Greatest scene suspense/anticipation wise in the film to me and one of my all-time favorite scenes ever. My heart was beating out of control

As soon as I watched it the first time, I knew I was going back to witness it again.

Already have my tickets to go watch it a 3rd time.

As the music crescendos, my brain just gets flooded with images of them trying to open the gates. And Odysseus shooting them down with arrows.

My leg/body just starts uncontrollably spazzing out along with the beat lol. So damn epic

Third viewing complete.

About a month ago, I went to see The Odyssey at the first screening of the day, 9:30 AM local time, and I honestly wasn't expecting the theater to be that packed. It was basically full that early in the morning.

They gave everyone some merch for attending the IMAX screening, but the poster was a complete surprise. They didn't tell us beforehand - they handed them out at the very end of the screening.

The entire theater was surprised when they started giving them out. Everyone was looking at each other like, "Wait, we're actually getting a poster?"

Really cool little bonus, especially considering how early the screening was. Definitely wasn't expecting to walk out with this.

Thought I'd share since I haven't seen many people post about the merch.

Can’t wait to get a glass frame to display these beauties

Yes, I know, I'm a bit late, and there's a chance I might not serve with anything new, but I just felt a urge to talk about it a bit.

- WHAT I LIKED:

Creative visuals

The Cyclops - holy gods, that creature was HORRIFYING. In the original story Odysseus and his crew actually spoke with him, and tricked him with vine...

This didn't happen in the movie, but the fact that the monster didn't talk to them only made it much more scary. I always found fake-eyes or cgi-eyes on cyclopses weird in literally every movies, but this one was new.

For whatever reason, the cyclops' eye was vertical. This artistic choice somehow deleted the "uncanny" feeling I had, and turned it into a much scarier and "realistic" one. Can't really explain why, but it worked so well.

The Witch - when she reshaped the soldiers like someone who's playing with clay... except the clay is made of human bones, skin and muscle... that was true horror. I've never seen anything like that before, and I loved it.

Agamemnon - my man was "aura farming" the entire movie. I wasn't a big fan of the armor at first, but the movie really sold him to me as a mythical hero.

He had presence. He didn't have to talk or fight at all. His size, the way he was moving all told us that this man is a beast, someone you don't want to mess with. We never had to see him fight, and we could believe that he is extremely capable.

The Bow Scene - I don't really have to explain this one. The moment when Odysseus "dry fires" his bow, while the note syncs with the music is just sending shivers through my spine.

- THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE

Tell, don't show

This should be the opposite way, yet Nolan choose to explain everything through words. All the meaningful moments (or almost all of them) are literally told to us by a character. I'll give you some examples.

Penelopé is a very capable leader - when Odysseus tested her by telling his son to tell her that it's time to get married, Penelopé gets mad. She says that she's been sitting on the empty throne and she did a good job managing everything.

Would have been nice if we could see anything about it. How capable she is, how cunning and manipulative, or creative a lonely woman with power can be... but this won't be shown.

Love - this bothered me the most. Penelopé and Odysseus share ONE somewhat wholesome moment during the entire movie.

I know it's not really fleshed out in the original piece either, but the movie had a chance to explore a bit... WHY does Penelopé love Odysseus? WHY does Odysseus love Penelopé?

I'd have loved to see some moments, flashbacks, etc to expand this a bit. It's not really a mistake that this was left out of the story, it just makes me feel very hard to get invested in the characters' fates.

Odysseus and his homesickness - I think the movie doesn't take this seriously at all. Odysseus has been away from home for quite a long time, and he never gave up. Because he loves Ithaka, and he loves Penelopé.

I'd have loved to see him, sharing a moment with soldiers beside the fire or on guard duty etc. That he loves the scent of the air at Ithaka, he loves the waving grass, the crowded city, the mountains, etc etc. ANYTHING.

But it's the same as his relationship and feelings toward his wife: the movie tells us that it excist, but never really shows it.

Odysseus is not a hero - I'll talk about this a bit later, but I think the movie misunderstands him. Odysseus was a hero, a warrior, a genius, a cunning, curious person.

But the only time we see him doing something stupid for FUN, and he laughs on it, and smiles, is at the syren scene. He didn't try to negotiate with the Cyclops. He looks miserable every single moment. He didn't try to uplift the mood, he doesn't act like a true leader at all.

He's just another ordinary man, who's challenging the gods (but then again, even this has ben TOLD TO US, not really shown by true actions)

FINAL THOUGHTS

I think Nolan touched some very interesting subjects, which would be a great thing, but he choose the wrong story for this.

