“The Odyssey” of the Ego

As expected, Christopher Nolan has made another movie in full “no one said no” mode, resulting in an action-spectacle juggernaut that leaves humanity, charm, and a little humor on the cutting-room floor—along with any sense of narrative rhythm or bladder consideration.

It is always give-and-take with this unchecked, brilliant, and frustrating filmmaker: for every extraordinarily grotesque Polyphemus encounter and riveting grand-scale Fall of Troy sequence, there are two hours of frantic pacing, typical Nolan-obsessed nonlinearity, and emotional sterility.

Overly stoic performances recite words off the screenplay without making dynamic choices. Matt Damon is Matt Damon with a grimace, Robert Pattinson is a one-dimensional snake, and Tom Holland plays a Greek column. Only John Leguizamo as Eumaeus—Odysseus’s blind, faithful servant—displays full emotional commitment.

The female roles unsurprisingly get overshadowed by a man’s world, but Samantha Morton as Circe is an enthralling standout. Really, in true Christopher Nolan fashion, all the characters are tale tellers, telling a tale previously told by another tale teller in non-sequential order.

Where I thought Nolan’s directing got in his screenplay’s way in Tenet, I think the flip is true with this one. It is a journey of exposition—story first, special effects next, and feelings maybe later.

I get it—this is Nolan’s “Odyssey,” not Homer’s, but Homer made sure a human quest for oneself was included in the epic. Nolan and his new best film composer friend, Ludwig Göransson, pierce your eyes and ears with an epic spear.

Perhaps the parting of the sensory is worth it during the surprise ambush of the Laestrygonians or the haunting unearthing of Hades.

But Nolan’s commendable directorial power is found during the quieter moments. The Trojan Horse scene is a masterclass in silent suspense, focusing on the agonizing tension inside the claustrophobic wooden structure, in which soldiers can hear their heartbeats.

The key issue is tone. Fun, unbridled adventure is replaced with cold-steel-rail drabness. Who knew the “Hero’s Journey” could be such a restroom-demanding drag?

“They’ll never take our freedom!” and “Unleash hell!” blasted high-octane cinematic adrenaline in the theater back in the day.

“No one could stand between me and home. Not even the gods!” comes from Damon in more of a self-doubting whimper.

It isn’t a matter of cinema vs. popcorn spectacle. It’s the fact that Nolan thinks he can make both, and we all know he’s no god.

The Odyssey (2026) ***

29 thoughts on ““The Odyssey” of the Ego”

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    1. Isn’t that the way he operates? Not the open-to-suggestions type director, which is fine until all of his movies feel the same. Random question: Where is the most hole-in-the-wall, unvisited-by-tourists pub in Ireland you recommend?

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      1. Wow Bernie, I could write a book about that. Or maybe a post. To slake your thirst I’d say, in my own bailiewick of Dublin and Bray, the Boomerang on Quinsboro Rd, Bray most fits the bill. Local, lively and friendly. Of course, Dublin and Bray are much visited, and have many fine pubs of which I’ve written. In Dublin’s fair city, Grogan’s Castle Inn, though it serves tourists, maintains its eclectic mix of artists and local workers, right beside the Dublin City Markets on South William Street, there’s everchanging art on the walls, a lively crowd, and a toasted ham sandwich if you don’t want to waste too much valuable drinking time on such fripperies as food. Cheers!

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        1. Thank you for providing an abridged version of your recommendations. We will make it there someday. Disney World first, then Europe all the way. My wife and I are teachers, so money takes its time. Luckily, we have that with our young daughters. I am 50% Irish and 50% German. I’ve been to Germany. Ireland is next! 🙂

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  2. In me ‘umble opinion, Nolan peaked with ‘Interstellar’, and has been going down a hubris-y slippery slope ever since. I don’t know if I’m going to even bother with this one.

    Even Interstellar had it’s usual share of ‘Nolan-isms’.

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    1. You make a valid point, and my admiration of his worked peaked at the same time too. Hubris got to him, and with no supervisors giving him suggestions (not that he would listen to them), he comes up with the same bloated movie with a different subject.

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  3. Bernie, I just read your well-thought-out piece, and it echoed many of my own thoughts and trepidation about going to see it. Thanks for helping me make a more informed decision. Insightful as always, Bernie.

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          1. Lo and behold, my daughter and I ended up seeing it last weekend at the 10:30 a.m. session! Lucky too, because every other session was sold out.

            My 10-year-old daughter Katherine was absolutely enamoured with it. It blew her mind. I loved it too, right up until Odysseus returned home. You were right to sing the praises of John Leguizamo. He nailed it.

