No mincing of words here…
Saw it at imax at the weekend. No doubt a pretty decent movie. Not sure I’d be showering with ‘best ever’ type accolades. Maybe too much hype.
The set pieces were great, a sensitive use of CGI, a story well told. It just seemed a bit passion-light/script by numbers at times.
As others have said, a relatively swift near 3 hours. Will defo. watch it again on small screen
Well, I have seen the film in an iMax cinema and her review was much in line with what I thought. It’s just a grandiose action movie with pretensions because it’s based on Homer, and the dialogue is banal Americanese, when it’s audible. After a similar reaction to the bombastic pretensions of Oppenheimer, I don’t think I will bother with Christopher Nolan films again. I came out of the Odyssey feeling bludgeoned by the visuals and the sound - there is no space for reflection - and it sounds as if the ancient Greeks must have discovered high explosives.
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I am not bothered how faithful it is or isn’t to the source material. A film should stand on its own. Is it enjoyable, coherent, exciting? Does it make you think? Do you care about characters or just want it to be over?
I did agree a bit with the comment by the translator about the script which we also felt was pretty wooden in places, and also drops in modern vernacular rather jarringly. As for missing the sexy bits out, well in the end a film-maker and studio has to aim for a particular certification and has surely chosen to aim for a wide audience age-range. Although it is of course OK to slash, impale and generally slice up vast numbers of innocent men, women and children without incurring a high age certificate!
Bruce
I note in the poem Odysseus is oferred immortality and endless sensual pleasure by Calypso (Charlize Theron). You’d have to think about that option seriously I reckon.
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Went to see it at a Savoy Vertex screen here in sunny Grantham.
I don’t really have a view on directors, it’s more about the film/subject that captures me.
Sometimes I’ll see a film that I don’t particularly enjoy, but am pleased I saw/experienced it. On the whole this was, for me, an ok film but I’ll never have the urge to see it again.
As others said it went quite quickly, but could have been shorter. The acting left me a little cold and the script felt dull.
My 2 sons (33 & 36) want to see it and I wouldn’t say that they shouldn’t, but they may be disappointed.
We went on a 2 for 1 deal and I’m pleased I hadn’t paid full price in a city/major town cinema.
IMHO, atypical auntie Beeb. One person writes a contrarian piece, so they have to give it the oxygen of publicity, instead of asking said person to submit their own screenplay & script, as they seem to think they can do better.
I’m not clear why so many parties are getting exercised by the ‘accuracy’ of the film, as outside of literary circles, Homer is better known as Bart’s, Lisa’s and Maggie’s dad (to use the word of the film!), and husband to Marge.
It appears one person’s ‘re-imagining’ is another’s ‘corruption’ and, let’s face it, if the film didn’t tick so many of the required boxes for today’s audiences (yet more pearl clutching), it wouldn’t have been made.
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Isn’t it interesting that opinions are so divided on Nolan’s work? Whereas I suspect most people would agree that “Who’s afraid of Virginia Wolf”, “Star Wars”, “The Terminator” and “North by Northwest” are brilliant movies, to cite but a few examples. I would say by contrast that ‘Oppenheimer did its best to take an interesting story and make a fairly boring movie out of it’. 
Haha - I enjoyed the Naim licence revocation comment though!
For the record my daughter went with her boyfriend and they both really enjoyed it. I will wait for it to come around on a streaming service, Nolan has disappointed me too many times now for me to want to risk another cinema visit. I’m certainly going to track down “Oh Brother where art thou” based on @BruceW’s comments - that sounds like a blast!
On the upside my new REL S/850 subwoofer arrived yesterday and is absolutely fantastic. It’s just so fast and articulate I’m genuinely impressed. I put it through its paces with Gary Oldman and Gerard Butler’s “Hunter Killer” on blu-ray - what a fabulous rip roaring action movie that is… Michael Nyqvist is as brilliant as ever as the rescued Russian sub commander and not a loincloth in sight!
JonathanG
No. And I never will
Martin
You absolutely should. One of those films you’ll be quoting forever.
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“IMHO, atypical auntie Beeb. One person writes a contrarian piece, so they have to give it the oxygen of publicity, instead of asking said person to submit their own screenplay & script, as they seem to think they can do better.”
Given that the writer quoted translated the Odyssey, I think they have a right to a view and it is not wholly negative either. As far as I am aware she has never made a claim she could do a better screenplay; it would seem rather odd to only be allowed to criticise if one could do better. Would rule out a lot of comments on this thread. 
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The ‘said person’ has produced a much acclaimed translation of the Odyssey and was cited by Nolan in relation to the making of his production, so it would seem to me that her point of view is of general interest. And to categorise it as ‘contrarian’ is to imply that it’s simply a superficial position to gain attention. The review is much more nuanced. Moreover, the film so far has been a great marketing success, a campaign drawing heavily on its roots in Homer’s canonical text, so its relationship to the original text is a legitimate focus for attention. Indeed, Wilson’s critique is not essentially about ‘accuracy’ but about the quality of the film making in relation to the complexity of the themes dealt with by the poem.
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Indeed. The poster in question has strong views on cricket, among other things. I wonder if he plays at Test level?
I think the problem with The Odyssey (which I have not seen yet) and Oppenheimer is they run for almost 3 hours each.
This sort of movie length, almost always seems to produce a birds fluttering in the trees type movie. Lots of languid pacing and ‘atmosphere’. I think a lot of people just hate that style. Personally I have to prepare myself for that type of movie, have to be in the mood.
The only recent film of that length that I thought carried the time without boredom was Avatar II The Way of Water. Not the best film, I mean it carried the time well.
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I happened to watch Oppenheimer from part-way through on TV one night (looking through the movie channels).
I thought it was quite-to-very good 
From memory the first 1/3rd added little so that may be the best way to do it.
Bruce
I do think there’s some truth in that. I’ve seen some 3 hour films which fair banged along but the same films were viewed by others as dragging. However, even when I’ve really enjoyed the pacing I’ve always found myself reflecting that there was nothing there which would have destroyed the film had it run to 2 hours 30 or less.
Same with albums for me. I don’t really give a damn about your artistic vision or freedom. Edit your album to under 40 minutes and watch your reputation soar.
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Respectfully, I think you’ve missed the thrust of my comments - and, I agree, that much of the criticism levelled at the film and CN doesn’t take in to account the practical realities of producing a film of this nature e.g. the need for dramatic licence, the shortening/editing of storyline (removing/reducing nuance along the way), noting the need to ‘tick the boxes’ also.
Not sure how the cricket thread plays here. The central question for me, as an item of entertainment, is am I glad they made the film. The answer is yes.
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Yes there should be a law limiting albums to 45 minutes or less, like the old limitation of a record.
Immediately bands would have to cut those 3-4 filler tracks, thereby improving everything.
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Same as when I add manure to my allotment - the plot thickens…..
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To paraphrase the great Nigel Tufnel, How much more Guardian could that article be? The answer is none. None more Guardian.
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