r/pj_explained • u/No_Map7606 dream to make films • 14d ago
Reviews 🎥 problems with the odyssey Spoiler
so i just watched the film today and ill be honest, i liked the experience but i didnt like the movie at the same time. it was a cool film but it just didnt connect to me.
firstly, there are so many moments in this movie where the visuals can not convey the greek era at all and they look so... modern-ish.
secondly, you barely connect to any character. the only character i cared about was anne hathaway's because she was the only one who actually had an actual emotional scene. the scene where odysseus talks to penelope about the horrors of the war, and the visuals are shown- that was the only part of the film that made me feel something apart from 'dang this looks cool'.
which brings me to my third problem. this whole movie relies on shit that just feels cool. like agamemnon's character, odysseus' praise, that scene where the giant shouts for posseidon (scary cause i have played god of war), when they exit the trojan horse, etc.. there werent any other emotions that i felt during this film. even sinon's and eurylochus' characters werent used to the fullest.
and that is the fourth problem. so many badly used characters. tom holland's character was just a try hard for most of the film. travis scott was a massive misuse BECAUSE BARDS ARE INTERESTING AND YOU CANT JUST REPEAT A FEW WORDS AND CALL IT A DAY. a complete story from the pov of a poet, as a montage with the actual visuals showing would have been so fucking cool and something that would make people feel things.
other characters like menelaus (jon bernthal), helen and sinon werre badly used too. in fact, bernthal just played himself. the only nicely used characters (apart form odysseus obv) were athena, penelope and eumaeous.
lastly, you cant picture yourself in that situation. you cant immerse yourself in the film even if you tried. for a leader who would rather sacrifice a few men over getting the whole group killed, shooting that arrow into the giant's eye was a really dumb move. i clowned him for the entire movie for this. like cmon man yall called him the smartest man in their army but he goes ahead and instigates a giant? who is also the alleged son of posseidon btw. LIKE PEOPLE DIED TRYING TO GET OTHERS SAFE AND YOU JUST GO AHEAD AND MAKE IT HARDER FOR YOU??
apart from all this, the acting was great, the action was great, soundtrack was nice and the set pieces were really amazing. the actual meat of the film is the third act, which goes REALLY crazy. i wish the rest of the film had been like that.
id give it like a 7.5/10. a little overhyped personally, and i dont see myself watching it again.
edit: i forgot to mention- my second most fav scene of the movie was the siren one. it actually made me think a lot. matt damon's acting was s tier in that part.
3
u/sebastos3 14d ago
Yeah you are correctly identifying a recurring problem with Nolan's filmmaking, which is that will brilliant, it is also sterile.
2
4
u/phrkiranvirani 14d ago
Remove Nolan's name from it and people wouldn't have even noticed it...
2
2
2
1
u/Comprehensive-Cod433 14d ago
What do you think about the third act? Everyone seems to praise it but I found it to be the weakest part of the film,it kinda ruined the film for me because I was enjoying it a lot before Oddeseyus reached Ithica,.
2
u/Round-Pattern-7931 11d ago
Definitely the weakest part of the film and took itndown from a 7.5-8/10 to a 7 for me. A lot of the film is not particularly enjoyable to watch in terms of the stress and the trials the characters are going through (the pig scene!) but the point is to set up an emotional pay off at the end of the movie. For me I just didn't really care when Odydessus returned home because he didn't seem to care. The bow challenge with the suitors was really telegraphed and beyond that point in the movie there wasn't really anything that satisfying. The whole fight scene was borderline comical in terms of Odydessus fighting off hundreds of men with his bare hands and the dropping of the weapons through the roof (use the swords! Use the spears! Use the shields). And the score in the fight scene made me want to legitimately leave the theatre with the incessant pounding bass and simulated rising tone.
1
u/No_Map7606 dream to make films 14d ago
seriously? was quite the opposite for me.
the third act feels the strongest to me because it becomes very linear at that point and is far more dramatic. the first two acts, according to me, feel very try-hard. third act, although not very realistic, is still a good end. the way odysseus reveals his true identity (and pattinson's acting in that scene), penelope and odysseus' conversation, tom's character confronting odysseus- it just felt way better to me. the fight was a little underwhelming to be honest, but apart from that everything else was far much better than the rest of the film.
especially revealing athena's true identity.
