit against his will. Um I'm trying to remember this aspect of it keeping like Yeah. Yeah. Like there there's a like let's see I'm trying to recall my my memory here. She keeps him on there for seven years on her island. Um the movie again gives him a little level of plausible deniability where Calypso in in this um in the movie is feeding Odysius um lotus which is a separate incident.

[00:56:52]This is these are two distinct episodes.

[00:56:54]And she's basically drugging him and numbing his mind. So, he doesn't really know that he he he needs to go home and he needs to see his wife. He wants to see her, but like subconsciously he's like collecting wood. And she says like, "Over the years, I was seeing you subconsciously wanting to go home." Um, again, that's a little bit of a sanitizing Odysius where Odysius is not that much of a he's he's not like labbotomized, you know, in this incident. Like he is he is choosing, you know, he's choosing to live with Calypso and and has have sex with her and and have immortality with her. Um, and he he and it's only kind of later that he he chooses to leave. Um yeah, he he enjoys sexual pleasures with her. He gets to be here mortal mortal husband on Ortigia.

[00:57:44]Um and it's only like later, you know, only later that like he enjoys it and then there's not like this level of him being like tricked or kept against his will, you know. Um like like Calypso is like keeping him a little bit, but like he has more of a choice in it. And in the in the movie, he kind of doesn't have a choice where he's being drugged and his mind's numb. he's not in his right mind, you know. Um, so there's a there's a level of sanitizing Odicius here where there's se many incidents where they're try they're making him far more moral, far more likable to the audience. Um, and they've toned down his [ __ ] because that's the thing is like Odysius, his whole thing is kind of like he's an [ __ ] you know, like he he he's a clever clever [ __ ] He's the lovable rap scallion, you know, like he and and the ancient world and I guess a lot of cultures in general have this version of the trickster god, you know, that this is like the you you hate him, but you still love him at the same time and you root for him even though he's bad, you know, like and I think that's what makes him compelling. So yeah, um that's that was a that was a a change that [sighs and gasps] you can maybe they want you could say that they're telling a different story, but like in my personal opinion like this is not Odysius. Like Odysius in Nolan's the Odyssey is not Odysius of Homer's Odyssey. Like these are very different characters. very different characters like um so yeah okay cut stuff that was cut besides Cyclops um the nobody Cyclops thing that's a big thing that's cut um they totally almost totally cut um Odysius's father Leertes Tamakus' grandfather in the in the source mater I think they like I think he's mentioned off-handedly once um in the source material Odysius Ius has left behind his son and he's also left behind his father Leertes and both of them are still alive and it's almost a little weird and I can understand why they cut Leertes that like Odysius is away and there's this idea that his house is in ruin because um there's not a man of the house, you know, but Telmachus is pretty old and and Telakus probably should be ruling because he's of age. Um but he he's kind of weak and wimpy, you know.

[01:00:13]This is in the source material too. And and you're like, "Okay, then let's have Leertes like like Odysius's father rule then." And there's a reason not to. I like I think he's weak with grief. He misses his son. He's old. Um I it does give you an insight into weird like how we think of how a king because because Odysius is like a king of of Ithaca. Um it's a he's not really a king. Like I think it that carries a lot of baggage that is inaccurate because like Odysius is supposed to be like extremely poor in the Odyssey. He's supposed to be like dirt broke, you know, especially compared to like Menaaus. Menaus is gold and like a palace. Odysius has like a lodge, you know, and fire to sleep around and he has weapons, but like, you know, you get the sense that he's way he's he's he's like a we would probably think of as a chieftain. Um, anyways, the fact that like Odysius can be king while his father's still alive is kind of distinct from our idea of what a king should be like that a king should directly follow his father after he dies. Apparently, it looks like a king can retire in in Homer's world. And it seems like Nolan thought that was too complicated and that it was too many characters. So like they cut Leertes and kind of fused him with the character of Eumios. Emenios is let me just check.

[01:01:42]Uh Odysius, not Odysius. Odyssey. Yumos. Who's a who is basically like the the loyal slave to to um to uh Odysius. Let me see. Um who's played by John Leuisamo. Humeas.

