Review: Odyssey

Film: Odyssey
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson,  Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron among others
Producers: Emma Thomas and Christopher
Rating: 3.5 stars

Director Christopher Nolan comes up an impressive entertainer that, for the most part, delights you and leaves you craving for more. The film is truly worthy of all the adulation that is coming its way.

The film tells the story of Odysseus (played by Matt Damon), the king of Ithaca, who accompanied Agamemnon to the famous war that Greece waged against Troy.

Eager to put an end to the draining exercise and send the scores of frustrated Greek soldiers back home, Odysseus comes up with the plan to leave a wooden horse (inside which Greek soldiers can stay hidden) on the shores of Troy.

There’s also a personal reason —  the war has lasted a phenonomenal 10 years and Ithaca’s king knows he has been away from his kingdom for far too long. Odysseus knows that there will be vicious people in his own kingdom, who will be looking to claim his throne and his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathway).

As everyone knows, the unsuspecting Trojans mistake the wooden horse to be a gift and drag it into their fort and it falls as one night, the Greeks hiding within the horse open the gates of the fortress to the companions waiting outside.

But the film doesn’t stop there. In fact, the story of the film actually begins from this point on. Soon after winning the war, Odysseus and his followers choose to make their way home. But the return journey is fraught with dangerous challenges that includes a one-eyed monster and an enchantress, who can turn humans into animals.

No wonder then, it takes another 10 years for Odysseus to make it back home. Twenty years after first leaving his country, he returns home a stranger who is hardly recognised. Only his dog, Argos, recognises him the instant it sees him.

However, his troubles don’t end even after reaching home as he finds that his queen and his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) are desperately fighting off vicious suitors lining up to claim the queen’s hand in a bid to stake claim to his throne.

What happens then is what the film is all about.

The film is a delight to watch as Christopher Nolan seems to have spared no expense in recreating the sequences. Breathtaking visuals with some wonderful backgroung music teleport you to the scene of action.

Nolan seems to have brought to life, entire events that have been narrated. Very smartly, the director does not waste too much time on the Trojan war and instead chooses to focus his energies on narrating the sequence of events that happen after the war.

There are two tense dramas packed within a single film. While one happens on the battlefront on the shores of Troy, with Odysseus as its protagonist, the other happens at Ithaca, with queen Penelope at the forefront. Both actors deliver fantastic performances to make this a highly enjoyable film.

On the flip side, while the film might prove to be highly enjoyable for those who know the background of this story, it might come across as boring to those who are unaware of Greek literature and the Trojan war. Also, there might be a few who might find it difficult to follow the film and the story it is seeking to narrate.

On the whole, this is a film for the big screen. Please watch it on the biggest screen available in your area.