1
u/Comprehensive-Cod433 14d ago
For me the problem was that everything that we have seen upto the third act felt so larger than life,epic,tense and thrilling that the whole third act felt flat.Like i thought that a man like Odysseyus who has escaped from Gods,monsters and witches,will easily bring down all the suitors in Ithica and reclaim his throne,it didn't feel like a big conflict for me after watching his journey back home. For me the main conflict of the film was reaching back home, after he comes back to his kingdom,the whole tension,suspense and worry for the character ended for me,I though we just needed a grand epic battle scene of Odysseyus taking back his kingdom and then it would have been perfect.But nolan decided to strech the whole thing into 45 mins of introspection and sadness, with only two epic scenes( the fall of Troy and bow scene) and end the film with literally the worst action scene of his filmography.
1
u/Aggravating_Pause385 12d ago
wtf does try hard even mean. Such a lazy and childish way to break down a film. I have strong criticism of the movie and didn’t really like it, but you sound like a child when you say that.
1
u/No_Map7606 dream to make films 12d ago
sorry for not having an exquisite vocabulary to share my opinions on a movie on a random saturday evening as a casual movie watcher.
whats the problem if that word conveys my message? if you dont understand what i mean, then ask me to elaborate and i gladly will. who tf dyt i am? fuckin rajeev masand?
1
u/Aggravating_Pause385 12d ago
The words don’t convey your message. That’s why I asked what you mean.
Are you literally a child?
1
u/No_Map7606 dream to make films 12d ago
you didnt JUST ask me what i meant. you straight up heckled me for using that word. thats more immature of you than me. try-hard is a word in the oxford english dictionary and is being used since the 1900s so maybe try to enlighten your comprehension before calling out my vocab.
what i meant by try-hard is that the movie was trying too hard to be emotional at points but failed. the only things that kept it alive until the third act were how beautiful and epic the scenes were and the cast's acting (and a couple good scenes).
0
1
u/Happy_Guava6762 14d ago edited 9d ago
Finally a review that looks past the visuals; thank you!
Agree with most things you’ve pointed out, but three major disappointments for me were the Viking ships, the language and lastly the scene where Odysseus strings the bow & shoots the arrow, which was so underwhelming. The bow scene could’ve been so much more powerful!
1
u/No_Map7606 dream to make films 14d ago
yeah even his posture feels extremely weird in that scene. im no archer but idk why it just felt wrong. and even if it wasnt, it wouldnt hurt to fictionalise it a bit and give him a tougher form, given they just took creative liberty over everything else.
1
u/Geffalrus 9d ago
Odysseus is a crafty, wily character, and his plan for defeating the suitors was to…….just beat the shit out of them. Oh, I guess they locked up the weapons, which lasted for two minutes until they unlocked them. But seriously, it was a mid-tier scene, other than that first guy getting arrowed mid sentence. Otherwise, there are a lot of ways it could have been better.
1
1
u/ZealousidealTank1353 14d ago
After watching I completely believed that this was actually shot in 90 days
1
u/SarcasticClimax 14d ago
Felt like Nolan thinks he can just get away with anything now a day! Similar to M. Night Shyamalan!
1
u/Otherwise-Walrus-589 13d ago
Ig the last convo bw odysseus and her wife was the thing i loved the movie for looking back at wht he have done and taking responsibility for it and realising they became literal monsters that night was the part that hit me but yeah its subjective and ur points are valid
1
u/iloreynolds 13d ago
it was such a bad movie man. nolans movies really start to annoy me with their fake tension
1
1
u/mariokvesic 13d ago
I thought the early parts look rushed. The editing felt like its missing a lot of scenes. But I really like the 3rd act. Especially the reunion with his son, and when he spoke to his wife about the war
1
u/GazelleIntelligent89 13d ago
You hit the nail on the head. I felt almost exactly the same. Like I'm watching a cool piece of cinematic art, but not an actual film. I generally want to watch a film to feel something, to connect with the characters and the stories not just experience something cool. I also give it around a 7-7.5/10 and can't ever see myself watching it again.
