A magisterial and thoroughly modern translation of Homer’s epic, Nolan’s Odyssey is haunted by the entire history of the world that emerged from antiquity.
It is technically brilliant, exciting, well paced and delivers incredible performances. Best of all it’s a real old school MOVIE movie. Shot on lush film stock, filled with tons of “how the hell did they do that moments” that involve pure in-camera filmmaking, not CGI.
This is an Odyssey informed by the Greek translation of the Torah, Virgil’s Aeneid, the New Testament and the horrors of the 20th century - and that’s before we get into the cinematic callbacks to The Last Temptation of Christ (Keitel’s Judas and Bernthal’s Menelaus are clearly from the same neighborhood) all the old school sword and sandal films, and a great deal of Akira Kurosawa’s Ran and Throne of Blood.
As for its themes, the Ancient Greeks and Romans would recognize the Judean philosophy that colors this bard’s version of Homer - and I’m not sure they’d agree with the moral and spiritual lessons that Nolan is making.
It’s a big philosophical jump from the gods could be anyone to god is everywhere and in all of us — which is where Nolan naturally ends up
But we don’t live in Ancient Greece. The Judeans and all of their spiritual descendants, long defeated Zeus, Athena and Poseidon, so their tales and their essential truths are ours to interpret.
Yet beyond all that — the reason this Odyssey resonates is because everyone understands the concept of home. However we believe those homes may thrive, and what rules or religions or kings may govern them - being in a safe place of love, with those one loves most - is the most important part of being human.
Homer understood that this has always been the most essential and genuine motivator for humanity.
Nolan’s film understands this instinctively. A massive home run.