WORTH THE HYPE? - Film Review for The Odyssey

[00:00:04][music] >> Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Real Film Talk. My name is Will Bronlec. Now sit back, grab some snacks and enjoy the review. Today we'll be reviewing one of the most anticipated movies of the year, The Odyssey. Here is my reaction for the trailer.

[00:00:25]>> This is Sparta!

[00:00:26]>> [screaming] >> Okay, yeah. Technically wrong movie. I don't know what else to say. I'm just really excited for this movie. Here is The Odyssey.

[00:00:47]It's very quiet.

[00:00:52]>> After years of war >> Okay, that's actually a cool set of armor right there.

[00:01:03]>> No one could stand between my men and home.

[00:01:11]>> I was absolutely impressed when I read the cast of the this movie on how many people they managed to get onto this production.

[00:01:30]The legend right there, Chris for Nolan.

[00:01:33]Oh, the Trojan horse, nice.

[00:01:38]Ooh, I'm curious to see how that scene goes. I saw a little trailer for that I think when I saw a little snippet of it when I saw Fantastic Four and it was like a whole 10-minute clip I think it was which was kind of cool. In fact, I'm glad it actually didn't give much away at all.

[00:01:58]>> Hey!

[00:02:08]>> Promise me you will come back.

[00:02:10]>> What if I can't?

[00:02:21]>> Mhm. Okay, so obviously this is meant for like, you know, a huge screen like IMAX or Dolby. In fact, I'm actually going to see it in Dolby opening night.

[00:02:28]Like I said, I'm impressed by the cast they managed to get. Obviously, Christopher Nolan is a great director, in my opinion. He's made so many good movies. I feel like the only one of his I didn't really like was Tenet back when things were still opening up after the pandemic. I remember seeing other trailers for this, and it seems like it focuses not just solely on Matt Damon's character, but Tom Holland's character as well, who I think plays Matt Damon's son. I don't know a whole lot about the Odyssey other than it's just based on a very popular book, which I have not read, honestly. I know, how shocking.

[00:02:58]>> [laughter] >> Yeah, I'm just stoked to see this. I like Christopher Nolan. I like all the actors they have involved in this. I'm really excited to see how this turns out. So, after seeing this movie on a ginormous screen, I will come back and we can talk about it, yeah. The Odyssey is written and directed by Christopher Nolan and features a star-studded cast featuring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, and many more. After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca.

[00:03:24]Now, when this movie was announced, there was hype, like legit hype. I want to say the most since either Avengers: Endgame or Spider-Man: No Way Home.

[00:03:33]Mostly because of who is directing it and who's in the movie. However, there is also some backlash from the movie before it even came out. Most of it has to do with the casting and the historical accuracy of the original source material. I didn't mind it as I admit, I was so hyped up for this movie, their stuff kind of took a backseat.

[00:03:49]There was only one way to see this, on either IMAX or Dolby. After seeing this movie, all I can say is wow. I think aside from a few differences in casting, which I won't get into, the cast was really good. I loved Matt Damon as Odysseus. He said in an interview that this was the biggest role of his career, and he really delivered. What I like about Odysseus as a character is that they don't make him to be a perfect or wonderful person. He does some reckless things that cause some bad things to happen to his army.

[00:04:15]They questioned him on it, too, and it really shows that even the main character can have major flaws. In fact, this might be a a hot take, but I don't think the main character should be perfect. I encourage for the main character to have flaws. However, I think this is also Tom Holland's story.

[00:04:29]He goes on his own journey about figuring out what happened to a man he's never met, while also wanting to take the rightful spot as the king of Ithaca.

[00:04:35]Two more casting decisions I want to talk about. First, Anne Hathaway. While some people from my generation know her from the Princess Diaries movies, she's also known for Les Miserables, The Dark Knight Rises, and Interstellar. She plays Penelope, who's really stuck in a hard spot. The castle is being taken over by suitors as Odysseus is yet to return, and she wants to hope he will return, but still has some doubt about that ever happening. There's a scene towards the climax of the movie where she shares a moment with Tom Holland, which showed, in my opinion, some of the best acting she's ever given. Last but certainly not least, Ralph Fiennes, who plays one of the suitors, Antinous. You grow to hate this character and everything he sets out to do. I think he came across as a very convincing villain. I mean, I was a little bit nervous he'd come across as a little cartoony, but he ended up convincing me he was meant for the role. Now, being this is classified Christopher Nolan, the editing and writing is quite straightforward. However, to the movie's credit, it works out in their favor.

[00:05:23]Mostly. In the beginning, we are given just enough to establish what's going on, and we learn more as the movie goes on. While some may find the editing a little confusing as it goes from flashback to another flashback to the current scene and then another area, I think that with a movie with this magnitude, it makes sense to throw a lot in there. I feel like there's some edits that could have been done a little bit better, but that's just my opinion. The editing credit goes to Jennifer Lame, who who worked with Nolan on a few other projects like Tenet and Oppenheimer. Ah, so now we know where all the confusing editing comes from. The movie was also well shot. The cinematography was done by Hoyte van Hoytema, and he and Nolan have worked together before and shows.

[00:05:59]Van Hoytema has done other projects like Tenet, Dunkirk, Interstellar, and the Jordan Peele movie, Nope. While some visuals have come across as very blue and gray, and even some shots in the dark with flashing lights, we still get some amazing visuals, especially the scene with the Trojan horse. We also get some good shots of the palace with its design credit going to Ruth De Jong. She did production for other movies like There Will Be Blood, Manchester by the Sea, and even the TV series Twin Peaks.

[00:06:22]The set pieces and how it's built make it seems like we were transported directly to ancient Greece. I wish I could give more on this movie, but we only have a short amount of time on this show. But, in the end, aside from a few minor issues, mostly the editing and a little bit of the casting, The Odyssey is a magnificent movie and a fantastic achievement from Christopher Nolan. From the cinematography to the acting, set design, and even music from Ludwig Göransson, this is a movie that really lived up to the hype and more. I want to see this movie again. I think this might be uh the movie to be the best of the year. My grade for The Odyssey will be an A+. Thank you all for watching this review. I hope you all enjoyed it. Until next time, this is Will Bronek, and I will see you at the movies. See you at the movies for me.

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