            The encounters on each island were spectacular, and the Trojan Horse sequence was grandiose. My favourite part, as it was for you, was the witch Circe.

            Nolan could almost have made a film centred entirely on the island encounters and little else, and it might have become a classic for the ages.

            What’s more, if the whole movie had been deftly trimmed by about 25 minutes, it could have been truly great. But the final battle felt like revisiting the unnecessary snow dream in Nolan’s Inception. Very poor.

            I’m glad I saw it. I also thought Matt Damon did a lot more than just the “grimace” thing you alluded to.

            I want to see it again with my son once the initial wave of hype has died down. It’s hands down my favourite Nolan film. I’d give it a solid 8/10.

            Cheers man

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            1. Nah, it’s forgettable. The youth can eat this up all they want, and good for them. But, I don’t recall anything from my Odyssey viewing except that I saw it in a theater and that I’m glad it was seen in a theater. I’d rather watch a documentary on a real hero.

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            2. For me – all the island scene encounter scenes (& trojan horse) were nothing like I’ve seen before. They mastery in every which way and new found cinema.

              Only when Odysseus shot the arrow into the eye of the Cyclops did I think – well that was dumb. Poseidon dah! Otherwise the Island encounters were above and beyond.

              Well, we differ here and it seems this movie really has that disparity of opinion amongst cinefilos. And that’s cool. I didn’t expect it at all, but I was fully engaged until the last part.

              All good man.

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            3. 1. Memento 2. Interstellar 3. Oppenheimer 4. The Dark Knight 5. Inception

              I’m cool with the above, but Nolan’s style meanders for me now. I’m glad you liked it. I think I’ve seen too many movies. Maybe I’m jaded.

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            9. But movies are about feelings, yearning, and empathy—at least the best ones are. The Odyssey works as an escape, but the humanity around us today and read in books provide more feelings than Nolan’s vision. And, Cyclops was funny in the poem! What happened to “nobody?” Such a shame.

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            10. I think the grounding of the movie (for me at least) which culminates in the small (but loud) discussions with the nymph Calypso gets the dichotomy of femininity and masculinity in nature (held in nearly all early scriptures) down to a tee.
              You can find big plot holes and whatever, but the core of the Odyssey is there. I heard two times the Odyssey on audio coming in and I thought for the most part – it got it right. I liked how it was focused in the mystical rethinking of the masculine side. It resonated with me at least. It didn’t seem woke rather spiritual.

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            11. Woke wasn’t even in my scope and human charm wasn’t on the screen. Except for Leguizamo and Morton, any depiction of human instant and empathy was dry, as if copied and pasted from Nolan’s adaptation. I look to movies for some kind of connection, even if the intention isn’t connection, but my memories of reading this poem in high school are so much more valuable to me. I get it—this is Nolan’s movie and no filmmaker can emulate a human experience, but I honestly can’t recall one performance that made me shiver. The Trojan Horse scene, certainly. Even the poorly edited Cyclops puzzle. Yet, these are action sequences. How much better would it have been if Nolan directed characters who weren’t his pawns?

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            12. I loved Damon in this. He’s the key to the whole film. I thought his chemistry with Eurylochus, played by Himesh Patel, was excellent, among everything else.

              I think it’s fantastic that you’ve had such a strong connection with Homer’s original Odyssey since you were a teenager. I wasn’t into Greek mythology at all back then, so it’s all relatively new to me – much like my daughter, who’s absolutely lapped it up.

              I can understand your distaste for it because of the vivid memories and feelings you have for the original, along with Nolan’s casting choices and other changes.

              You’re right – it’s impossible to recreate everything that has been so dearly etched into your mind.

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            13. It’s definitely Damon’s greatest self sacrifice, and he’s likable. But his interpretation and Nolan’s preference is sanitized and uncomplicated, whereas Homer’s Odysseus is less gruff and more of a trickster who earns your respect, even when you’re not completely sure.

              I appreciate your words very much, and I’m glad you and the majority enjoy this movie. I expect more from Nolan at this time in his career, and to take on such an epic with only visual and audible tools leaves me yearning for an emotional core that never gets fulfilled, at least to me.

              And this is the problem I have with Nolan—special effects and nonlinearity before human being. Interstellar still makes me cry. I think he peaked there.

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            14. That’s it!
              I found his journey in this so complicated – you said ‘uncomplicated’ – I found it more than complicated and totally baffling to get my head around. That’s what I liked about it, beyond everything…. I was trying to get everything like he was. I was in his mind watching it.

              The only part of Interstellar worth the whole darn wait was the bookcase scene with his daughter in the black hole. Maybe like 2 minutes of pay off.

              We see films through different eyes. That’s cool.

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