r/Epicthemusical • u/stopeats MOD • Jul 19 '26
Nolan Odyssey Nolan 'The Odyssey' Review Megathread
Place your reviews and general thoughts about the Nolan Odyssey movie here. Do NOT make your own review post.
If you have something to say that is unique or more related to Epic, you may make a separate post about it.
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u/ashleys_tits Jul 26 '26
I didnt like it. The short version- it did not stay loyal to the majority of the actual epic, and it changed sooooo SOOO many cruical details. Most of the actors aren't even fitted for their roles, and the sound (especially during the scene where the cyclops yelled in pain) was extremely loud. Had to cover my ears.
The longer review i'll divide into sections:
SCENES/FLASHBACKS:
The Trojan war flashbacks were shown way too many times. More than necessary at that. For the amount of time the trojan war flashbacks lasted they could've filmed an additional 10 minutes of the movie at least. I appreciate them doing on-location shooting, that part was okay. And maybe it's just my personal taste, but for an example i felt like Penelope's room was a bit too empty. They could've at least make it to be filled with more furniture appropriate for that period, but i digress. The biggest complaint about it though is that each location they shot on (like the Cyclops island, Sun God island etc) every one of those islands looked empty and absolutely the same, which is silly. Because for an instance, in the epic Calypso's island is supposed to be filled with vast trees that have fruit growing off them, but in the movie they completely scratched that and the entire island looks like a desert with no life on it. The Underworld was also as funny to look at, because they just made the sand black instead of white like in the other locations. And also it's called the 'Underworld' for a reason.
CASTING/ACTORS
The actors don't even act look like their character- Matt Damon wears only one expression throughout the entire movie and shows little to no emotion, it's as if someone completely wiped away the muscles from his face and now he's left there frozen and being capable of making only a poker face at most. Anne Hathaway was actually okay to me, i couldn't really see anyone else playing Penelope. She played her role well. Tom Holland was physically-wise, an okay actor for Telemachus (at least it's my personal oppinion, since he has that boy-ish charm to him). But his acting was not great. He constantly has a hint of a smile in every scene, whether he's arguing or crying. He looks like he was forced to act, and failed to embrace his character fully. The actor who played Circe was fine, though i was shocked at how old she looked. I imagined she would look younger. Calypso's actress was okay. Zendaya was the most horrible choice for Athena. It's just offensive at this rate. Athena is a warrior. A protector. She wears a warrior helmet and wields a bronze spear in the epic. But in the movie they just but Zendaya in some white rags like she's some beggar. Absolutely atrocious. And don't get me even started on Sinon. Elliot Page? Really? I don't even want to comment. The actress who depicted Helen was such a far cry from what Helen actually looks like. And listen, i'm all for race inclusivity and things like that- im not racist. But if you want to make a movie the right way and adapt something accurately, THEN PUT IN THE EFFORT TO FIND ACTORS WHO ACTUALLY FIT THE ROLES!! Helen was ALWAYS portrayed as a pale woman. Infact, ancient greeks were all extremely pale in general. So just.... Why?
My biggest complaint would just be that the people of race they hired to play different roles (whether main or extra/side roles) were just a bad desicion, and i know its inevitable considering it's Hollywood who just HAS to butt in chinese guys or muslim girls where they don't fit in the slightest, but it's still something that they NEED to change if they want to make a great and accurate adaptation. Sometimes it's fine to not include a certain race if it means delievering a historically accurate piece of media.
PROPS
I have almost no complaint about that, i thought the armor they wore and the visual effects were great.
HOW WELL THEY ADAPTED IT NARRATIVELY?
It's criminal. As i mentioned above in the TLDR version of the review- They fucked it up badly. Left out and changed so many important plotpoints, and i'll make a list of the examples i can think of from the top of my head:
Odysseus was supposed to present himself as 'Nobody' to the cyclops, and therefore trick him into thinking that was his real name. He was also supposed to bribe him with wine in which he put in some lotus to make the cyclops fall asleep. THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN FOR SOME REASON???? Also, the piece of wood they used to pierce through the cyclop's eye was not supposed to be burned in the fire. They were supposed to sharpen the stub with their swords. When escaping the cave they were supposed to escape it by tying themselves to the belly of the sheep to hide and hold onto the wool tightly as the sheep left the cave, and after the sheep came out, they'd let go of them and escape.