[01:02:01]Yeah, is like the no like we see in in Homer's the Odyssey you see two different types of slaves. You see Umus who's the loyal slave and I think Umas is of noble background like I think he was once a nobleman or something like that. And so there's an element of like even as even amongst slaves like your nobility matters where like the the slave of noble background is is a good guy you know is is uh is is moral while the slave of um let's see what was the bad slave's name I'm trying to recall evil slave what is this disloyal yeah yeah mthenus mouththenus Uh, Melan Meloththeus. I'm so bad with pronunciations. Please forgive me. I usually like practice this stuff. But there's an evil slave who is who is of humble background. Um, where is I going with this? Yeah. So, they they've combined Umus with Leertes and um, which is a different dynamic because like I I like the aspect of like Odysius finding his father, his old father who has kind of lost his mind without his son. Um, that's fine. Fine. Merging characters, fine. Um, there's no NASA. They totally cut the Phoicians, which is fine. Fine. You know, the Nasa, for people who are curious, NASA, you know, like the Studio Gibli, like that the the name comes from the Odyssey. Like this is the the NASA stuff is a seldom adapt adapted part of um the Odyssey. You don't really typically see it adapted anywhere. So, I'm not surprised they cut it. But anyways, um the idea is like Odysius on his return home. So he's left Calypso and he's on his raft and he ends up in the the land of the Phoicians, which is like a fictional people. I think even in ancient times they were kind of thought of as fictional. Um who basically they the only purpose they serve is for Odysius to recount his travels to. Um and uh and they cut that they cut that entirely here. They had they they instead gave that that role to Calypso which I think is fine. Um that passage see unfortunately I think um because yeah instead they have him they have Odysius go directly from Calypso to to um to uh to um Ithaca which is fine fine. Um, but I do like the Phoician the some of the dialogue and the Nasico Phoician section where Odysius is recounting his his his adventures and how he ended up here and there's a very good line that is rendered very beautifully by Emily Wilson I think how does she render it? She renders it as um I've been so long from my family and friends that it hurts or something and it's like I've been away for so long it hurts. Let me find it real quickly. It's one of my favorite translations from her and and one of my favorite transl I don't know uh parts of the Odyssey is him just recounting it and you have this you you feel this mourning um from him and it's a very human thing you know like I have felt that way um so long it hurt that beautiful yeah here here's how Emily Wilson Wilson translates it she says um this is him asking for help to get back home. He says, "Now help me. Help me. Please get back home. Get in and quickly. I miss my family. I have been gone so long. It hurts." And you're just like, "Oh, oh, one of my favorite parts of the whole Odyssey." Oh, oh, beautifully rendered line. And just like it resonates. It's a It's something that resonates so deeply. I don't know. Maybe maybe it was because I was reading the Odyssey and I was away from home. I was on an extended trip away from home and it was snowing.

[01:05:56]I was in Pittsburgh of all places, staying in an Airbnb for a month, far from my friends and family. I was in a town where I only knew like one or two people. Um, and I knew I wasn't going to see my my parents for a long time. Um, and I just remember reaching that line just like like getting like, man, I I understand that feeling. I've been I've been away for so long, it hurts. Um, so it's a shame that they cut that. I would have liked that. Like I I maybe maybe my criticism is Matt Damon's acting. Maybe it's the script or something like I wanted a little bit more sad mourning Odysius. Um I don't know if we get too much of that from him. Um um another cut thing they cut they they've combined the lotus the lotus eater thing is there but they've kind of moved it to a different part. They cut poor Nester elderly Nester. They like streamline the Telamaka story where Telamachus is looking for Odysius um news about his father. So he's going for place and he first goes to Netor the old man this like 120 year old guy that like ramble. It's kind I I think it's intended to be a humorous part of the story where Telmachus is trying to get information from Nester and Nester is an elderly man and like old people do they like tell these meandering wandering stories and Telmakus is like trying to get him to stop talking. Um and and it's funny because Telamakus befriends Netor's son and they become like bros.

[01:07:23]They become like blood blood brothers which is kind of fun. Um so they cut that whole episode out. I think he should have kept it in. It's kind of fun. It gives Telamakus more to do but they decided to streamline it and just have them go directly to Menaaus. Um and the Mena stuff is good. Um one another thing that I really I really am disappointed that they cut is they cut some of the Hades. Um when Odysius goes to the blind pope Tyresius um the blind seer Tyresius to get his fortune um he goes to the the gates of Hades and um in the Odyssey in the the uh in Homer's the Odyssey he goes there and he sees like all the dead and it's overwhelming and the movie does a good part good um good version of this where you see just like this army of the dead in the distance for a long long time. Um, and I like that. But the thing in the source material is that he sees a lot of people that he knew in life. And they kept that. They kept um they kept him meeting Agamemnon, for instance, and seeing some of his fallen comrades. Um, one thing that I'm disappointed that they cut out was him meeting his mother. Like Odysius meets his his his his deceased mother.

