A review of Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' and its strangest features

There has been a lot of talk lately about the latest film by British filmmaker Christopher Nolan, titled "The Odyssey".

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I must say that I have loved some of Nolan's films, such as "Batman Begins" (2005), "The Prestige" (2006), "The Dark Knight" (2008), "Dunkirk" (2017) and especially "Interstellar" (2014), one of my favorite science fiction films.

This time, Nolan draws inspiration for his film from Homer's famous story. I say "draws inspiration" because the British filmmaker takes some significant liberties in telling the story. Furthermore, the film contains glaring historical inaccuracies: Viking longships portrayed as Greek ships (there's almost a 2,000-year difference between them), as well as considerable errors in helmets and armor (the medieval steel plate armor is one of the most egregious mistakes).

On the other hand, Nolan falls into the same error as Amazon Studios' series "The Rings of Power", inspired by Tolkien's work but distorting the world created by that British writer. The story of "The Odyssey" tells of Odysseus' (Ulysses') return to the Hellenic kingdom of Ithaca after the Trojan War. Among the warriors of Ithaca, we see Black Africans and even an Asian. One of the most surprising changes in the film is related to one of the protagonists of the Trojan War story: the role of Helen of Troy, whom Homer describes as a woman with white arms (a way of highlighting that she was a noblewoman who wasn't usually exposed to the sun, as was the case with peasant women), was given to Lupita Nyong'o, a very beautiful actress, but one who is Black and of Kenyan origin. Similarly, the role of the goddess Athena, whose light eyes Homer emphasizes, was given to Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman, a woman with brown skin and dark eyes.

These changes have been particularly upsetting in Greece, as they distort the reality of Hellenistic culture. Once again, we are witnessing a case where a film production has decided to sacrifice historical elements on the altar of political correctness, something that has become commonplace in recent years. Given the introduction of racial diversity into historical narratives, which is entirely anachronistic, why didn't Nolan include any Maori from New Zealand in the cast? I find it unfair. Furthermore, I wonder what would have happened if this story hadn't been based on Hellenistic tradition, but rather on the history or mythology of other parts of the world. Would Arab countries have accepted that important figures in their history were played by Nordic people, for example? Would China or Japan accept that characters in their history were portrayed by Black or Caucasian actors? Why is political correctness always applied to the same people?

That said, I must say that there are many aspects of the film that I enjoyed. Matt Damon gives a good performance as Odysseus, and Tom Holland is better than I expected as Telemachus. I can't say anything bad about Anne Hathaway because I always enjoy her performances. Furthermore, the film is entertaining and doesn't drag despite being almost three hours long, which I think is quite an achievement. Of all the scenes I liked, the most noteworthy is towards the end: the chapter about the fall of Troy is particularly well told, especially considering how horrifying that moment must have been. The part with the Cyclops Polyphemus, played by Bill Irwin, was also very enjoyable (that episode alone could be the basis for a good horror film).

Personally, I liked the film, although I think it lacks the epic feel of other productions about that era. It's a shame the film contains the flaws mentioned, because otherwise it would have been a great film. Here's the trailer: