The Odyssey Christian Recap, Review, and Analysis
- Kevin Keating
- 16 hours ago
- 8 min read
I normally only review adaptations of biblical stories, but for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey I'll make an exception. After all, it’s not often that we get an adaptation of a text contemporaneous to Scripture and situated in a similarly supernatural cosmos. Christopher Nolan also happens to be responsible for getting me interested in the serious analysis of cinema, so I can't pass up the chance to reflect on such a quintessentially Nolan film.
What Happens in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey?
Although Nolan makes a variety of creative choices in his adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey, the basic story remains the same. After spending over a decade besieging Troy and ultimately triumphing through the infamous Trojan Horse, Odysseus (Matt Damon), King of Ithaca, along with his loyal crew, sets out to return back to his kingdom, his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland). After many adventures in strange lands, where they repeatedly anger the gods with their impious and self-indulgent behavior, Odysseus’ crew members are all killed and Odysseus himself is left stranded in the keeping of the beautiful but manipulative Calypso (Charlize Theron) for seven years.
Meanwhile, back in Ithaca, in the wake of Odysseus’ long absence and presumed death, a crowd of selfish suitors, seeking the hand of Penelope, have made themselves at home in the palace, indulging themselves with his food, wine, and female servants. The young and timid Telemachus is no match for Antinous (Robert Pattinson) and the other suitors and so he sets out in search of news of his father. In Sparta, King Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and his recently recaptured wife, Helen (Lupita Nyong’o) have no recent news but testify to his father’s heroic character and urge Telemachus to rise up against the suitors.
At around this point, Calypso finally concedes to let Odysseus return home – and just in time. Antinous has set in motion a plot to have robbers assassinate Telemachus upon his return to Ithaca so that they can finally force Penelope to choose a replacement for Odysseus. After narrowly escaping assassination, Telemachus discovers that the strange beggar helping him is actually his long lost father. With the help of the loyal swine herd, Eumaeus (John Leguizamo), they launch a plot to bring vengeance on the vile suitors. After Penelope challenges the suitors to string Odysseus' massive hunting bow, none can except for the beggar (Odysseus), who proceeds to slaughter all of his vile guests and reclaim his wife. Having achieved victory, Odysseus then sets out into the west with Penelope, leaving Telemachus as king.
Of course, this is a Christopher Nolan movie and so the actual narrative is quite different from the straightforward chronology. Following Homer, Nolan’s Odyssey begins in medias res, with Odysseus in captivity with Calypso and Telemachus in search of his father. In Homer, Odyseeus’ recounts his adventures to a king who takes him in after his escape from Calypso. In Nolan’s film, Odysseus’ recollection of his disastrous journey is part of the psychological healing that he has to go through in order to break free of Calypso’s mental hold and resume his journey home.
The Odyssey as a Christopher Nolan Film (Analysis)
Those coming to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey in search of a straightforward representation of Homer’s poem will leave disappointed. While the film is deeply and thoughtfully engaged with the source material and accurately captures more than I was expecting, it is equally shaped by the thematic interests of its auteur director. In order to make this clear, I wanted to highlight a few themes that crop up throughout Nolan’s corpse and that shape The Odyssey in major ways:
Non-linear Narrative, Psychological Trauma, Memory, Identity, and Healing
Nolan is famous for his use of non-linear narratives (e.g. the intertwined, inverse chronologies of Memento). But he rarely employs this technique as a mere party trick. Nolan’s films are preoccupied with psychologically-traumatized men (e.g. Leonard, Bruce Wayne, Cobb) who have lost a beloved wife (Memento, The Prestige, Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception) or family member (Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, Interstellar). Non-linear narrative is used to explore the effects of memory on the protagonist. On the one hand, Nolan highlights the destructive ways in which past trauma and imperfect memory can shape the identity and actions of his heroes in the present. On the other hand, memory also plays a key role in the process of healing and transformation. The inability to remember fully can leave a character stuck in false reality (Leonardo, Saito).
The Odyssey continues this same pattern: Odysseus is presented as a psychologically-traumatized man who has lost his beloved wife and whose inability to remember fully his past actions and self have left him in a false reality. It's only by piecing his memory and story together that he is able to experience healing and return to life a transformed man.
Civilizational Breakdown, Corruption, and the Hero Above the Law
Nolan’s films often explore how human folly may bring about the destruction of society (The Dark Knight trilogy) or the world itself (Interstellar, Oppenheimer). In particular, Nolan spotlights how the corruption of legitimate institutions (e.g. the police in Memento, Dark Knight Trilogy) and the rise of power-hungry factions (e.g. the gangs in the Dark Knight trilogy or the corporations in Inception) can wreck havoc on the poor and vulnerable. Nolan’s heroes (e.g. Leonard, Bruce Wayne, Cobb) are often touched by this breakdown in a personal way and struggle with a desire to engage in selfish vengeance, which should ideally be overcome by a desire for justice or the renewal of society. In order to seek these higher principles, however, the hero must first step outside the confines of the law in order to have the power necessary to defeat the forces of corruption. Along the way, he often encounters figures who have even more fully separated themselves from the confines of the normal moral order (e.g. Ras Al Ghul, Joker, Talia, Mal) that serve as a reminder to him of what he may become if he loses sight of his grounding moral principles.
