The Odyssey

For me it's inevitable to think about how Nolan did the exact opposite of what Eggers would have done: instead of immersing you in an alien world by breathing life into the folklore and culture where the story originated, Nolan tries to modernize it. We have minimalist and futuristic costumes, stylized like modern corporate logos; his Odysseus is a tormented modern man that speaks modern english, saying things like "I am a war veteran" or "our Bronze Age is ending"(?!?), with christian ethics. Nolan doesn't know what to do with epic and myth.

And yet, at the same time, artworks must be judged also by the author’s intentions. Nolan wants to tell the story of the Odyssey of the modern Western man navigating the world without a compass. The fear of the end of our civilization. A veteran with PTSD and guilt. Rather than a curious man, Odysseus is a lost man: Nolan’s signature grayness and gloom penetrate the Homer characters as well. Little remains of the trickster archetype, this is Nolan’s Odyssey and I respect that. Spectacular, especially in the more "horror" scenes, like Polyphemus and Circe, less so in the action sequences, which aren't his forte. But is it interesting? not really.