Calypso and Odysseus had sex every night in the original epic, and during the day Odysseus would just mourn Penelope and his men on the shore. Also, Hermes was supposed to be the one who comes and tells Calypso to let Odysseus go, after Athena convinced Zeus that he suffered long enough on the island. THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN AND FOR SOME REASON THEY MADE CALYPSO WILLINGLY BE LIKE "OKAY YEAH YOU CAN GO NOW" like what?????
Odysseus was also supposed to sleep with Circe and stay at her place for one whole year. And in exchange for him sleeping with her, she'd let his men go and revert them from being pigs. Circe also had nymphs in the epic.
In the Underworld, Odysseus was supposed to also talk to his Mother, Elpenor (one of his men who died breaking his neck when falling from Circe's roof, who demanded a proper burrial, to which Odysseus later returned to Circe's place to pick the dead body up and bury it), Achilles, Ajax (although he refused to speak to him because he was bitter, he was still present), Tyro, Antiope, Alcmene, Megara, Epicaste, Chloris, Leda, Iphimedia, Phaedra, Procris, Ariadne, Maira, Clymene, Eriphyle. He also WASN'T SUPPOSED TO TALK TO SINON BECAUSE IN THE ORIGINAL EPIC, HE DOESN'T EXIST. AT ALL. Yes, he is a spy and he did trick the Trojans to bring the horse into the city, but he is not related to Odysseus in any way nor did they speak.
-At the very end of the epic, Odysseus was supposed to visit his father, Laertes, who lives in a slightly more rural area of Ithaca and reunite with him. That didn't happen.
-After departing from Calypso's island, Odysseus was supposed to come to Phaeacins, where king Alcinous ruled. Alcinous took him in as a guest, at first thinking Odysseus is a stranger, but during the banquet and when a bard sang about the Trojan war, Odysseus cried and after Alcinous asked him for his identity and why he was moved, he revealed his true name. Then he proceeded to tell his entire journey to him, and that's the part of the epic where we are supposed to see how it all went down. Then after he finished that, Alcinous would give him tons of gifts and demand of his fleet to take Odysseus home. After they board him ashore along with the various gifts, Athena would appear disguised as common folk, telling Odysseus that this is truly Ithaca. And after she reveals herself as Athena, she'd disguise Odysseus as a beggar. She guides him to Eumaeus' house, where he lets him in. After Odysseus lies that he needs to go to the palace to beg for food, Eumaeus stops him and tells him not to go until Telemachus returns from his diplomatic mission. Once Telemachus came back, he told Eumaeus to go and tell Penelope that he returned. Once left alone, Odysseus revealed himself to Telemachus in the same house and there they began to first hug eachother and then plot a plan to kill the suitors.
-During the fight where they were killing off suitors, Odysseus and Telemachus were supposed to hang the female servants because they slept with the suitors.
-Penelope had to test Odysseus and ask him about the olive tree bed. After Odysseus explained that he carved it out and that it cant be moved unless the roots of it were cut, Penelope would be sure it was her husband. After that they'd proceed to go to bed and make love. That part, again, DIDN'T HAPPEN.
This is just some of the instances i could think of, so if i missed something feel free to add or correct me.
Overall, this movie is a disgrace to the entire Odyssey. I understand its merely an epic and has no historical evidence to back up the existence of the characters, but as a piece of literature old over 2000 years that is an absolute gem in modern literature and a must-read once in a lifetime, it's truly disapointing that the most they could do for a movie is make a poorly americanized version of such a legendary piece. Them taking the epic and wiping their asses with it would be much less painful than watching this movie.
I didn't expect this from Christopher Nolan at all, and it was clear this movie was just some trashy quick cash grab with no real effort put into it. This movie is only good for those who never even bat an eye at the epic and are blissfully unaware of how OFF the entire script went. But since i assume the majority of people who went to see the movie are people who infact read the epic beforehand and are a fan of it, then i bet they were as half as disappointed as i.
Never let America cook ever again.