[01:08:35]His mother died while he was away from home. And um I'm trying to find the it's a great it's a it's a very great part of um well it's again it's another one of my favorites where his mother speaks to him sunshine. I'm trying to find Wilson's translation.

[01:08:56]Oh. Oh yeah. I found it. Um where he he sees his mother. He sees his mother as a shade in Hades. Um he also they also cut they also cut the Achilles speech which is crazy. Achilles speech is is um is very good like like where he meets so he meets Agamemnon. He learns about Agamemnon's fate that he was betrayed by his wife while she was he was away and killed. Um he also meets Achilles where Achilles tells him that like you should save her life like I would rather be a slave or a peasant alive than king of the dead. Um, great line. Great line.

[01:09:34]It's a shame that they cut that. It's a shame that Achilles isn't in this at all. They make reference to Achilles and Petrocos, but they never show them. Um, I would have liked the little Achilles Petro a little. Okay, you know, have that in there. Why not? Um, it's a shame that they cut that, but whatever. And then, so yeah, they also cut Odysius and counting his mother, which I is one of my favorite parts of the Odyssey. Um, and it's a super super sad part of the the the story. I I'll read Wilson's translation where he asks his mother, "How did you die? How how did you die?"

[01:10:05]Um, and I'll read her what she says. She said, um, "And that is why I met my fate and died. The goddess did not shoot me in my home, a aiming with gentle arrows, nor did sickness suck all strength out of my limbs with long and wasting cruelty. No, it was missing you, Odysius, my sunshine, your sharp mind and your kind heart that took sweet life away from me. And you're Oh, I remember reading that and when I was in Pittsburgh in the snow and I I I felt the tears. I felt the tears were um it's a beautiful beautiful like it it was a very profound moment reading that passage of the Odyssey where I was like wow like I am feeling the same emotion that some person 3,000 years ago thousands of years ago from a different time um a person that could never imagine the world that I'm living in and that that I'm that I'm reading I'm I'm reading his words rendered from his dead from his I guess Greek has stolen from from this his ancient language into a language he never knew of and then reading it in a city that is totally unrecognizable in the snow and a land a continent so far from where he was from.

[01:11:18]And I was feeling the exact same longing and mourning and missing your mother, you know, just like you miss your mom and and you're like, "Wow, I miss my mom and my I know I'm aware that my mom is missing me somewhere far away from here." Um, damn, I'm gonna cry. Um, the fact like I I just remember that and just feeling like this profound, beautiful, beautiful sense and I was just like, wow. Like the the the power of whoever wrote these lines to cross space and time to reach me and for those same emotions to resonate. Um, this this this man realizing that he was away from home too long and his his mother missed him and you're just like, dang. Um, one of my favorite passages of the Odyssey.

[01:12:05]One of my favorite p passages in anything in anything I've ever read. Um, and they unfortunately cut that because that's really sad. That's really sad that like that's a really sad moment where you're like he's he was gone too long. He that and that's kind of the kind of the some of the themes of the Odyssey itself is that like you're away from your family and loved ones too long and that's something that you you should treasure your time with them um because you can't get that back. Um, so yeah.

[01:12:34]Yeah, it's anyways that's a shame that they cut that scene um from from Nolan's The Odyssey. Um, so yeah. Yeah, they cut that. Let's see what else do we got. Um, oh, let's talk about the mythological creatures. U, excuse me. Let me put up I I'll try to We're I know we're like an hour in. I'll try to wrap this up. I You You paid good money. I I'm talking a lot. Um I huge huge fan of some of the mythical creatures in this. The Cyclops Polyphemis, awesome awesome depiction. I think I talked about this already. Um let me get like a an ancient depiction.

[01:13:16]This is this is an interesting adaptation. Like whenever you have a Cyclops photo uh or a Cyclops depiction, it's always interesting to see how they handle the eye. Sometimes it'll just be like like it'll be like a human head with like one eye and just an eye here.

[01:13:30]Sometimes they'll have it in the center of the forehead. Um, come on. Can I get a picture? Is it not supported?

[01:13:39]Damn you. Damn you. Damn you. Um, reream whatever I'm using here. Here's Can I get you? Okay. Here's an ancient cyclops depiction. Yeah. Less less scary, less uh more more cutesy. This is Polyphimas.

