The Odyssey-No Big Deal

By A. Govea

By some measures, The Odyssey is a very big deal. The film reportedly costs over $250 million to make and is packed with more stars than you can shake a stick at, as the old folks like to say. Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Tom Holland, John Leguizamo-just to name a few.

Now, I don’t pretend to be Siskel & Ebert—another reference the kids won’t get—but in my opinion the movie ran too long, and the choice to use plain American English throughout was a little off‑putting. Hearing Tom Holland, playing Telemachus, call Odysseus (Matt Damon) “Dad” took me out of the moment more than once.

At nearly three hours, the film could have benefited from trimming thirty minutes. Without giving away too much, the story centers on Odysseus’ long journey home from the Trojan War, with plenty of flashbacks to the battlefield, his life before leaving, and scenes of what his household looks like without him.

There’s no shortage of action—like the escape from a giant one‑eyed Cyclops—and despite my critiques, I’m still glad I went. The massive hype around this movie probably raised my expectations to impossible levels.

I also need to mention the unnecessary outrage from some folks upset that Lupita Nyong’o portrays Helen of Troy. To those people I say: get a life. If you have that much time to worry about casting, you’re either bored or something worse—a card‑carrying racist. For your sake, I hope it’s the first. And besides, Lupita is on screen for maybe ten to fifteen minutes. It’s a movie, not a history lesson. Some people need to learn the difference.

Another notable point: this is the only film shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film, a very expensive choice by director Christopher Nolan. I opted for the regular version—too cheap to pay extra. Maybe that’s why I didn’t love it as much as others. All in All, I give it three and a half stars.

A bonus for me was forgetting the craziness in the world for a couple of hours and writing about something different for a change. As always, that’s what I think. What do you say?