WARNING: Spoilers ahead…on a story 2.5 millennia old.
Finally got around to watching it this weekend. After the Mt. Everest sized stack of cash it made and all of the glowing reviews, honestly, it was pretty underwhelming.
First thing’s first. The dialogue was AAAAAAAAAWFUL. Seriously? What the hell? It sounded like I was listening to dialogue written by a small team of junior high students. And not the junior high students that take honors English. I was fine with the choice to do American accents, although I would have preferred British accents for a movie like this cuz it just sounds classier. But that wasn’t it. It was the actual words used by the actors to communicate to each other. It was just so dumbed down and sounded so boring and basic. I’m assuming it was a choice made on purpose to maybe connect with as many modern English speakers as possible, but it largely killed the film for me. I was actually kind of shocked how bad the dialogue was in this movie.
Another thing that kind of bothered me, although not nearly to the same degree as the dialogue, was over-acting. I felt like there were some performances that were dialed up a little too much. To the point where it kind of took me out of the film because I felt like I was watching an actor trying to shoot for an oscar a bit too hard. I think the main culprit on this one was Anne Hathaway. Alternatively, I think there was also an issue of under-acting. I’ll get to that below.
Pacing. Despite having 3 hours to tell the story, I kind of felt like some things were skipped over too quickly. Other things that they spent too much time on could have been shortened to allow more time for things I think deserved the time more. Scenes didn’t really punch the way I thought they should. In the book the scene where he comes back after 20 years and his dog is still alive but dies as he touches it and it recognizes him is really impactful, but it was just kind of glossed over in the movie with little to no emotion from Matt Damon. Same with Odysseus finding out Calypso had trapped him on the island for years. Not a lot of emotion there. Actually, I think the only scene Damon really sold was the siren scene. He did the opposite of over-act for most of the movie.
The film looks great. Gotta give it that. The cinematography is solid. And I’m not saying the film was bad (other than the dialogue which was truly awful). I just don’t get the massive hype. Honestly, I still prefer the 90s made for TV version with Armand Assante. I think the dialogue was better. The acting was better. The pacing was better even though it’s almost exactly the same length as this new version. And they did it without the star-studded cast the new film has. Obviously the new version has better special effects, and I do think overall better cinematography. I acknowledge maybe there’s some rose-tinted glasses thing going for me with the 90s version as I grew up with it.
I guess I’d give this new version a B. Just a mid-range B. With a special handwritten in red ink note in the margins that the dialogue is an F.
Ok, crucify me now.
EDIT: You know what, I’d like to add a few things I did like, beyond the cinematography. I liked Odysseus’ monologue about the siren’s song. I liked his monologue about his point of view of his role in the war when he’s talking to his wife. I liked that Athena ended up being a ghost of someone he watched get murdered at Troy (although I do not like Zendaya as an actress).
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I went to this movie for three things: the spectacle, the cool sounds, and watching serious actors act seriously. It delivered on all those fronts when I watched it.
My wife and I made it a fun week, she showed me Epic the Musical then we went to see the Odyssey.
It was about the first 30 minutes in by the time we wanted to walk out. Not because it was bad, but because it was boring.
Seriously if you want to watch a good Odyssey, watch the fan compelations of Epic the Musical. 1000000% more entertaining than this
I had a similar reaction to Oppenheimer. It felt like a 3 hour long trailer. Every scene felt like a cut scene, with no real sense of progression. It was amazing visually, but that was pretty much it. I was simultaneously over stimulated and bored by the end, if that’s even possible.
All my friends were surprised that I preferred Barbie to it. (We did the double feature Barbenheimer thing.)
“It felt like a 3 hour long trailer.” I was having a hard time explaining how I felt after watching it but this pretty much describes my reaction perfectly. So much happened with so little depth, it was the quickest three hour movie I’ve ever watched. I generally like Nolan films but I hated this one, was just waiting for it to end. Also, the acting felt so bland, like everyone was just reading script for the first time.
brother where art thou was a much better oddessey, biggest issue with Nolan’s (of which there are many) imo is the limitations brought by using full imaz, due to bulkiness of that film they have to cut every 30-60s. turning the original epic into a tiktok reel
Someone should do a classy British dub where all the characters have the thickest Geordy, Glaswegian, Scouse and Norn Irish accents.
Too many swords in the movie. Swords are rich people propaganda. Back then your main weapon is the spear.
Visually it was great.
The acting was wooden and underwhelming.
The sound was poorly mixed, being both too loud and not loud enough.