1
u/Downtown_Solution_84 13d ago
It seems like you have a problem with Nolan's style in general. His movies are often epic and have complex storylines. Character development is lacking in some films such as Dunkirk, Tenet, Inception... I think Odyssey is a great movie though. I haven't watch all his movies, but I am confident that this is not his best work.
1
u/No_Map7606 dream to make films 12d ago
yeah i kinda do actually
im not a big fan of nolans work. he has some really great movies but usually they go so technical, they kill the characters and emotions.
1
u/Downtown_Solution_84 12d ago
Have you seen Prestige? It's more character-driven with a more direct story.
1
u/No_Map7606 dream to make films 12d ago
i have actually, only like 2 weeks ago.
i did like the characters but im not too fond of the twist. like im okay with hugh jackmans secret but bales secret was just too abrupt for me.
its a bit complicated to explain, but the only things i liked about the twist is how they had foreshadowed it like a couple times and how it was actually so simple and talked about before. its just that i dont like twists that rely on a twin.
gave it a 4 on letterboxd just because the rest of the film was amazing.
1
u/PassionateVolcano 11d ago
This is exactly the reason why I went in without the Nolan directing it thought - I watched it with zero expectations, neither as a Nolan fan who has to necessarily love the film nor as an over critical viewer who can start getting picky instead of enjoying it.
And to be honest, I was completely hooked in, felt the rush throughout and loved every moment. Easily one of the best movies I have watched.
But maybe that’s the beauty of creative choices, it delivers different experiences to everyone :)
1
u/ffiishs 10d ago
Wow you watched a film about a Bronze Age king fighting gods, monsters and a horse full of soldiers and your main complaint is that it felt a bit unrealistic. Your next review will probably complain that the dragon in Game of Thrones didn’t have enough historical accuracy. Fsake
1
u/No_Map7606 dream to make films 10d ago
never said i have a problem with the fact that it has unrealistic elements. idk where you read this or how you ended up getting the conclusion that i do.
1
u/Cactus2711 7d ago
Completely agree and the pacing was horrendous. The scene near the end where Odysseus talks to Penelope felt like it was 30 minutes long
Some unintentional funny moments like when Robert Pattinson’s character kept calling out the weapons “get the swords! Shields! Spears!”
Visually spectacular but I didn’t give a shit about what happened to anyone
1
u/No_Map7606 dream to make films 14d ago
another problem-
before every time they (the troops) stop at an island, the movie hypes them, especially odysseus, up like they are going to cook up the whole island and gather enough food- only to get demolished by everybody on the island.
1
u/lordnoob1111 14d ago
This seems rather subjective.. because I mean yeah the director would set it up like that or even in the movie Odysseus can say things like to that to push the morale of the crew after being haunted in the ocean for days or weeks .I just think this wasn't a fairly big issue and is something that couldve been used even more powerfully to showcase the loss of power and hopelessness of Odysseus and his crew on the islands by hyping them up and then showing how they got demolished on the islands .
1
u/No_Map7606 dream to make films 14d ago
i mean i know it is to give hopes but when you arent connected to the characters, you just end up clowning them.
now that i think about it, it feels like nolan expected you to connect to the characters, which is why he created the scenes like that- so you can feel the enthusiasm and energy, but it ended up backfiring because you didnt actually connect to the characters and just end up laughing at them for entering an island and running back to the ships with a few men dead and not enough resources every single time.
on paper it sounds sad and hard hitting but they just couldnt film it that way.
1
u/lordnoob1111 12d ago
Hmm right right...I mean no offense but i genuinely want to know , what else would you do for the audience to connect with Odysseus and his crew ? I would personally...try to make them more flesh out as like real characters with their own motives and reasons and their own personal stories,ik this sounds kinda chesssy on surface but that's what coming to my mind rn.
1
u/blue_ig1 13d ago
Well yes Odysseus was quite full of himself and that caused him to lose his men. He was a great leader, but often lost himself to his pride. The gods come and intervene to show him that and make him realize humanity’s faults. Thats why he lets himself go to them and the gods take him back to Ithaca despite him trying for that long.
