2020-2029, Film Review

The Odyssey (2026)

Posted on July 20, 2026September 24, 2026 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

The Odyssey – Film Review

Cast: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, Benny Safdie, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel, Elliot Page

Director: Christopher Nolan

Synopsis: Following his victory in the Trojan War, the King of Ithaca, Odysseus (Damon), must embark on a gruelling journey to return home…

Review: From his early career beginnings in the late 1990s when he made his debut film, Following on a micro-budget of $6,000, shooting with a cast and crew made up of his friends on weekends, it feels as if Christopher Nolan has been on his own odyssey as a director. A journey in which he has become an absolute titan of the industry and one of the best and most revered filmmakers in the 21st century. A legacy cemented beyond doubt when he conquered the cinematic mountain, winning the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for his powerful biopic on the life and legacy of the founder of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. A film that very much represented the culmination of his life’s work. Such is the power and prestige Nolan commands, his follow-up could have been just about anything he wanted, and a studio would be only too eager to bankroll it. Any project with his name on it automatically carries intrigue, which would have only heightened when we learnt he would bring his distinctive style to one of the most fundamental texts of Western literature: Homer’s The Odyssey.

As the opening title card reveals, during a ‘time of apparent magic’, King Odysseus of Ithaca has led his army to victory following a gruelling ten-year war against Troy. Desperate to reunite with his wife Penelope (Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Holland), Odysseus and his men set sail for home. However, the voyage proves to be a treacherous one, as they must encounter all sorts of terrifying and mythical monsters and wrathful gods before they can make it back. Meanwhile, with no word on whether her husband is alive or dead, Penelope struggles to hold the kingdom together. Supported only by Telemachus and Odysseus’s loyal swineherd Eumaeus (a truly excellent Leguizamo), she must ward off a growing number of suitors positioning themselves to usurp Odysseus’s throne by forcing Penelope into marriage.

Had cinematic history played out differently, Nolan may well have already taken his swing at bringing to life a swords and sandals epic, as he was attached to direct 2004’s Troy before circumstances changed and it reverted to its original director, Wolfgang Petersen. One can only wonder what Nolan’s interpretation would have looked like, but since the film he went on to direct instead was the first in his trilogy focusing on a certain Caped Crusader, it was a twist of fate that worked out in his favour. Further proof that the film gods work in mysterious ways. His brilliant work on The Dark Knight trilogy meticulously encapsulated the hero’s journey, depicting one man’s transformation from a regular flesh-and-blood human into an all-powerful, incorruptible symbol. The thematic DNA of this compelling character arc comes to the fore in The Odyssey and is anchored by Matt Damon’s powerful arguably career-best performance. Here is a leader who despite his success in the war, is wracked with guilt and post-traumatic stress following the sacking of Troy, guilt which only grows and continues to gnaw away at him throughout their voyage as they battle against all sorts of terrifying threats. The wrath of the Gods is mighty and is felt by each and every man in Odysseus’s army.

While Odysseus battles deities, monsters and everything in between, Penelope faces her own battle to keep Ithaca and its people together while simultaneously rejecting the advances of the suitors who seek to take her husband’s place. Hathaway’s portrayal depicts Penelope as a woman who, despite not having seen him for years, remains steadfast in her conviction that her beloved will ultimately return home. With Odysseus absent, she must warn her son about the threats posed by the suitors, chief among them the deceitful and slimy Antinous, played with almost devilish glee by Robert Pattinson. In a sea of an incredibly talented ensemble cast, every member turns up to deliver their A-game. Despite the absurd, frankly ridiculous backlash from certain quarters over their casting, Zendaya and Lupita Nyong’o both excel in the limited screen time they’re given as the goddess Athena and Helen of Troy/Clytemnestra, respectively. Similarly, having worked with Nolan on Inception, Elliot Page is perhaps the standout of the rest of the cast in a small but absolutely pivotal role as Sinon, a young Greek soldier who, despite being put in a perilous situation, honourably carries out his duty.

