Odyssey by definition reads as: “a long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune” which can sum up the journey through life, in a metaphorical sense. Peaks and valleys are always meant to blend our successes & failures in ways that aim to give us clarity, resolve, and ultimately fortitude in many avenues, so that we can increase the necessary endurance to continue our quest to seek what it is we’re striving for during the time that we have allotted to us. For Christopher Nolan, he’s had an interesting journey throughout his film life, and while we don’t have a documentary or biography to highlight all that encompassed just exactly what he went through to get to this particular point (save for a great 60 Minutes interview during the rollout of this film, however), we can see how his fortunes came to be more prominent throughout the years, where it only appeared that he’d be always looked at as underrated amongst his peers. The run that he’s been on since the Dark Knight trilogy – even with the cult classics he had prior to – firmly puts him in conversations with legends in his field. The Oscar that he’d won for Oppenheimer equally felt late & right on time. That may not have been his own personal odyssey, but it was certainly a stamp to let everyone know that his greatness would no longer be denied.

“There’s never been a nigga this good for this long
This hood or this pop, this hot or this strong
With so many different flows, this one’s for this song
The next one I switch up, this one will get bit up” 
– Jay-Z (What More Can I Say)

If you’re reading this blog for the first time, it’s not too late to catch up; there will be more going forward. I don’t do spoilers, so fret not if that’s your worry. I had the privilege of watching Christopher Nolan’s recent epic the day before the worldwide release, and epic is truly the word for it. Walking into the film, I did not read Homer’s Odyssey or Iliad, although I have had familiarity with the characters, having had curiosity about Greek mythology in my lifetime. Mythology needs to be highlighted here, because the vitriol that came about during the course of the film’s creation, had a lot to do with the casting, which didn’t point to ‘historical accuracies’. Matt Damon, Lupita Nyong’o, and even a brief (literally brief) cameo by Travis Scott, sent off alarm bells before anyone had seen a full-blown trailer. But that’s the world that we live in; it’s beautiful to be excited about works of art, but with so much idle time, and high anxiety about many major issues at the exact same time, maybe let’s trust the artists’ visions who’ve been dedicating their lives to bringing us entertainment? I don’t know, just a theory; a concept, even.

In terms of scale, this is Nolan’s biggest film. It was shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film (I watched in standard 70mm), he spent a countless amount of time shooting on Viking-styled boats, and when you factor in the magical elements that the mythical tale demands, there was a lot more shock value than what you’re accustomed to when it comes to a Nolan film, and those are just some of the reasons why it stands out and above most of the work in his filmography. Given that he’s no stranger to lengthy films (Oppenheimer being his longest, with a 3 hour runtime), one thing I love about his movies is that they don’t feel long. It takes a lot of intentionality to create a film that has so much pace without it feeling like it’s being overly edited, and a big shoutout to Jennifer Lame, ACE, for her third collaboration with Nolan (TENET & Oppenheimer being the previous two). The formatting of the film drops us right in the middle of a story already being told, with recollections of not only Odysseus’ memories of war, but the journey that he has to take to get back home. There’s a lot of information that needs to be fed, when your starting point is the Trojan War, followed by a 10-year-quest to return to home; I imagine just a few things happened along the way, but who’s to say?

Matt Damon has had quite the career, and similar to Nolan (to a degree), there’s always been a “yeah, but” approach when it comes to how people have viewed him as an Actor. When you’re boxed into a particular character that made you (more) popular amongst the masses, like he did with Jason Bourne, naturally it’s harder to ascend to a level of seriousness that people would be more forthright to attribute to his contemporaries. Given everything that Damon & Nolan put themselves through with this film, it’s one of the more impressive roles in his career, and I think The Martian was a great precursor in preparing him for this role as Odysseus.

Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson are no strangers to collaborating with Nolan during this stretch of films over the past decade, and offered great performances that you come to expect, as both of them have experienced transformations in their respective careers. Considering Tom Holland’s ascendance has been by way of his role has Peter Parker/Spiderman, this being his biggest film outside of the comic-book world, will allow audiences to see him in a different light that will let people know that he has considerable range that can grant him staying power for as long as he wants to. The most surprising performance, however, came from an unlikely actor who’s had such an interesting career in his own right – John Leguizamo as Eumaeus. First off, I had no idea that he was in the film, because there was a trend of people making their own fake (but fun) announcements for who else was joining the cast of The Odyssey; so it likely got lost in the sauce. Other pop-ups like Corey Hawkins & Elliot Paige were also nice surprises, but for Leguizamo, and being that the theme that I’ve been operating with here, has much to do about people who haven’t necessarily received their flowers over the years for the work they’ve put in, he absolutely qualifies, and I hope that he too gets to reap the benefits of being included in such a great film that this is. I would be remiss if I went forward without including Jon Bernthal, who has easily risen to becoming one of the best actors of our current time, who wasn’t exactly a prominent player in the film, but still an important pillar to the tale as a whole; he hasn’t met a role he hasn’t bodied yet.

You don’t get great performances across the board without collective buy-in from the Director’s vision, while also respecting what the Actors bring with their interpretations of the script; it’s an ultimate collaboration, and Christopher Nolan is very intentional when it comes to what he wants to put on screen. It’s why we don’t often see him use CGI, which seems like a rarity in a world that’s consistently pushing AI in our faces to accept as the new normal, which, for lack of better words – fuck no. A film of this magnitude, done practically, on IMAX film, is one of the reasons why people get out and go watch a Nolan film. He knows what we expect, and he delivers. I’m pretty sure he would have actually gone to space himself to make Interstellar if he could, when you really think about the massive challenges that he undertakes.

It is yet to be determined as to where this film will land amongst my favourites, because Nolan has done a great job in consistently upping the ante for every film that he puts out, and has been doing so for his career. Also, rankings are nice conversation starters, but perhaps the consistent wave of arguments that permeate on the internet more and more frequently, simply having appreciation for the art that’s been provided, is the most important thing to focus on. What I do know is that he did it once again; he raised the bar for what’s possible in film, and continues to inspire the messaging of dreaming big, taking big risks, and enjoying the arduous process that making those decisions comes with. It’s almost as though getting to create this film was his own personal odyssey, and I’m appreciative of the journey that he led us on, not only throughout his career, but in this film that will and should be widely discussed for a good amount of time. There will be different responses by those who have been fully immersed and engaged with Homer’s story, and Greek Mythology as a whole, so with that, will come their qualms with this film, and that’s absolutely fair. For myself, however, the engagement that I had with it, left me in awe once again, and I’m grateful for that.

But, for now, and for always, this is my opinion, this is my review,

That’s My Word & It STiXX