Welcome to the Odyssey

I know this is a few months after the fact, but I saw the "Odyssey" a couple of weeks ago. I chose to wait a while to see it in Imax at the Air and Space Smithsonian near Dulles. I liked seeing "big" movies on the Smithsonian Imax and I felt that that's how I should see Christopher Nolan's take on the story.

It was a vibe. 

I originally hadn't planned to see the movie. Yeah, I'd heard the discourse and saw tons of YouTube videos anticipating how "good" or "bad" the movie was going to be. I was indifferent. I'd read the epic in middle and high school (both as a reading assignment and for my own curiosity because I'm a nerd). I thought it was fine. I preferred the Wishbone episode "Homer, Sweet Homer" - which is indeed how I first learned about the story. 

There are parts of the "Odyssey" I really like. The action oriented parts of the story like the scene in the cave with the cyclops or when the ship must sail between Scylla and Charybdis. I was probably most familiar with the slaughter of the suitors, but I hated the part where the slave girls were hanged for "entertaining the suitors". I also didn't like that all of Odyssey's men died. I felt that was unfair because all they wanted to do was go home after ten years at war.

My opinions on the epic began to change when I started watching the YouTube channel Overly Sarcastic Productions. The hosts, Red and Blue, would do summaries of different famous literary works, history, and tropes. Their summary of the "Odyssey" came out about 11 years ago (has it really been that long?) and clearly Red really liked Odysseus. Her enthusiasm for the story and hero softened me on the epic and I wondered if part of the reason I hadn't enjoyed reading it originally was because of the translations I had.

Then, about a year and a half ago, I heard a song on one of my Broadway music channels. Athena was singing with several other gods and goddess to free Odysseus from Calypso. At first, I had mixed feelings on there even being a musical about the "Odyssey".

But the music was so catchy and good.

It turned out that this had been one guy's passion project that he had shared on TikTok. Through his social media, he was able to do auditions, make a recording, and eventually put together a semi-animated production (these were fan animations based on the songs and singers' looks). 

I fell completely in love with Epic the Musical. I listened to it on repeat while moving into my house. I kept hearing the songs in the back of my mind while watching the Christopher Nolan version. 

Is it a perfect adaptation of the epic? No, but it carries the spirit of the story as I understood from Red's summary. Finally, I began to understand why people loved this story and tell it over and over again.

I've seen other adaptations of the "Odyssey". Some are more fantastical, some goofy (like the episode of Arthur where D.W. is Odysseus), and some that I only realized were adaptations long after I'd seen them ("Oh Brother Where Art Thou"). 

I think Epic the Musical is my favorite (after the Wishbone episode of course). It takes a man who didn't lose a single soldier under his command during a ten year war and slowly breaks him down to the point where he doesn't recognize himself anymore. This version also is so loyal to his wife that he risks the wrath of a goddess when he spurs her advances. It even includes the scene where, as a final test, Penelope asks Odysseus to move their wedding bed and he tells her he can't because it's carved from the tree growing in their room.

I was disappointed that Nolan's version skipped this scene, but at least his included Argos. 

Of course I cried when Argos died. I always cry when animals die, but Argos really was the bestest boy. 

Like I said earlier, the Christopher Nolan film was a vibe. I really liked the music and the scene with Circe is some of the best body horror I've seen in a while. I was on the edge of my seat during the transformation. I liked the references to other myths like Actaeon and I liked his take on the gods. I understand that some people didn't like that the gods were more metaphorical than physical beings. I felt it was a unique take, even with witches, magic, cyclops, and giants being explicitly shown. 

Overall, I'd say Nolan's "Odyssey" is a good movie. I wouldn't want to see it in 4D or whatever special edition people were raving about, but seeing it in Imax was a treat. I've been listening to the soundtrack quite a bit. Agamemnon was a presence, even when presented as just a man. 

I don't think I need to see it again. 

The movie is flawed and carries a much more modern message about PTSD and our understanding of how empires fall. That's not a bad thing, but it's not Homer's Odyssey. But neither is Epic the Musical or Wishbone's version (which fits ten years of story into less than 30 minutes) Homer's Odyssey.

I've written about this in other posts, but stories are alive. They change with time. Before Disney made "Snow White", the Grimm brothers were editing collected versions from German story tellers, and before them the story was passed orally and branched out into different stories. Many of us are know the story with dwarves, but others grew up with versions that had thieves help the princess instead. Before Homer put the Odyssey to paper, it was sung. It was passed from generation to generation orally. Now we are passing the story through translations and new media that Homer couldn't have even imagined in his time. 

Like many old stories that are still being retold, people take what is most meaningful to them and hone in on that part. Some people might love it and others clutch their pearls and sneer that it's nothing like the original story.

I am still fairly indifferent to it. While I really liked watching it in Imax, I don't think I'd enjoy it as much at home on my TV. Part of my good experience was watching it with other people in the theater. The woman next to me was very excited to see it and I enjoyed listening to her react at different parts. 

You know, I don't think I actually had a thesis for this post. I just had feelings, feelings I wanted to sort out. I didn't want to get into the controversies or do a deep dive analysis. I kind of wanted to meditate on it. 

And that's okay.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Until next week.