The technical quality of the product can't be denied. This is a beautiful film, and everyone performs great. That alone will push this movie to a "good" 3 stars.
That's about all the good I can find in this movie. It's deeply cynical, where the book isn't. Homer's poem asks what it means to be human and whether or not we can hold onto our humanity in the face of our adversities and our choices. Odysseus yearns to be home with his wife and son. Telemachus desires to know his father, and worries that he is an unworthy son.
Deeply cynical, and undermines every character it can to prove the thesis that, “Man is destined to destroy himself over and over again.” In typical Nolan fashion he can’t resist spelling it out because he doesn’t want you to misunderstand that he hates heroes and doesn’t believe in hope or redemption.
People are going to eat this up, but pointing out the obvious with big words is about as impressive as saying, “the aero sphere is a striking shade of cerulean.”
The sky is blue, dude.
The juxtaposition of the suitors' behaviors to that of what is defined as proper
Telemachus’ journey to Menelaus’ court is supposed to provide a brief encounter with the wisdom of the ages that matures and empowers him, but the effect is poisoned by this sad figure of Helen who is clearly a hostage in her own home with no agency, who has been brutalized so that she’s “damaged goods.”
“Grounded mythology” is a weird phrase and a weirder choice to make. The Return committed to the realism even more firmly than this did and yet managed to maintain the hope that everyone can find their humanity and common ground again.
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