[01:13:53]Um, yeah. I like how they depicted the cyclops here that this it's like a really lanky and long and ancient. This the sounds that come out of him is really good and how they handle the eye.

[01:14:06]Um I wish she talked I wish he talked more. That's fine. Um the sirens I was a little disappointed with their depiction of the sirens. They handle the sirens well. like um they make the sirens um bigger than they like a a big thing an interesting thing where the sirens and this is something that's in the original Odyssey too is that the sirens the so the song of the sirens um is the lore of it is to is knowledge you get knowledge like they they're telling you all the forbidden knowledge of the world um like I think maybe this was a commentary I was reading or something. But it's you the song of the sirens. Um why Odysius wants to hear it is that like he wants to have all the knowledge and he wants to know what the meaning of the Trojan war was. what was the meaning of all that loss and death? Um, and they that's retained in the um in Nolan's the Odyssey. Like that is they they make the Song of the Sirens this very sad thing where like um like what I was talking about just a second ago with Adysius's mother that like you're mourning what you once had and you feel the loss, you know, how beautiful what you once had was. And I think that, like I said, I wish we had his Odicius meeting his mommy for that because that's a that's that's a very that that would tug at your heartstrings. That's fine. Or like meeting his father, you know, like I want more home. I wish we got more of um Odysius and Penelopey, you know, like like the the Odyssey, the original Odyssey has um like almost like a sex scene between Odicius and Penelopey where he he reveals himself to her with the the olive bed. I think they cut that olive bread olive bed, the olive tree bed. Um that he's revealed that like this is this is him. That's me. Um, and then you you feel their love. Like I think a little bit of it is you I I would have liked more human moments. Um, so sirens they did a they did a good job. They did not they chose not to do the bird, you know, like in in some ancient Greek depictions they have like a human head and the body of a bird. Um, I don't think Homer ever describes them physically, so it's kind of kept ambiguous. So yeah, one of the big disappointments for me was Sila. So this is this is Sila here. You can even read her name above her head, Sila. Um, Sila is a super super interesting mythological creature in the Odyssey.

[01:16:38]It's one of the few mythological creatures that are described in in great detail. Um, where she has these dogs, she has like six dog heads with long necks and I think tentacles. Do they do they mention tentacles or arms like an octopus? Um, let me see. I should have brushed up on this. Um, so let's see.

[01:17:00]What does it say about Sila? Does she have tentacles, arms? Yeah, she does have arms.

[01:17:09]Yeah, she has arms and she has arms and and necks. Um, and so this depiction is showing and they're they're the the the necks are dog heads. They're like hounds and and she's specifically described as like barking like a dog and howling like dogs. I was very excited to see her depicted. Um, and her depiction is a bit of a letdown in my opinion. Um, they chose something very weird and and abstract for her where she you don't get much of a look at her and what you do see is like spider rocklike and you just see like these arms come out and then go back into like a cocoon, a cave. Um, bit of a disappointment to me. Um, and then the last monsters I'll talk about is the Lystragonians, which are the the giant guys. They're actually responsible for the most deaths of Odysius. Like people think of typically think of the Cyclops being like the most damaging of the sirens or um or the Silen Cryptus. But like I think the most people die with the Lystragonians which are these guys like how do I describe the Lystragonians in Homer? They're just like these guys.

[01:18:16]They're like these big guys. They're just they're huge guys that they live in like a fictional world. They live in like a weird fantasy land where there's never like there's always there's never sunset I think is the idea or there's never or maybe there is sunset. There's always crop yield. Like the idea like to an ancient Greek this probably meant a lot. Here's like an ancient depiction of the lystragonians. It's from Pompei. Um I like the Dystragonians. I like their depiction of the Lraconians where they're like these big not a huge fan of the armor, you know, but like they're like these huge guys. They're just like really buff and like angry and they're like they literally like swim out to like cuz in the material they're like throwing rocks, you know? They throw rocks at like the Odicius's ships. Um and this they're like literally tearing it apart with like their arms and like flipping it. Um that's fun. There's some fun stuff. There's some fun stuff in this movie. Um but yeah, I've been talking your ear off. Um if you want, I can end it a little bit around here. So, final thoughts on The Odyssey, Nolan's The Odyssey. It's really good. I'm always excited to see an adaptation of ancient Greek stuff.

