So, we start having the first Greek no-spoiler reviews about the Odyssey that I believe to be quite apt and trustworthy, perhaps more reliable than the lowkey paid reviews from Hollywood-affiliated media.
Actor and comedian Zissis Roumbos said that the movie is very good and entertaining especially in its technical aspects and has Nolan’s trademark professionalism. It is very cinematic. He says Nolan gives his own perspective / interpretation in the end of the story. He also says that it is a movie not made for the Greeks or the aficionados of the Greek classics. He describes the lack of Greek contribution or Greek element in the movie as “deafening”. He flat out says that this movie is not addressed at all to the nation that inspired it. Roumbos rates it as an 8/10, when addressed to generic audiences that are neither aware nor interested in the Greek classic or the Greek civilisation.
A movie critic that I think goes by the name John Duree in social media who had been reasonably optimistic and mildly supportive towards Nolan’s choices the previous time said that the movie is indeed of an epic scale and agrees that it has very impressive technical and visual elements. He says however that he was disappointed in several scenes of the movie, hinting that Nolan might have taken plenty liberties with the plot for the worse. He said that while it’s a technically very good and enjoyable movie with a lot of spectacle, it is by no means Nolan’s best movie.
So it seems the whole promotion line of “magnum opus” and “better than LOTR” will be falling apart. Based on these two reviews that I find quite level-headed, it seems we’re getting what I expected; a very cinematic movie with a lot of epic spectacle that will be enjoyed by those who want a fun blockbuster and know nothing or don’t truly care about the Odyssey, but those who are interested in the epic, in ancient cultures or wish for cultural accuracy and sensitivity will be more or less disappointed.