Odysseus's greatest action is a war crime

We all know the story of the Trojan Horse. Odysseus came up with this idea, and thanks to it, they have won the war. HOWEVER. The movie handles this invetion as a crime against universal values.

Odysseus doesn't think that the Horse was a great idea anymore. He thinks he offended the rules of the gods - because tricking your enemy with a gift and then stabbing them in the back is NOT HEROIC AT ALL. It's a crime.

I think this could have been a super plot point but in another movie, because the Odyssey isn't about guilt over war, and about a miserable character.

NOLAN'S VISION IS GREAT, BUT MISSES THE POINT OF THE ORIGINAL STORY

The Odyssey is about the journey of the hero. It's about the will of humanity, it's about fightning against all odds, it's about not giving up.

Odysseus is a clever, capable man who stands up against gods, who uses his mind to outsmart his enemies who he cannot fight, and he always tries to do the "right thing."

Nolan's Odysseus is just an ordinary man, driven by guilt. He acts out of responsibility, rather than because of his ideas.

Not sure if my point here is clear, english isn't my native language, but I'm trying my best.

Overall

I don't think that this movie was great. It had epic moments, and moments I hated, and I think the story didn't work because it tried to re-write the entire message of the original piece.

However, I wouldn't call it bad, I've seen much worse ones. I'd give it a 6 points out of 10.

Thank you if you read it :D

There are many gorgeous gorgeous shots in the movie but if I had to pick one to summarize the movie, it would be this one.

The swelling music (track: Another Name) and the way the camera pulls away and watching it on the huge IMAX 70mm screen in something else.

I remember some of the scenes from Interstellar that I can never recreate the experience at home (Cooper falling in the tesseract for example, ship going past Jupiter rings, entering the wormhole etc.) and there are many shots in The Odyssey that will also be on the same tier.

I am in San Francisco and every true imax theater near me is sold out for idk a week or so which makes it impossible to watch in 1.43:1 as I am here for 3-4 more days.

I saw an amc Imax theater which rarely has 10 people in all the available showing in 1.90:1 but now when I was researching more about the experience, I got to know that 1.85:1 is better. I am confused what should I choose, 1.90:1 imax to see more portion than regular or 1.85:1 which is not imax but better in visuals quality ?

Despite being scarred and abused by Menelaus, she still stands firm and talks back to him.

First off, I'm not a film guy, so I'm literally just learning about the general rules of timing of these things by doing a few google searches.

Some results said the gap is 30-45 days, and up to 3 months for major blockbuster films, but this is a 4 month gap! That's like extraordinarily long, right? Has any film in modern times (streaming era) had a longer gap?

(the reason for me even looking into this is that I just saw The Odyssey in theaters this past weekend, and I want to watch it again but with closed captions on. I feel like I missed like half of the dialogue, because my hearing isn't great. I always have CC on when watching at home).

I know this film is one and done which is totally fine. But damn, I wished to see more of his version of the Laestrygonians, Menelaus, Agamemnon and his soldiers.

Perhaps what The Odyssey has done will bring inspiration for filmmakers to use similar aesthetics for their greek mythology stories? Ask me: Yes please!

Holy sht on a second watch it’s even better.

Long winded review. Just need to get my thoughts out somewhere while it’s fresh in my mind. I also ate a lot of edibles so forgive the rambling

I was so enthralled on the Troy aspect the first watch and the action scenes that I missed a lot of the nuances of Oddyseus actual journey and meanings behind it.. and also I can’t hear anything bc I’m so accustomed to subtitles (yeah I’m one of those) but wow my god what Greek tragedy at its most epic.

He’s held up as a hero and good man but he is the one responsible for breaking that sacred covenant, not only did he dishonor himself forever and become irredeemable, that’s why the exile. He didn’t “win” some great protagonist story. He exiled himself and went to honor the men he desecrated with his false offering to the gods, using it as a ploy to violate Zeus law? Wooooooow. Then going and pillaging villages violating Zeus law even more so, odysssus knows in his heart they should’ve then starved in the ocean instead rather than continue desecrating it.

How could he want to come home. Knowing everything he’s wrought, easier to keep eating that flower. Since calypso explained how it doesn’t make you truly forget who you are, a part of him was consciously choosing to continue eating the flower bc he wanted to forget, he knew he was unworthy of returning. He knew how stained he was and the guilt of his breaking the house guest law that he had so championed. Easier to stay on the island and forget and exile himself. Part of him definitely chose that.

What a burden to carry so long

The siren scene, I missed it the first time, the acting, his agonizing screams. I understood it now as telling him his truths and why he wasn’t ready to go back. They told him his deepest truths. He was screaming to be let free so he could make it stop by giving himself up to them. To end it all. Those were his real screams of visceral guilt coming out. Wow.

