The Odyssey Review: I Was Wrong.

Overview

The video is a review of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, framed around the host’s surprise at how much they enjoyed it despite heavy online backlash. They argue that YouTube discourse—sniping over casting and “controversy”—became a self-feeding loop. So they deliberately went into the theater ignoring most of it: watching the trailer like a normal viewer. In the end, they loved the film.

Main Plot / What the Reviewer Highlights

• Rating: 8.5/10
• The host calls it a “feast for the senses”—visually, emotionally, and audibly.
• Biggest complaint: the audio mix.

Adaptation approach

• The film adapts Homer’s story in its own way, not as a definitive recreation.
• It condenses and rearranges events to fit a three-hour runtime, which the reviewer says can hurt clarity and pacing.

Standout Performances and Casting Talk (Reactions + “Jokes”)

The reviewer acknowledges widespread controversy about casting, but says it mostly doesn’t ruin immersion after seeing the movie.

Performances they praise

• Elliot Page as Achilles: they don’t mind the performance.
• Himesh Patel as Urillicus: the reviewer especially wanted his character to succeed.
• Robert Pattinson as Antinius: described as despicable (in a good acting way).
• Tom Holland: praised for balancing empathy and relatability, plus the character’s changes.
• Anne Hathaway as Penelopey: praised, with the caveat that Nolan modernizes her agency.
• Charissa Theren as Calypso: “no words”—charming but manipulative.
• Zöe / Zendaya as Athena: the reviewer was skeptical at first, but the film’s explanation recontextualizes her appearance.
• Matt Damon as Odysius: framed as the film’s emotional “heart,” grounding it.
• Benedict / “Benny” Safdie as Agamemnon: only briefly on screen, but steals attention.
• John Leguizamo: credited for a sympathetic, versatile performance.

One major immersion break

• John Bernthal as King of Sparta: the reviewer says they couldn’t stop seeing John Bernthal instead of the character, repeatedly pulling them out of the story. Their complaint is described as “devastating.”

Humorous personality bits (recurring reactions)

• Frequent jokes about plume helmets (“put a plume helmet on everybody”).
• A comedic reaction to how loud the film is—joking that they might need hearing aids, and that the noise lingered days later.

Biggest Technical Flaw: Audio Mixing (Major Reaction)

This is the reviewer’s central critique:

• The film is extremely loud—storms, battles, and “cyclops-style” screaming nearly damage their hearing.
• Dialogue is sometimes borderline unintelligible:
  • it feels like they have to lean forward to catch words,
  • then lose them again to noise and destruction.
• The reviewer argues it’s not merely “too loud”—it feels improperly mixed, with dialogue buried under ambient effects.

Story / Theme Changes: “Hubris → Trauma” (Core Point)

The host claims Nolan shifts the Odyssey’s central lesson:

• In Homer, Odysseus’s suffering is largely driven by hubris and arrogance, angering gods and triggering divine (and inevitable) consequences.
• Nolan reframes it as trauma and psychological punishment:
  • Odysseus is haunted by what he did at Troy,
  • and the guilt prevents him from returning home.
• Athena is treated less as a literal divine figure and more as a manifestation of Odysseus’s guilt.

The reviewer says this makes the story more accessible to modern audiences (PTSD / survivor’s guilt), but notes it comes at the cost of some original mythic “divine” atmosphere.

Notable Adaptation Moments

• Penelope: given more agency than in Homer. The reviewer likes the change because it doesn’t feel like a preachy modern message—more like a different interpretation.
• Odysseus’s faithfulness: Nolan makes him a “wife guy,” avoiding the original implication that he sleeps with others (Cersei / Calypso). The host finds this emotionally cleaner but also sees it as simplifying moral complexity.
• Argus (the dog scene): described as one of the film’s biggest emotional highlights.
  • The reviewer was dreading the original tragic beat (Odysseus ignoring Argus at death).
  • Nolan changes it so Odysseus pets the dog and acknowledges him before it dies.
  • As an animal lover, the host praises this as a humane alteration.

Ending Verdict

Despite pacing issues, casting that didn’t land for them personally (including accent unity being noted), and the rough audio mix, the reviewer emphasizes the film’s ambition, visuals, and performances.

They conclude that resisting online expectations/discourse helped: seeing it with an open mind made it one of Nolan’s best—and they want to see it again once their ears recover.

Main Personalities Appearing

• The reviewer / host: “Snarky Jay Cosplay”
• Christopher Nolan (discussed)
• Cast discussed on-screen/in-film:
  • Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo, Zendaya, Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Charissa Theren, Benedict / “Benny” Safdie (as Agamemnon), John Bernthal
  • plus additional referenced characters.