Again, The Odyssey fits into the established pattern: we see the end of the world in Troy and we are constantly reminded of the impending end of Bronze Age Greece. This collapse is brought about by the corruption of political institutions (Agamenon’s cynical attack on Troy) and the rise of power hungry factions (the suitors and the Sea People), who prey on the vulnerable (Sinon, Trojans, villagers). After being touched by the breakdown, Odysseus is forced to step outside the confines of typical morality (violating Zeus's law) in order to reestablish justice. Along the way, he encounters figures who are completely untethered to conventional morality (the Cyclops, the Lastragonians, Circe), who warn him of the horror he might become if he completely loses sight of his moral bearings.
Becoming More Than Just a Man
Nolan’s protagonists (Sammy Jenkins, Borden/Angier, Bruce Wayne, Cobb, Oppenheimer) are typically legendary figures in the world that they themselves inhabit. They often use “theatricality and deception” (memory tricks, magic, costumes, technology, dreams) to make themselves appear to be more or less than they really are. This creates a disjunct between the legendary self and the mundane self that leads to a crisis of identity (e.g. Memento, Dark Knight Trilogy, The Prestige).
Again, we see this same pattern in The Odyssey: Odysseus is a legend in his own world, whose story is already being told before he can even return home. His use of “theatricality and deception” – the Trojan Horse – is what gains his fame. Upon returning, the disjunct between his legendary fame and his haggard, mundane self is what allows him to avoid being detected by his foes. But it also creates a crisis of identity for him. If he does not embrace his legendary self, he cannot return. But if he names himself, it will inevitably mean he cannot stay.
Was The Odyssey Good? (Review)
The Odyssey is an action-packed but reflective, cathartic experience and an interesting exploration of the source material. It may not be among the best of Nolan’s films (e.g. Memento, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception), but it is among the better modern treatments of ancient Greece (e.g. Troy or Clash of the Titans).
While I might balk at some of Nolan’s creative choices if they showed up in a biblical adaptation, I consider them completely appropriate in reimagining a non-sacred myth. He delivers us a world that is truly supernatural and yet makes use of cinematic language that fits within the imaginative horizons of modern cinema. That is, he presents a supernatural world that should feel authentic and engaging to modern viewers. In the original material, Odysseus or Telemachus often triumph or escape through literal deus ex machina devices (e.g. advice or potions given to him by the gods).
Nolan wisely replaces most of these with moments that reveal or develop character. But he doesn't completely erase divine intervention or presence. The wrath of the gods against violations of the Law of Zeus (be hospitable and don't deceive those who host you) plays a big role. Athena also functions a bit like the Holy Spirit, pinging Odysseus' conscience. And Odysseus does have to rely on divine favor in a major way – but doing so tests his faith and is not simply a plot device.
The casting of The Odyssey generated some backlash in the runup to the film – particularly because the cast includes non-Greek and non-white actors in a few prominent roles. I wasn't worried about these choices going in and they didn't bother me during the actual film itself, but if that sort of thing is a problem for you, I doubt I can convince you otherwise. More broadly speaking, there were a few performances that felt a little stilted or out of place (Theron, Hathaway, Page, some of Holland) but also several strong ones (Damon, Leguizamo, Pattinson, Bernthal, Zendaya).
Obviously, The Odyssey takes place in a pagan theological and moral world and so we shouldn't expect it to reflect biblical principles with absolute clarity. Still, Christians throughout the centuries have still found the underlying source material to be a source of moral wisdom, born out of God’s common grace. While I doubt Nolan is a traditional Christian, his films do seem to value the role of fundamental moral principles while warning against those who completely cast away traditional morality in order to remake the world as they please.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ woes are ultimately a consequence of how he and his men repeatedly violate the sacred Law of Zeus, first with the Trojan Horse and then on their rapacious travels. When he finally returns home, he discovers that his own kingdom has suffered at the hands of men who have also cast away this Sacred Law. Ultimately his goal is to restore the practice of Sacred Law, even if that means he has to go into exile as a result. Interestingly, Nolan hints at a connection between the Law of Zeus and biblical morality by having the Law articulated once in the language of the Golden Rule. He clearly intends for viewers to consider what will become of our society if we cast aside the sacred Law that we have traditionally been ordered around in favor of the pursuit of power or wealth. That may fall short of a full biblical vision, but I think there's real moral substance there that's worth chewing on, particularly at a time when our civilization really does seem to be in a slow state of collapse as a result of the abandonment of divine law.