As writer/director, Nolan never does things by half measures, for he is a filmmaker whose mantra is either go gargantuan or go home, as evidenced by the fact that throughout his filmography he has pulled off some extraordinary accomplishments across his career. From recreating an atomic bomb explosion to crashing a plane into a building or flipping an 18-wheeler truck, or in the case of this film, building a gigantic wooden horse. Utilising his trademark non-linear narrative, it can feel disorienting at first, particularly if you have not read Homer’s text, and it is hard to keep track of all the key figures, but ultimately proves rewarding for the audience, thanks to Jennifer Lame’s tight editing. Fittingly, translating the source material to the screen and giving them the scope and scale they deserve proved an odyssey unto itself: not only did the film shoot across multiple countries for six months, but it also became the first film shot entirely on IMAX cameras, which allows Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography to dazzle and horrify in equal measure. Furthermore, Nolan’s preference to avoid CGI as much as possible means that all the threats Odysseus and his crew faced, from massive mythical monsters to humongous Laestrygonian soldiers clad in shining metal armour, put the audience right there in the thick of the action, feeling every mythical roar, swing of the sword and the mighty storms that are unleashed upon them.

Across his brilliant career, Nolan has crafted some truly epic pieces of storytelling, from reviving the legend of the Dark Knight to his former glory, a gripping tale of two magicians trying to outdo the other, a gripping tale of the Miracle of Dunkirk told from three unique perspectives and a mind-bending and wholly original piece of science fiction. Now, after he wrote his name into cinematic history, his adaptation of this classic piece of literature and breathing new life into it for a whole new generation is another feather in the bow of his incredible filmography. With another incredible, stripped-back score from Ludwig Göransson, this is cinema at its most visually majestic and deserves the biggest screen possible. The cinematic gods will be very satisfied indeed.

With a committed ensemble cast led by a career-best performance from Matt Damon, Nolan’s adaptation of this foundatinal piece of literature brins Homer’s epic to life in a majestic manner. A perfect companion piece to his Oscar-winning masterpiece.

2010-2019, Film Review

Interstellar (2014)

Posted on November 20, 2014March 2, 2026 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Interstellar – Film Review

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Bill Irwin, Josh Stewart.

Director: Christopher Nolan

Synopsis: With planet Earth dying due to a lack of food, former engineer Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is recruited for a mission to explore new worlds in a bid to find to find a new home world for humanity.

Review: When anyone mentions a list of the best Hollywood directors working today, names like Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese might come to mind. However, one name that will surely go down in the Hollywood Hall of Fame is Mr Christopher Nolan. The man who brought Batman back to the fore of the superhero genre, and with Interstellar, brilliant science fiction storytelling is merged with brains.

If you had to describe Nolan in one word, it would be ambition. Inception dealt with dreams and the subconscious, his brilliant Dark Knight trilogy dealt with order and chaos in society, and with Interstellar, his most ambitious film to date, the premise of wormholes and the theory of relativity, inspired by the work of physicist Kip Thorne. Steven Spielberg was once attached to direct the project, but left and the project fell into the lap of the Nolan brothers.

One could argue that few directors would have the bravery to take on a film of such scope. The sheer ambition of the story might have caused other directors to back off, but not Christopher Nolan. The scale of the film is immediately shown, and it gets your brain thinking and working, whilst at the same time, leaving you breathless with the thrilling cinematography that is provided throughout. The launch sequence and the journey to the new worlds are all riveting, on the edge of your seat entertainment. Along with the magnificent cinematography and excellent directing, frequent Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer once again weaves his magic and produces a terrific score to accompany the film. The action scenes are accompanied by sweeping music that adds a great level of intensity to what’s occurring on screen.

Many great directors pick out the perfect actors for the roles they write, and Nolan is no exception. Fresh from his Oscar success, Matthew McConaughey is on hand to lead this voyage, and he does so in great style. While his accent is hard to grasp at times, you empathise with him and his struggles with his daughter, his determination to save her and his family, who are trapped on a dying Earth. Anne Hathaway also gives an excellent performance as one of the fellow astronauts on their mission. Child actresses can sometimes be hit or miss on such big blockbuster occasions. Yet on this occasion, Mackenzie Foy was on stellar form as Cooper’s daughter Murph. Her emotion and connection with her father is felt, you care about her relationship with Cooper and want to see them reunited. This continues when Murph has grown up and is played equally brilliantly by Jessica Chastain. Unfortunately, Cooper’s son, played by Casey Affleck, is left somewhat underdeveloped, as there is no connection there with his character, in comparison to that of Murph. His son is somewhat left on the sidelines, yet the emotional bond between Murph and her father drives the film, and does so to incredible proportions.