That’s 2.5 hours and $10 I’m never getting back.
Sounds like most big budget movies these days.
Sums up most Nolan movies for me. Look good but that’s about it. Actually screw that they don’t even look that good, mostly grey and washed out.
The sound was poorly mixed, being both too loud and not loud enough.
Also known as the Chris Nolan Special
I liked the acting but I can understand why some people would think that way.
Nothing about that movie was stunning. I’m not sure what the hype is for.
nolan never skimps out on marketing
“My dad is coming home!”
- Spider Man, The Odyssey 2026.
The first time he said “dad” my girlfriend turned to me and said “dad?”
Then we quickly realized the direction the movie was going as far as vocabulary. That we were getting a classic tale told using modern vocabulary. I’ve seen that in other movies and it’s not a dealbreaker for me. But that modern vocabulary combined with just badly written dialogue did not sit well with me.
And I don’t think Tom Holland was the right person for the role. Which is also my opinion for a few of the other actors in the movie.
Then we quickly realized the direction the movie was going as far as vocabulary. That we were getting a classic tale told using modern vocabulary. I’ve seen that in other movies and it’s not a dealbreaker for me. But that modern vocabulary combined with just badly written dialogue did not sit well with me.
I’m not going to try to convince you to like the Odyssey, but you may want to revisit your reasons and biases for disliking it. Ever heard of the “Tiffany Problem” or “Tiffany Effect”? I think you’re experiencing it in regards to the dialogue here.
“Dad” is recorded in writing as early as the 1500s, and some linguists believe it predates that. There’s nothing “modern” about the word.
We need more Romeo + Juliet like takes.
That was the line from the trailer that convinced me the move wasn’t worth watching.
haven’t watched it, probably won’t. i watched dunkirk and tenet, and got the feeling nolan lost his mojo. i just find myself sitting there realizing “this movie is not making me particularly give a shit what happens next”
crucify me too
He still had me at Dunkirk for the most part. I don’t even remember what happens in Tenet.
No one is sure what happened in Tenet
He had a good run, but yeah, he lost it. By lost, I mean his brother didnt work on these new ones with him, right?
Pretty based take.
Speaking for myself, I found it bland but entertaining for most of the ride. Then the last act hit wherein Dr. John Odysseus morbs all over the suitors with his Odyssey skills and I lost all fucking respect.
Might as well have been branded like the cashgrab Marvel movie it turned into near the end.
Be curious of your take on “The Return”
It’s the last third of Nolan’s film but is twice as amazing at times.
Ok. So what the actual shit is with a room packed with dudes getting morbed by a single dude using a bow and arrow INDOORS? I was actually laughing at that part. In a remotely realistic scenario Odysseus would have killed one MAYBE two of them before they swamped him.
Both the 90s tv movie and the book are a little fuzzy in my mind cuz it’s been a long time for either for me, but I’m pretty sure in both of those Odysseus had gotten word to the servants still loyal to him regarding his plan and they helped morb the shit out of all the baddies. It wasn’t him doing it alone cuz lolz no way.
Yeah watched it last night. It was fine. I’d say pretty good, but with not much enthusiasm in my voice.
Same.
Sometimes I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Like all these people think Matt Damon is good while I think he has zero range.
Maybe Nolan can fuck up the Epic of Gilgamesh next.
Damon is hit or miss with me. I’ve seen him act well. I know he can do it. Not sure how long it’s been though. He did make me hate his character in Interstellar, so I guess he did something right there. Then there’s Good Will Hunting. But that was many moons ago.
I don’t think he was right for this role.
If I need a mook with a north eastern accent, I’ll call him else better actor.
I will not crucify you because you’re absolutely right.
Oh, is it already time for us to dogpile on a really popular thing so we can feel superior for not liking the popular thing while actually liking obscure other thing?
Bigger topic for the one thread, and it’s less about the post and more about the comments. Here on a niche platform like lemmy we can’t just not like something, we have to make sure everyone knows that it’s not good and that liking it is bad.
To be clear, I am not saying that “Because it’s popular it must be good”. What I’m saying is that it’s freaking exhausting being here and having every thread, whether it be about GTA 6, or Mac OS, or sports, or freaking movies, that “Now that it is popular, I must go out of my way to explain why it is not good” and thus prove to everyone that I am unique and different by saying it is not good. Can anything on Lemmy be positive?