[01:19:24]Um, one thing, you know what I'll say? It did not feel ancient. This is this is a this is a criticism of mine of Nolan's Odyssey. It's it's it's not a strong criticism because it's just the choice that they they they they made here. um that it did not make the past feel this did not feel like the past. This did not feel like the past. This felt like modern actors in a kind of and it like with a modern script in a modern world with modern real like in modern morality like it felt more like a post-apocalyptic movie than an ancient movie. And maybe this is colored because I like Satir Fellini Satiron and what are some other ancient movies that I like. It's a thing.

[01:20:11]There's not too many good ancient movies. Um God, I I hate to say it, but um Alexander with Oliver Stone. Like there's something about they make the past feel ancient. It makes you feel like you've been transported in a different time. Um and this movie just didn't have it. This didn't feel like the past to me. This didn't feel like an antiquity or ancient or a different culture. This felt like modern western culture and that that that was the dialogue that was the um morality. Their morality is definitely a very modern Christianesque morality. The clothing didn't help and the sets didn't help.

[01:20:50]Like it felt very modern. It didn't feel ancient, which an Odyssey movie doesn't have to feel ancient. Of course, there's like that that Odyssey adaptation where it's set in like the South, American South in the 1900s, I think late 1800s, 1900s. Um, it doesn't, an Odyssey movie doesn't have to take place in the past, but they set this one in the past. And they made a big point of having this related to the Bronze Age. They had people talk about the Bronze Age and see people. And I w like if you're going that route, let's go ancient, you know, like let's have ancient clothing. have ancient art and ancient social norms, ancient culture. It just didn't have that. Like I think the only time in the movie that it felt like ancient was maybe maybe Tra like the the storytelling aspect, Travis Scott like banging his little staff on and yelling um and and and telling the shouting shouting the story of Odysius. That felt very pretty ancient. It felt very Homer.

[01:21:49]Um, and then there's one scene where it shows the men on Odysius at boat and they're like throat singing. They're like, "Oh." They're like doing some type of like um, and that like it that felt like I was being transported into a different time and culture, but everything else like didn't feel ancient to me, which was a it's a shame in my opinion. It's not a huge criticism of the movie. Um, it's just like I wish you would go that route. And maybe this is because I've been colored by other things where like they really do a good job of making you feel like you're just like what am I look I'm watching like it feels like I'm watching I've been stepped back in time and I'm an observer looking in on something. Um because Homer the original the original Odyssey ID feels like that at times. You you feel like you're reading something old.

[01:22:36]Um, and it doesn't necessarily mean like in the the the translation. It it's the the sense of morality in the world that they're exploring and that that this is a world of magic and gods and unknowns and weird customs and and morality that we find strange and and odd and and war and and social norms, you know, like that aspect's missing from Nolan's Odyssey. So, that's my final words on that. So yeah, if you um I hope you enjoyed this this little review. Thank you for supporting me and paying a little extra to watch it. Um I hope that wasn't too rambly. I feel like that was very rambly now looking back. I just talked for an hour 30. Um but yeah, let me know what you think about Nolan's Odyssey. I am definitely mixed on it.

[01:23:27]I'll give it a let's say after I've talked so much about it, I'll give it a seven, seven, seven and a half.

[01:23:35]It wore a four out of five. Um, seven, seven and a half out of 10. Four out of five.

[01:23:42]Four out of five, you know. Um, like it's it's good. I I it's it's not the movie I would have made, you know, like like I if I had a huge huge budget like this and I just had a blank check to just do whatever I wanted. I would have done things a little bit differently. I would have done things a little bit differently. Um, but it's a good adaptation. That's the the source material is hard. The Odyssey is is probably a pretty hard thing to adapt for many reasons. Um, and they did I didn't even talk about the Cersei Cersei pig thing. That's an awesome awesome depiction of that. Holy cow. Great great job there. That was like super memorable. I'm going to I'm going to watch that again. That's a great visual for for the the the transformation of of of this the witch turning the men into pigs. Great. horrifying. Really leaned into the horror in some ways. But um yeah. Yeah, it's good. It's very good.

[01:24:40]It's very good. Um you can tell that there was a lot of work put into a lot lot of stuff. I personally there's things I would critique and change. Um and if I was in charge, I would make kind of a a pretty different movie. But some of the changes they made are very good, some are not so good. But on the whole, there's some great stuff here.

[01:25:00]Um, so yeah, that's my uh Odyssey review. I hope that made sense to somebody and at the very least you enjoyed it. So, thank you so much for watching and uh hopefully I'll see you in a a for real trade the explainer video. This is like trade the explainer mini. So, I will see you later. Thank you. Goodbye.