after a day to ruminate, i finally am able to put my thoughts about nolan’s odyssey into words:
why shoot and display it in such a large format if actor’s performances aren’t even in FOCUS
the “zeus’s law” being the golden rule verbatim is so funny. and it’s said so often
no windbag betrayal :((( or lotus eaters :((
leaving out the “nobody” polyphemus interaction feels blasphemous. one of the oldest puns in history. i understand his cyclopes didn’t speak coherently, but not even a nod to it is baffling
the lack of gods really irks me. the whole story focuses on him being a constantly caught between various gods, being both helped and hindered. “the crew thinks poseidon has cursed us” because he HAS
i understand the gods and their impact on the narrative is a whole other layer stacked on top of an already jam-packed story, and that he was going for something more grounded. by then why include zendaya’s athena at all?? she did great but her presence feels so out of place in the somewhat grounded narrative
circe’s spellcasting made me feel nauseous, that was an incredible effect
NO MEETING HIS MUM IN THE HOUSE OF HADES :((( the reminder that time is passing is so crucial to his urgency
the prophecies from tiresias felt too straight forward, where’s the ambigity that can be reinterpreted with hindsight??
i really enjoy elliot page’s performance
casting a beautiful black woman as your helen of troy and then adding in that she became disfigured was… a choice, nolan
calypso essentially roofies him into staying on her island, which feels way more sinister than just keeping him captive
maybe i’m too pjo-brained but i think her island should’ve been more of a ‘paradise’. make him wanna stay with you there girl
his whole journey in general felt rushed, skimming some aspects whilst diving too deep into others (i’m looking at you, laestrygonians)
i did enjoy the recontextualization of the battle of troy being the catalyst for the “people of the see” stories
agamemnon aura farming the entire time is fantastic
clearly we’re allowed to break the realism rule with agamemnon and the trojan horse in general, but we draw the line at some more interesting colours and outfits? seems like a missed opportunity
the water is so, so gorgeous
the scale of this production is absolutely ridiculous (affectionate)
during my viewing i was floored with the artistry and skill of the film, but upon further reflection afterwards im finding i have a lot of issues with it narratively lol
theartofmadeline