One minor fault in that the film’s run time was maybe just a bit too long, and could have potentially wrapped up sooner. However, in this world of filmmaking, an original film that is not a sequel or a franchise is rare, and Nolan has once again brought an incredible experience to the big screen. Brains, beauty and incredible storytelling, it is almost like Gravity meets 2001: A Space Odyssey. In a year that has brought us some remarkable films, Interstellar has taken off and landed among the best films of the year, and is an out-of-this-world addition to the remarkable filmography of Christopher Nolan.

With breathtaking cinematography, wonderful acting and a powerful emotional story at its core of human courage and sacrifice. Interstellar is a cinematic event that will scramble your brain cells, but at the same time, it will take your breath away.

2010-2019, Film Review

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Posted on November 3, 2013May 17, 2026 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

All image rights belong to Warner Bros, DC Comics, Syncopy and Legendary Pictures — **Image is property of Warner Bros, DC Comics, Syncopy and Legendary Pictures**

The Dark Knight Rises – Film Review

Cast: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman

Director: Christopher Nolan

Synopsis: The third and final instalment of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. Set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Batman has been declared public enemy number 1 by Gotham City. Meanwhile Bruce Wayne has become a social recluse. However, he is forced to return as the Batman and protect Gotham City as a new threat emerges in the form of the ruthless mercenary Bane who seeks to reduce Gotham City to ashes.

Review: The thrilling conclusion to the trilogy that firmly put the Batman franchise back on the map of superhero films. At the end of the preceding chapter, we saw how the peace that was established in Gotham was based on a lie, the lie of Harvey Dent. In the introduction of the film, after an enthralling plane heist scene, it shows in great depth that the actions of the Joker have had a deep and lasting impact on the people of Gotham as the people are still dealing with the aftermath of the destruction that was unleashed on the people of Gotham. While they are still on the recovery path, the fearless Bane, played by Tom Hardy, arrives in the city to carry out what the Joker did not, destroy Gotham. One of the main people that the Joker really left his mark on is Batman himself as we see how much he has just completely withdrawn into his shell in the years since. He lost a lot of physical strength in the eight years in between the two films and it sets the scene perfectly for the arrival of Bane as he is in his prime physical condition.

As with previous two chapters of this trilogy, the story of this film is really engrossing. Initially the citizens of Gotham are living on this false sense that peace had been achieved and that all the crime and corruption in Gotham had been eradicated with the Joker’s capture. Yet, Bane takes his chance with both hands to blow this façade apart and he does this ruthlessly and takes out anyone who dares to stand in his way. Hardy is magnificent in this role and in my opinion is the best villain of the trilogy. He has the intellect of the Joker, but a considerable physical advantage that made him a formidable opponent to Batman. His voice, although hard to understand at times, is another factor that makes him a frightening force to be reckoned with. As the majority of his face is covered by his mask, he has to use his eyes to convey his emotion and he does this brilliantly. The film’s action goes up another gear from the previous film as Bane threatens to torture the citizens of Gotham and completely tear the city apart, and it is up to a weakened Batman to come to Gotham’s rescue once more. This film boasts the best action scenes of the entire trilogy.

All of the returning cast again shine in their roles. Special mention must go to Michael Caine who arguably delivers his best performance of the trilogy. The new members of the cast also deliver great performances. Anne Hathaway and Marion Cotillard both deliver wonderful female performances as Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman) and Miranda Tate respectively. Hathaway was seductive and brilliantly cunning at the same time, and she excelled as Catwoman. Similarly, Cotillard was equally strong in her leading role as the very intelligent businesswoman Miranda Tate. Joseph Gordon-Levitt also gives a strong performance as the smart and determined policeman John Blake.

The Dark Knight Rises was the film we deserved and the one that we needed to wrap up this magnificent trilogy. Every member of the cast, as with the first two films, played their roles out to absolute perfection. The action scenes are again pulsating to watch and with superb acting by everyone involved, along with the perfect villain, The Dark Knight Rises was one of the best films of 2012 and is the best film of Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy in my opinion. In a year that produced some extraordinary films and performances, The Dark Knight Rises was a little unlucky not to pick up at least one Oscar nomination. However, it remains one of 2012’s best films. I take my hat off to Christopher Nolan for giving us three individual masterpieces that combine to form one of the best film trilogies of the 21^st century.