It’s all simply gatekeeping. These opinions are less actual critiques and more thinly veiled gatekeeping attempts for why others just don’t understand the art-form. It’s the same energy as “You like Pink Floyd? Yeah Dark side of the Moon sucks, Astronomy Domine was their best”.
Christ and then we complain that people aren’t coming here in droves after Reddit.
Yeah, I looked at this post when it had seven comments and was a bit disappointed at the negativity for a movie that I enjoyed watching. Now here I am another 42 comments later and nothing has changed.
But this is how conversation works. Someone has a topic they want to talk about, and other people take turns and join in. OP was a little disappointed in a movie, and others agree to varying degrees. The floor is open for someone, anyone, to come and say why they liked it. Did you try pointing out things about the movie you liked? Did you engage in discussing the chosen translation? Maybe try that rather than just complaining about people not liking stuff. Which, as odd as it may seem, is a think people like to do. And in this thread people are liking not having enjoyed the Odessy.
Right, because if something is popular then the only possible reason to dislike is to feel superior?
People here like things just fine, but if no one likes the same things as you then maybe this is just not a place for you?
No, and that’s the key. My point isn’t about this one post, but about a rot I’ve been noticing on Lemmy specifically over the last few months where to be included you must not show any interest in something that is popular. That is a toxic culture. There are always those who disagree, and we want to encourage that! That’s great! However, if the culture is swinging towards anger against popular items, that’s something completely different. That’s what I’m really tired of and I’m tired of supporting.
The result is obvious. Take GTA 6. 6-12 months ago I saw posts here that were both positive and negative about both rockstar and the game. Now you can’t even have the name in the title without it being insta-downvoted. Almost every comment isn’t just discussion, but vitriol against it. It’s to the point where I’ve had long comment threads where people are afraid of posting because of how upset commenters will get. That’s what I’m seeing too much of here, and I’m not afraid to say that it’s only going to hurt us more in the long run as people run back to whatever platform they tried to leave.
If I posted “Fuck the Odyssey it was stupid and only NPCs like it” and nothing else, then maybe your distaste with my post (and Lemmy and the internet as a whole) would make more sense. I provided multiple reasons and decent length explanations though.
I think you chose the wrong post to let this all out in. I understand being upset at people who just exist to hate on popular shit, but that’s not the angle I’m coming from and the fact that I focused on multiple reasons with explanations proves it.
Honestly, giving it a B when you feel the dialog is an F is extremely generous, especially for anything that isn’t a silent movie or a Fast and the Furious sequel.
Yeah, I was feeling kind of generous. Dialogue is really important. But I started thinking about bits and pieces of the movie I did like, which I added as an edit to my original post so it doesn’t seem like I’m just trying to hate on it, if the B rating wasn’t enough proof.
Maybe people are just tired of hearing about a game that isn’t likely to be close to as revolutionary as the marketing claims, and will almost certainly cause the rise in game prices in general.
Maybe the reason you’re seeing negative comments is because people aren’t afraid to voice their opinions?
Pretty sure on most mainstream social media saying bad things about Odyssey and GTA will only earn you insults.And there’s no bullshit karma here or anything like that, so I don’t really see why people would be afraid to comment.
Maybe I’m tired of hearing people complain about GTA when I see way more posts here complaining about it than I do anyone who is interested in actually buying it.
Pretty sure on most mainstream social media saying bad things about Odyssey and GTA will only earn you insults.
So it’s justified, doing the opposite here. Since they might be doing it that way we should be just as rude to people here, as long as it’s in reverse?
No I don’t think so, I think the negativity is exhausting everywhere, and it’s infuriating here because we try to claim that we’re better than mainstream corporate media but then fall into the same tropes.
You’re right, people aren’t “afraid” to voice their opinions when they’re “bad” towards Odyssey and GTA. Because on Lemmy that is the popular opinion. Lemmy isn’t voicing unpopular opinions, it’s voicing extremely popular ones to it’s limited audience.
What are you talking about?
OP says they don’t like a thing, explains why, and you’re the one coming in here and shitting on them for no reason.
That’s why people are rude to you, not because you dared to speak up.If you’re against the constant negativity, then maybe try not to contribute to the issue.
I don’t see how telling people to stop voicing negative opinions about popular media is going to help with anything.
The reason was pretty clear i thought. Because it is better to be positive, that instead of adding yet another negative post try to add a positive one.
is it already time for us to dogpile on a really popular thing so we can feel superior
Having your mother’s undying love and respect is what makes me feel superior. She’s a hell of a woman.
