World-renowned master director Christopher Nolan returns to a Greek myth story after three years. His previous work, Oppenheimer, carried the guilt of having created the worst weapon of mass destruction beyond the behind-the-scenes of nuclear weapons development, and Odyssey is also steeped in the guilt and anguish of the Trojan War hero Odysseus. Pulling the seemingly untouchable Greek myths down to earth and piercing the human interior, it offers a deep resonance.
Odyssey (directed by Christopher Nolan, distributed by Universal Pictures) depicts the epic of the hero Odysseus (played by Matt Damon), who led the Trojan War to victory, fighting the wrath of the gods to return home. It brings to the screen Homer's Odyssey, considered the essence of ancient Greek mythology. Filming took place on real locations including Morocco, Greece, Italy and Iceland to achieve an overwhelming scale, and it is the first film in the studio's history to be shot entirely with IMAX film cameras. A newly developed IMAX filming technology created for Odyssey was applied for the first time. In addition, Hollywood's top-tier stars such as Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya and Charlize Theron have gathered, drawing attention.
The original, Homer's Odyssey, written in the 8th century B.C., holds significant meaning in the history of Western literature. It has influenced literature and the arts overall to this day, and together with the Iliad (which deals with the entire 10 years of the Trojan War) is also called the starting point of Western literature. Above all, the Odyssey covers the 10-year journey from the end of the Trojan War to the hero Odysseus's return to his homeland, the kingdom of Ithaca. While the core story and developments largely follow the original, director Nolan strips away some of the romance of Greek mythology and delves deeply into the protagonist's inner self and psyche, who endured a brutal war.
Odysseus is a brilliant strategist who devised the ruse of the Trojan Horse and is respected by those around him, but he also feels human conflict amid the brutal scenes of slaughter. Having hidden soldiers inside the Trojan Horse given as a gift to signify the end of the war, Odysseus witnesses people being brutally killed before his eyes and undergoes uncontrollable emotional turmoil. Although he achieves a perfect victory in war, he suppresses his complex feelings as he sets out for home, and even that journey proves difficult.
Odysseus and his soldiers sail home stopping at numerous islands to get food and rest, where they encounter a one-eyed giant in a cave, fall for a witch's temptations, and confront the ghosts of soldiers who died in the war. The fact that the story, grounded on land throughout the film, uniquely has Greek mythology as its backdrop is also a tangible aspect.
Anchoring the drama, Matt Damon and others such as Anne Hathaway (queen Penelope), Tom Holland (prince Telemachus) and Charlize Theron (Calypso) live up to their status as Hollywood's finest actors. Robert Pattinson, who showed a whimsical two-role performance in last year's Mickey 17 directed by Bong Joon Ho, transforms into the despicable villain Antinous, who covets the throne, and Zendaya, though given very few lines, maximizes mystique with her expressions alone. The true identity is revealed in the ending and is very surprising. Also, Elliot Page, who drew attention for sex reassignment surgery, leaves a strong impression as the soldier Sinon despite a brief role.
Pursuing zero CG, Christopher Nolan minimized CGI in Odyssey as well to achieve realistic imagery and direction. It was revealed that for the giant vs. human duel scene they cast a stuntman over 2 meters tall and a female stunt performer 137 cm tall, and that the stunt doubled for Matt Damon's role. Moreover, over the 91-day shooting period, approximately 640 km of film was used, raising expectations for his meticulous direction and overwhelming production scale.
Odyssey is not a spectacle war movie or a commonplace hero tale. However, the narrative, built moment by moment, meshes like cogs and, with one hour remaining, detonates the climax at full force. Korean audiences' most trusted and beloved Hollywood director will, once again, inevitably fall in love with him.
Opens Aug. 5, rated 15 and up, 172 minutes.<
[Photo] Provided by Universal Pictures
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