As we came streaming out of the IMAX theater, where I had managed to secure the last remaining seat, a 10-year-old boy asked: “What movie were you guys watching?” The answer didn’t ring a bell, but I recommended it to him very highly, as I do to you.
I do think this film was intended to speak to our current moment, and those who hoped it would be more aggressive in its political messaging overlook that scrutiny the film is already under. Martin, you know I love direct storytelling that is unabashed in its politics! But for a story like The Odyssey, which so many feel is a story that belongs to them, it makes sense to critique the wrongs of broken laws and agreements in a slightly more subtle way, to “tell it slant.” The PTSD angle is something I think Nolan is interested in anyway with his male characters, but it allows him to explore an analogy to the present day without villainizing Odysseus completely and alienating large swaths of viewers. When critiquing systems from within but attempting to reach large audiences, this is often the go-to technique, and has been for many years.
Thank you for such a thoughtful review. I haven’t seen the film yet, but your reading of it through PTSD and xenia makes me even more curious to see it. I especially like the idea that an adaptation matters less for its fidelity than for how convincingly it speaks to the present.
I especially like the connection between xenia and the modern international order. It makes the Odyssey feel less like a story confined to the ancient world and more like a way of asking what happens when the rules that hold societies together begin to break down. Perhaps the film’s political argument is strongest when it doesn’t tell us exactly what to think, but makes us recognize the parallels ourselves.
We watched it first week into the holidays with our 15 year old, followed by Spider Man the week after - for me both films are great Americana and very good marketing of a star studded cast promoting both films first and foremost. But in our family ranking it was Spiderman to win (standing ovations at the end in a Cinemaxx, never seen!) While the references to contemporary politics in Nolan's Odyssee are there, they are subtle and hidden. II wondered how much of that comes across for a mass audience and thanks Martin for spelling out the inbetween lines so well in this review. Clearly something that can only be written with a sound knowledge and study of both history and contemporary political moment to flag the importance of humanities studies.
I wasn't always too sure, however, that the trauma of war wasn't still glorified as in any other American action movie? Admiring how 'muscular' Matt Damon appears, etc. Do we really see Odysseus as someone suffering from PTSD by the end of the film?Tom Holland on the other hand strikes us as the new lead in both films, showcasing a boyish masculinity that may morf Telemachus into Spiderman - the kind of superhuman qualities of friendship, loyalty and empathy, we will need to safe us humans from ourselves in the 21st century?
In any case, watch both films, they are epic in their own right and lots blockbuster fun!
Very interesting point about Tom Holland. And you’re right that Damon seems partly cured by the end—though he still feels damaged, his tattered looks seems more than just cunning disguise, and he is not fit to stay home and take the throne.
hello martin. good work. I ask to know if you can approve this review be re-posted to my blog - https://www.indieactivity.com I am looking for pro bono collaboration
As a lifelong admirer of Homer's Odyssey and of later reinterpretations such as Joyce's Ulysses and the Coen brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou?, I went to see Nolan's film with high expectations—though not in IMAX. Having now seen it, I was especially grateful to read your essay. As always, it was thoughtful, incisive, and generous in the way it addressed criticisms that have already surfaced. It reminded me that the value of a work of art often depends on the framework within which we choose to judge it.
Nolan's emphasis on Odysseus' trauma seems to me a legitimate way of connecting Homer to a contemporary audience, even if it is not a perspective Homer himself would have recognised.
Your essay left me wondering about something slightly different. For those of us who did not see the film in IMAX, to what extent do you think Nolan's visual choices were shaped by the format itself? Were certain scenes conceived the way they are because of the possibilities—or the limitations—of IMAX?
I found myself thinking about the unusually long takes, the frequent placement of faces in the exact centre of the frame, and, for example, whether the cave sequence might have conveyed a stronger sense of claustrophobic panic had it not been constrained by the demands of large-format photography.
It strikes me as an interesting question in its own right: is IMAX simply an artistic advantage, or does it involve creative trade-offs that fundamentally shape the way a film is made? I would love to read an essay exploring the artistic gains and losses of the format.
Great points, Martin. Very incisive piece. After Katha Politt’s brilliant but scathing review, I thought I might spare myself the experience. But now I think I go to see the film. If only to look at through your eyes.
I think it shows a Universal Human behavior that transcends through time in our history, these behaviors reflect the emotional and physical that the War creates to soldiers , families and countries invaded.
What stayed with me most was your idea that The Odyssey is not simply about a journey, but about returning to a world—and a self—that has already changed.
It gave me a new perspective on the recent discussions around Emily Wilson and Christopher Nolan, and it has inspired an essay I’m now writing in Japanese.
Thank you for reminding us why the classics still matter.
Hi Professor Puchner! I would really recommend the film “Nostos: The Return”, as it is the earliest I’ve seen to imagine Odysseus racked with guilt/stricken with PTSD. It is spoken in an entirely made-up language, sonically derived from various ancient Mediterranean languages, so any online link works - no subtitles required!