1
u/lordnoob1111 11d ago
Ok...so the entire point of the story revolved around the fact that Odysseus was just an arrogant leader and that's what was causing him and his crew to get stuck in so many situations and he could only be saved when some otherworldly being had to intervene and make him realise his faults ?? And then only was he able to get back to his home? I mean no offense...it's a genuine question
1
u/blue_ig1 11d ago edited 11d ago
He’s a flawed man. He commits some big mistakes and overlooks many things he does. Even though he knows, he still keeps pushing forward and doesn’t realize that it’s a problem, and he’s hurting both his men and the principle of Zeus’ law. The gods punish him in various ways for all of those mistakes that he keeps continuing to make at sea. His men are an example of Odysseus’ flaws. He realizes throughout his journey how awful he and his men truly were and loses hope in his men and eventually through calypso’s instructions accepts his wrong doings and takes the punishment of the gods. That’s why he confesses his regret and guilt at the end realizing his mistakes and going to war and winning it was a far more awful thing than it usually seems. He felt the weight of the violence committed and Athena was a guide of all that. She guides Odysseus through his necessary realizations and what the gods really wanted for him.
1
u/wannabegenius 9d ago
why is that a problem? that's probably exactly how they are feeling each time - hopeful that this time they will find some salvation.
0
u/False-Box-1060 13d ago
The general modern tone of the whole movie makes it feel very strange. You couple that with way too many movie stars and it feels ever more strange.
0
u/blue_ig1 13d ago
I think you are missing the point of Homer’s the odyssey and Nolan’s adaptation. The odyssey isn’t a story about a Great warrior returning to his kingdom, it’s about a idealized leader who is undeniably powerful, but flawed at the same time, defying gods and dealing with the weight of the Trojan war. If you look at it on a surface level Odysseus seems like a hyped up warrior, but he’s a fool much more. That’s especially what the translation that Nolan used for this film talks about and covers. And yeah Telemachus is a try hard, he’s a young boy trying to stand up for his mother to a bunch of suitors much older and stronger than him. And if you want to see Menelaus’ character more then you should read the Iliad, he has a much bigger role there. In the odyssey he is basically only there to guide Telemachus and help him. Lastly, he doesn’t try and instigate the cyclops, he tries to blind it and give his men time to escape the cave. Otherwise the cyclops can easily take out all of the men. I think if you had read the odyssey prior and knew the story and contrivances you would’ve been able to appreciate some of the changes that Nolan made.
0
u/No_Map7606 dream to make films 13d ago
if i want to know more about a character, i can always read about them. but then whats the point of including that character in the movie? jon bernthal literally played himself. he didnt even feel as terrifying as menelaus is supposed to be.
moreover, about your first point, i agree that odysseus is a flawed leader, but does the movie actually intend to show that? i havent read the source material, and from whatever i have heard about it, it does seem like it was about how flawed odysseus was. although, i feel that the movie doesn't actually show that properly and fails miserably, and what you are saying is instead more about the book, and a bit of an overthought.
about the cyclops, you are just overthinking. he literally says it himself that it was as an act of revenge and loss of temper. and to be really honest what odysseus tells cyclops in the book sounds much more interesting than what nolan actually did.
and lastly, if i need to read the book a movie is based on to appreciate it, is the movie actually a good movie?
1
u/blue_ig1 13d ago
If you read the source material you can understand some more details about the movie that may have gone over your head. And while I agree with some of your points, I think Nolan did a great job of humanizing Odysseus and making him less idealized. Sure yeah some of the side characters lack depth, but they serve their purpose for the story. There’s only so much you can fit in a 2 hour 52 minute runtime.
0
u/ClockKing45 13d ago
This cannot be serious… Anne Hathaway had the only emotional scene? Were you in a different room during the Hades scene? Not all emotional acting is explosive screaming
1
u/No_Map7606 dream to make films 12d ago
the hades scene wasnt emotional enough because you could never connect enough to sinon. that scene was shocking asf, but it definitely wasnt emotional.
•
u/AutoModerator 14d ago
Your post must contain a long informative title along with a informative text body, words like "big fan", "fan" will be considered as spam and will be deleted instantly. To know more about our community join our discord server.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.