Review of The Odyssey
In your bookshelf, there are great books you should read. You don't want to touch them, because you don't want to enter that author's world. Not now.
I don't like entering any cinematic world. No matter how good, how classic it is, Studio Ghibley films, Rocky, Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Godfather — I would rather not see it.
A few weeks ago, I found out that Quentin Tarantino owned a restored movie theater two miles away from my boyfriend's apartment in Silver Lake, California. It was constructed over a hundred years ago, and it showed one movie at a time, so the whole theater, including the bathrooms, played the movie's audio. Their popcorn was seasoned with real butter. We all know where this is going.
I give it a 8.5 out of 10.
My thoughts:
I appreciated the point of the movie, a twist on the golden rule: Treat your guests as if they could be Zeus. This moral applies to beggers, travelers, and neighboring states. But who is this point for? It doesn't seem like the working class, employees, or assistants need to be told how to kindly treat those above them. I wonder if Nolan was reflecting on our leaders: political, economical, and otherwise.
The above rule was enforced by a kind of karma, or the gods' rage. Is that really how life works, or was this a Hollywood ending? I think the latter, but it's good to teach for the former.
Elliot Page was an actor in the movie. He is transgender, so it was controversial to some. I couldn't care less. I thought the acting was great.
Some people cared about the inaccurate representation of the original Odyssey, both in the language (normal ass English) and casting (Black, Transgender actors instead of Greek). The modern English did through me off. I gave a look to the screen when I heard Telemachus say, "Mom?". Soon after, though, I got used to it, and the dialect was so easy and comfortable that I could focus on the story and visuals. Regarding the casting, it didn't take me out of the movie at all. For example, the defining character trait of Helen of Troy is that she was beautiful. If she had been an average Jane, it would have been jarring, but being black and stunning still fits. The story isn't about ethnicity, after all.
Have you seen this adaptation yet, and how did you feel about the modern take on the classic tale?