I do think this film was intended to speak to our current moment, and those who hoped it would be more aggressive in its political messaging overlook that scrutiny the film is already under. Martin, you know I love direct storytelling that is unabashed in its politics! But for a story like The Odyssey, which so many feel is a story that belongs to them, it makes sense to critique the wrongs of broken laws and agreements in a slightly more subtle way, to “tell it slant.” The PTSD angle is something I think Nolan is interested in anyway with his male characters, but it allows him to explore an analogy to the present day without villainizing Odysseus completely and alienating large swaths of viewers. When critiquing systems from within but attempting to reach large audiences, this is often the go-to technique, and has been for many years.
Thank you for such a thoughtful review. I haven’t seen the film yet, but your reading of it through PTSD and xenia makes me even more curious to see it. I especially like the idea that an adaptation matters less for its fidelity than for how convincingly it speaks to the present.
"wracking my brain for comparisons" I would add Avatar to the mix- kind of a breakthrough 3D movie
You’re so right!
I especially like the connection between xenia and the modern international order. It makes the Odyssey feel less like a story confined to the ancient world and more like a way of asking what happens when the rules that hold societies together begin to break down. Perhaps the film’s political argument is strongest when it doesn’t tell us exactly what to think, but makes us recognize the parallels ourselves.
We watched it first week into the holidays with our 15 year old, followed by Spider Man the week after - for me both films are great Americana and very good marketing of a star studded cast promoting both films first and foremost. But in our family ranking it was Spiderman to win (standing ovations at the end in a Cinemaxx, never seen!) While the references to contemporary politics in Nolan's Odyssee are there, they are subtle and hidden. II wondered how much of that comes across for a mass audience and thanks Martin for spelling out the inbetween lines so well in this review. Clearly something that can only be written with a sound knowledge and study of both history and contemporary political moment to flag the importance of humanities studies.
I wasn't always too sure, however, that the trauma of war wasn't still glorified as in any other American action movie? Admiring how 'muscular' Matt Damon appears, etc. Do we really see Odysseus as someone suffering from PTSD by the end of the film?Tom Holland on the other hand strikes us as the new lead in both films, showcasing a boyish masculinity that may morf Telemachus into Spiderman - the kind of superhuman qualities of friendship, loyalty and empathy, we will need to safe us humans from ourselves in the 21st century?
In any case, watch both films, they are epic in their own right and lots blockbuster fun!
Very interesting point about Tom Holland. And you’re right that Damon seems partly cured by the end—though he still feels damaged, his tattered looks seems more than just cunning disguise, and he is not fit to stay home and take the throne.
hello martin. good work. I ask to know if you can approve this review be re-posted to my blog - https://www.indieactivity.com I am looking for pro bono collaboration
Yes of course, I’d be delighted.
Great! Mighty grateful. I will push you the link when I do.
Dear Professor Puchner,
As a lifelong admirer of Homer's Odyssey and of later reinterpretations such as Joyce's Ulysses and the Coen brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou?, I went to see Nolan's film with high expectations—though not in IMAX. Having now seen it, I was especially grateful to read your essay. As always, it was thoughtful, incisive, and generous in the way it addressed criticisms that have already surfaced. It reminded me that the value of a work of art often depends on the framework within which we choose to judge it.
Nolan's emphasis on Odysseus' trauma seems to me a legitimate way of connecting Homer to a contemporary audience, even if it is not a perspective Homer himself would have recognised.
Your essay left me wondering about something slightly different. For those of us who did not see the film in IMAX, to what extent do you think Nolan's visual choices were shaped by the format itself? Were certain scenes conceived the way they are because of the possibilities—or the limitations—of IMAX?
I found myself thinking about the unusually long takes, the frequent placement of faces in the exact centre of the frame, and, for example, whether the cave sequence might have conveyed a stronger sense of claustrophobic panic had it not been constrained by the demands of large-format photography.
It strikes me as an interesting question in its own right: is IMAX simply an artistic advantage, or does it involve creative trade-offs that fundamentally shape the way a film is made? I would love to read an essay exploring the artistic gains and losses of the format.
Best regards,
Christoph Holtwiesche
Great points, Martin. Very incisive piece. After Katha Politt’s brilliant but scathing review, I thought I might spare myself the experience. But now I think I go to see the film. If only to look at through your eyes.
I think it shows a Universal Human behavior that transcends through time in our history, these behaviors reflect the emotional and physical that the War creates to soldiers , families and countries invaded.
Thank you for this thoughtful essay.
What stayed with me most was your idea that The Odyssey is not simply about a journey, but about returning to a world—and a self—that has already changed.
It gave me a new perspective on the recent discussions around Emily Wilson and Christopher Nolan, and it has inspired an essay I’m now writing in Japanese.
Thank you for reminding us why the classics still matter.
Hi Professor Puchner! I would really recommend the film “Nostos: The Return”, as it is the earliest I’ve seen to imagine Odysseus racked with guilt/stricken with PTSD. It is spoken in an entirely made-up language, sonically derived from various ancient Mediterranean languages, so any online link works - no subtitles required!
Very good analysis!!! Thank you!
Appreciate your analysis! Will get out and see it today.
You’re too kind.