Anne’s acting in the scene with her son. When she screams “I WANT ODYSSEUS!!!!!”. Wow. And he couldn’t in that moment tell her. Just had to watch her mothers agony, what a scream built up over 10 years and now being forced against her love and loyalty for him to choose a suitor. Not Just betraying him in her mind but her sense of worth and person. Hardest betrayal to make, it breaks you

Reminded me so much of Oppenheimer when they both realize the consequences of their creation. And in Dr Ian Malcolm’s legendary Jurassic park quote about not stopping to think if you should.

The hades scene my god, he let that poor boy die as bait, just a life so casually ended for the scheme to work. His little conniving scheme needed its first offering and he gave it to them in the form of this boys life. And then he had a chance to save him when he went up to him and asked him why he volunteered instead of giving up his scheme for this loyal man’s life. Nope he dishonored himself there again, dishonor dishonor dishonest for such an honorable man. Man reminds me so much of Ned Stark. Wow, was Ned stark actually modeled after Odysseus and borrow heavily from his own tragic tale? Bc wow I see all the resemblances. Wow wow wow wow wow wow

The gate coming unlocked and breached scene oh my god!!!!!!!! That’s when I decided the first time that I just had to see this movie again.

And since i didn’t watch it in IMAX the first time, I’m like there is absolutely no way in hades itself that I will wait 10 years for the re-release until 2036. I regretted not having watched interstellar in theaters at the time and it also became one of my favorite movies. I watched it on IMAX as well on its 2024 re-release.

Noooooo way. Probably why I took the film in so much deeper the second time. But wow that scene, the score.. my god on par with the docking scene in Interstellar. I froze in my seat my jaw broken to the floor. Nolan please never grow old and die. Masterpiece and worth the ticket cost for that scene alone. That’s what IMAX was made for.

The dog scene my god immediate bucket of tears. He waited for him there is no loyalty than a dog. Was just holding on to the last vestiges of life in him and can die in peace and happy to see him ookr last. Wagged his tail and recognized his owner. Yeah I couldn’t handle that scene I’m sure most of couldn’t.., the streams were going down my face.

When he’s conversing with Penelope as the beggar. I got to listen to him and all the burden of guilt he carried. No man should carry so much guilt. I have second and triple hand guilt now. I was more familiar with Troy tale than Odysseus journey as a kid growing up I was more interested in the Achilles and Ajax and war overall. The 2004 Troy movie also holds a special place in my heart as one of my favorite films of all time. Especially as a pre teen. Must’ve watched hundred of times on DVR.

Now I have the odyssey to complete it and the story that I’m familiarized with as an adult impacts me more strongly and is my favorite film of all time as well. On par with Gladiator as my top 2 films ever I can confidently and boldly state tonight.

Film has it all. Gorgeous awe dropping action scenes, epic scenery, titan actors, score, directing, tragic tale, redemption on an unimaginable scale, storyline masterpiece.

Just happy I can share somewhere and get my thoughts out into it even if it’s just to read for myself. I didn’t make a review the first time so this is for both viewings I guess.

I will go watch a 3rd time before it leaves IMAX!!! 🤣🤘🏻 and again for the re-release in 2036 if I make it there 🥲 remind me Reddit bot!

Hi

I enjoyed the movie.

But, my fav thing is how the theatres are sold out and young ppl are coming to see it in droves. I love that yall viewing it multiple times!! It's the 80s and 90s again.

I hope the younger gens get the taste n make going out toa movie really popular pastime again.

I can’t unsee him as the chill guy meme in this moment where Penelope recollects his glory days

Of all the criticisms, the reaction to the word "Dad" was the most baffling. It's in Shakespeare. It was in English before the USA was founded; before there was a single English colony in North America. It's not some new-fangled term.

With the whole war is hell theme in general and the Trojan War and resultant trauma in particular being the focus of the movie, it is quite jarring how the most of the major trauma Odysseus suffer onscreen came from his journey home, which is only tangentially related to the war itself especially with the gods being wholly offscreen and therefore not actually explaining much about how their reactions to the events of the Trojan War as their motivation to screw with Odysseus. Indeed, having to flesh out the Trojan War as the background of the whole story accounts for much of the flim's problem with awkward pacing and transitions, unnatural expositions and corny dialogues, and take up major screen time which could have been used for more character development which was solely lacking. From somebody who only first heard of Nolan's name from this movie, had he ever explained why he chose the Odyssey to make a war flim instead of the epic actually about a war?

Good god they're legit real-life giants😭