The gods really have it in for Odysseus and his men.
Which brings me to Mr. Bill. Remember him?
If not, Google him. He was hilarious. He was a clay figurine character who appeared in short films during the early years of “Saturday Night Live.” Mr. Bill would face certain torture from one of his tormenters, Mr. Hands or Sluggo, cry out a high-pitched “Oh, noooooo!” and then wind up crushed, having his limbs torn off or experiencing some other gruesome demise.
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” (R, 172 minutes, in theaters) made me think of Mr. Bill. Sailing back home after victory in the Trojan War, Odysseus (Matt Damon), king of Ithaca, and his soldiers, having incurred the wrath of the gods, keep blundering into horrific situations on land that send them hauling butt back to their ships. Each time that would happen I’d think, “Oh, noooooo!”
Matt Damon plays Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” (Universal Pictures)
Mr. Bill aside, Nolan’s much-ballyhooed IMAX adaptation of Homer’s epic ancient poem comes across as one of those grandiose early 1960s spectacles like “Cleopatra” or “The Fall of the Roman Empire” — with a large dose of “Game of Thrones” thrown in.
After 10 years of warfare, Odysseus — famous for coming up with the hide-in-the-horse tactic that seals the victory over Troy — just wants to go home. But another decade passes as he and his men run into a giant cyclops (Bill Irwin) with a hunger for human heads, an army of gargantuan soldiers, and a witch (Samantha Morton) who thinks all men are pigs and does something about it. There’s much more (Sirens, a giant whirlpool, raging storms), too, since Zeus and Poseidon are apparently ticked off at Odysseus and company and put them through hell. Another delay: A sea nymph (Charlize Theron) holds an amnesiac Odysseus in blissful captivity for years. Some holdups are easier to take than others.
Meanwhile, Odysseus’ wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), not knowing if the king still lives, maintain hope for his return. More than 100 suitors for Penelope’s hand — chief among them ruthless weasel Antinous (Robert Pattinson) — have taken over the castle, trashing the joint and slobbering over the cuisine, and are applying pressure for the queen to choose one of them.
Nolan captures all of this, and much, much more in just under three hours. It’s a lot — arguably too much — to pack in as the story shifts back and forth in time through multiple flashbacks. Along with those already mentioned, the all-star cast includes Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, Benny Safde and, best of all, an unrecognizable John Leguizamo as a sight-impaired swineherd who’s loyal to the king and his family.
Overall, “The Odyssey” delivers a few knockout set pieces; powerfully pounding, pulsating percussion from triple-Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson (“Oppenheimer,” “Sinners”); and a third act that builds to an explosive, action-packed finale.
It also touches on the creation of legends while considering the waste and horror of war, even in victory, through the perspective of a hero. Who knew Odysseus had PTSD?
Still, if Nolan is aiming for greatness here — and there’s no reason to think he isn’t — he falls short. “The Odyssey” is a good movie with a few outstanding sequences. The cyclops segment is amazing. But the film is too elephantine to have much emotional or intellectual punch. *** (out of four)
** Click here for Tim Miller’s previous movie columns for Cape Cod Wave **
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Tim Miller, Movie Critic
Tim Miller is co-president of the Boston Society of Film Critics and a Tomatometer-approved critic. He teaches film and journalism at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable. You can contact Tim at [email protected]. Or you can ignore him completely.