As for The Odyssey (2026), I provided paragraphs of explanations for why I didn’t think it was particularly good. And I ended my review by giving it a solid B, which is not a C, D, nor F.
I posted this because I want someone to explain to me WHY it was so popular. Your entire response fails to provide me with an explanation and just serves to complain about trolls and Lemmy in general.
It’s normal to critique a movie. And obviously popular movies are going to be critiqued more. I am interested in why so many people can like a movie so much when, to me, it has so many shortcomings, especially the abyssmal dialogue. Is it a form of mass hysteria? Mob influence? Did the money behind the movie run a really effective propaganda campaign?
Most of the comments here so far feel pretty “mid” about the movie like I did. Which doesn’t really reflect the 8.4 IMDB and 95% Rotten Tomatoes scores. Not to mention the almost $2B worldwide. I want to understand this phenomena.
I do not owe you an explanation of why, you have the entirety of the internet, posts, and awards season to explain there. That’s why I’m not focusing on your post.
What I will say is that my point boils down to this. If you are a film buff and can think of other films, I’d much rather see posts about smaller films that you think are very good instead of posts about things being very bad. And hey, I haven’t creeped on your history maybe it’s full of posts like that and this was the luck of the draw that I had fiver or six super negative posts and your happened to be the one I finally snapped on, but it’s tiring being here and only see negative.
You say I need to prove why it’s good? I say we should be showing examples of others that we want those to see. To use my Pink Floyd example, don’t say “Dark Side of the Moon was terrible”. Show people why you thought Astronomy Domine was great. That’s how you welcome people to a community, not tear it down.
If you are a film buff and can think of other films, I’d much rather see posts about smaller films that you think are very good instead of posts about things being very bad. And hey, I haven’t creeped on your history maybe it’s full of posts like that and this was the luck of the draw that I had fiver or six super negative posts and your happened to be the one I finally snapped on, but it’s tiring being here and only see negative.
I’m not going to review your entire post history, but you have not started a single discussion in a film-related community here on Lemmy for at least the past 6 months. If you’re not contributing, why do you think you have any right to be complaining about the people who are? It’s so funny that you complain about reddit toxicity, because attempting to police communities you don’t even participate in and make everyone adhere to your made up rules is the most reddit thing ever.
First of all: if it’s all so tiresome to you… why are you even here? And really, OP thinks it’s a decent enough movie, with a few notably bad exceptions that really shouldn’t be there with such a cast and team. Why that would be gatekeeping is beyond me, but there you go.
why are you even here?
Because I think Lemmy could be a more positive place if we started calling out the loud negativity more.
Negativity is telling people not to vote because there’s no point.
Negativity is saying an entire generation is hopeless because of a few bad apples getting lots of views on a shitty clout chasing video.
Giving an honest review of a movie in a movie sub that you end up giving a decent rating to is not negativity.
Hope this helps.
Well, that’s fair. I still think it’s not this post to start with, though.
Absolutely true, this is one in what feels like, maybe not an ocean but a very large lake of constant negativity. It is the one that was at the end of several posts about how everything is horrible.
I feel this. Try posting something original that you’ve made yourself maybe one too many times on here, the negativity is real. It really makes you appreciate the social medias that we all left to come here, and then really makes the act of posting things here just not feel worth it. One of the mods here even made a whole post about how people just make it their lives to downvote other people.
Maybe this will make up a little for it:
https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/71264513This was the funniest post I’ve seen all day, thank you :)
You’re absolutely right, but also I don’t want people to come here in droves from Reddit.
Welcome to the internet. This is not remotely by any measure a new thing.
Now everyone share their favorite version of Lynch’s Dune and why it’s the best one.
Perfect example. And I know, you’re right, especially in smaller places, it’s just so tiring.
Why is it always the people who crashout over any criticism of their favourite things and try to shut it all down who accuse the rest of us of “gatekeeping” when we share our honest opinions? Nothing OP said was “dogpiling” on the film, they simply shared their review and others discussed the film in turn.
I mostly agree with your sentiment but honestly its always been pretty much the same on reddit, hasn’t it? I guess there you might find some more different voices to balance it out.
It has been, but I think Reddit started really taking off when more people came into it, and a lot of that nasty early dissent was pushed to the bottom of the page away from it. I think we’re in that early stage where we are full of tech/linux nerds, star trek nerds, so we’re back at the beginning of Reddit. Especially in online forums it’s fun to be in on it, to be inside a group, so things like this take off. Then more people jump in, they may not even agree but it’s just nice to be included and anger is intoxicating so it feeds off itself.
