Most directors would balk at the idea of adapting Homer’s "The Odyssey" to the big screen.
The Greek mythology epic may essentially boil down to an ill-fated warrior trying to get home, but the 24-book 8th-century BC poem which sees men collide with gods and monsters across a perilous adventure lasting decades is an enduring narrative whose scale and scope has served as the template for all of literary fiction.
Not Christopher Nolan. Fresh from his Oscar-winning three-hour biopic about the birth of the atomic bomb, the filmmaker undertakes what is arguably his most ambitious project to date. He does so by doing what he did for Batman: committing to realism and making it less about myth and more about the man.
This more grounded version of the story is matched by the craft. Filmed in six countries, shot entirely on IMAX – the first film to ever do so, with a reported 2.1 million feet of film shot – and relying on practical effects rather than an abundance of CGI (a reported 2,000 extras were used to film the siege of Troy), The Odyssey sees Nolan truly commit and swing for the fences.
However, prioritizing the plights of men can have its pitfalls.
