Christopher Nolan fans can at last rejoice as The Odyssey is finally out, and it’s available in different formats, which can be quite overwhelming if you are thinking which would be the best way to experience it while watching the film for the first time. I had the opportunity to watch the 35mm film version, and here’s a spoiler-free review of it.

Odyssey 35mm: Should I go for the 35mm film version?

The 35mm film version is definitely a good experience, as the good old film reel gives it an otherworldly vintage look. However, most scenes are set in the dark, and the projector may not be luminous enough to give you the best experience for those. Moreover, film tends to flicker at times, which can be annoying if you are not used to it. My suggestion: go for the usual digital projection or, better yet, IMAX if you are really hyped about it. You can perhaps try the Odyssey 35mm version during your rewatch.

The Odyssey: Worth the hype?

I will keep it spoiler-free, but here’s a brief review for you to decide.

TLDR: It’s good.

Most of the film is filled with a nonlinear storyline (duh!? It’s Nolan). Similar to Dunkirk, the film focuses on micro-stories throughout Odysseus’ voyage and feels like an anthology with the same characters. But once again, you can’t complain because this is a mythological classic. To further add to it, most classics can have a simple plot line, so you may not go in expecting something similar to Nolan’s Inception, The Prestige or Interstellar.

However, during his voyage, most of the film is held together by the great cinematography, strong acting and direction rather than the story, which just tends to be mildly engaging. Look, don’t get me wrong, Homer’s Odyssey has some great stories, such as the fall of Troy, which we have certainly crossed paths with at some point in our lives; however, in Nolan’s adaptation, most stories don’t get enough screen time to do them justice.

I personally was hyped to see the story about the sirens who lure the sailors to their deaths with their melodious lullaby and how Odysseus asked himself to be tied to the mast of the ship to protect himself from the deadly charm of the sirens. Unfortunately, this chapter hardly gets two minutes of screen time. Even worse, we never get to see the sirens on screen or even hear their melody, although I respect the latter choice because it needs to be more like an abstract Lovecraftian concept.

In other words, let’s just say that some stories from the Odyssey look better in that childlike, imaginative head of ours than what is being shown on screen.

And while watching the arc about the voyage, I was about to rate this a 6/10 overall, to be very honest, but the next part, the final part of the film, not only redeems it to a great extent by making the story more engaging but also makes the parallel plot at Ithaca (Odysseus’ home & kingdom) more cohesive. And in case you already know the plot of the original epic, you are in for a surprise as Nolan’s version provides a fresh new conclusion to the classic.

Verdict

Nolan’s The Odyssey is hauntingly beautiful, grand, yet imperfect.

⭐ Rating: 7/10

Go, watch it IMAX on the biggest screen possible, or The Odyssey 35mm version if you are into a more vintage style.