Nolan's Odyssey but in the way Chris intended
I was fortunate enough to see Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey in one of the 41 theatres worldwide able to show it the way Nolan intended, both in IMAX and in 70mm. There are IMAX theatres in Australia, but only the Melbourne Museum one has the capability of showing it in 70mm. I'm not saying this makes me better than anyone who hasn't seen it (I am thinking it), but if you're going to see it, I'd urge you to at least try to see it on the biggest screen you can. There's an IMAX in Fountain Gate, Chadstone and Melbourne Central.
This movie is an epic in every interpretation of the word, from its stacked cast (Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron and Zendaya) to its incredible set pieces. The emphasis on practical effects rather than CGI makes so much of the film feel real. Then there's Ludwig Göransson's incredible score, built using instruments modelled on those played in ancient Greece. There's some controversy about historical inaccuracy, but I'm not sure those people 1) understand this is Nolan's artistic interpretation of a 3,000-year-old poem, and 2) realise it's Greek mythology; there are Greek gods in this movie. So, I'm not really sure what they wanted Nolan to do about that.
Melbourne’s IMAX Theatre (70MM). Images taken by Christopher Hall
Here are some very minor spoilers and my thoughts on the movie: The Odyssey is about Odysseus' (Matt Damon) journey back home to Ithaca after the infamous battle of Troy. Nolan doesn't waste a moment getting straight into it. Not knowing much about Greek mythology, it took me a little while to wrap my head around what was happening and who everyone was. Having as stacked a cast as this movie does also made it a little harder for me to fully immerse myself in the world, particularly with Charlize Theron and Tom Holland. Any time either of them appeared on screen, I just couldn't help but be taken aback by them. Still, The Odyssey is an incredible movie that you cannot take your eyes off. There are some moments of horror (Nolan has said he'd be interested in making a horror movie, which I'd be first in line for), the action sequences are immense, and the score is a thing of beauty. My favourite Christopher Nolan movie is still Interstellar (getting to see that in IMAX 1570 last year is my favourite cinematic experience of all time). I do, however, think that Oppenheimer is his best. The Odyssey sits in the top four for me, and who knows, maybe after another viewing or two it might climb up a little more.
The Odyssey has been a tremendous success at the box office so far. In just two weeks it's made close to $700m worldwide, with theatres sold out for months, people not only desperate to see it but to see it in specific conditions. It will be very interesting to see how it does this weekend against the latest iteration of Spider-Man, which is projected to have the second biggest opening of all time behind Avengers: Endgame.
A 1:1 replica of the reel of film the movie is developed and shown on. Image taken by Christoper Hall
I love going to the movie theatre. The communal aspect of everyone watching the same thing together is a thing of beauty, one of the great things about the art form, and Christopher Nolan is one of the last directors who still has that ability. Even Spielberg's Disclosure Day, which came out earlier this year, didn't come close to breaking even. There's a lot of fair criticism to have about Nolan: he cannot write a female character to save himself, you might find them confusing to follow, they're very loud. But what you cannot critique him for is his ability to put butts in seats.
