Christopher Nolan for pre-release chatter about who he cast to play Helen of Troy odysseythe most important casting in the filmmaker’s bold adaptation of Homer’s epic is not the beauty that legend claims hatched from an egg.
Odysseus is the role that will determine the success or failure of this film, and director Nolan cast Matt Damon for the role. So, does this actor’s performance remind us of an “ancient Greek ruler”?
That’s not the case, but Damon certainly uses his serious, executive persona to play the Greek King of Ithaca, who crosses swords with countless enemies and crosses paths with a giant man-eating Cyclops during his multi-year journey home from the Trojan War.
Confronted with these fantastical CGI beasts, Damon grounds this rich re-imagining of the myth in real human emotion. But here, Damon is always “Matt Damon as Odysseus,” whether buried under the bushy beard of a weary traveler or decked out as a warlord.
If you want to see an actor disappear into the complex role of a knight in a sword-and-armour ripping epic, watch Ridley Scott’s 2021 action drama. the last duel. As Odysseus, Damon leads an all-star cast that generally registers as a distinguished troupe offering a very serious interpretation of the classics.
The grand lady of the troupe is Anne Hathaway, who plays the fierce Penelope, the strong wife of Odysseus who waits in the palace for his return.
The queen had to fend off suitors who flocked to her home during the years her husband was away. Those who covet his throne include the taunting villains Antinous (Robert Pattinson) and Polybus (Corey Hawkins), who conspire to usurp her and Odysseus’ son, the doe-eyed prince Telemachus (Tom Holland, struggling to balance youthful naivety and gritty determination).
In between scenes of characters plotting in the shadows at court, Odysseus engages in ominous arguments with the mysterious Calypso (Charlize Theron) on a remote island. Continuing to be her lover, he forgot about himself, his family, and his quest to return home.
At times in the story, he instead speaks with the goddess Athena (Zendaya), who appears to him in visions and quietly guides him with tough love. Although Nolan’s writing and acting can sometimes feel stilted in its presentation of the poetic text, the film shrewdly delves into the inner lives of men and women ruled by faith in a capricious god and fear.
In that context, faith and mythology have something in common. Paradoxically, the film is at its most realistic when it dives headlong into the fantasy of witches and giants and the stormy seas at the mercy of an angry Poseidon.
The film is brought to life with action set pieces strung out during highly theatrical tête-à -têtes, fueled by Ludwig Göransson’s driving score. Director Nolan uses his excellent eye for scale and weight to bring naval battles and the roar of 20-foot-tall knights in armor to life on screen.
Frequently told legends are reimagined using physical details of real events. For example, the story of the Trojan Horse is fascinatingly told from the perspective of Odysseus and his soldiers crammed inside a giant horse, unable to move, breathe, or relieve themselves as they wait for a false gift to be delivered to the city gates of Troy.
In terms of visual effects and overall effect, the film’s standout sequence finds Odysseus and his army trapped in the cavernous realm of the towering one-eyed giant Polyphemus. It is played by award-winning actor Bill Irwin.
Amidst the awe and suspense of watching a Cyclops chase tiny humans around his lair, Irwin certainly melts into the character. The equally wonderful Samantha Morton ignites the proverbial fire, monstrous make-up aside, purely on the strength of her performance as the cunning magician Circe.
Like Lupita Nyong’o’s shame-scarred, deeply regretful Helen of Troy, the mythical figure becomes flesh and blood in her multifaceted take on the deceitful witch. Similarly, Damon rescues Odysseus, even though he is of a lower dimension. This Odysseus is a man of flawed faith whose arrogance repeatedly hinders his long journey home as a conquering hero.
Odyssey (★★★1/2☆☆) Now showing in theaters nationwide. visit fandango.com.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
