The Odyssey by Gretchen Jackson

(Don’t worry. No Spoilers ahead.)

Everything (good) that you’ve heard about The Odyssey is true. It’s just as emotionally engrossing and visually stunning as you may have heard it is. For adults over the age of 30, it’s pure movie magic that will delight and inspire you. For my teenaged sons, with naturally less developed attention spans, the run time may have them squirming in their seats. But I will certainly implore them to turn their cell phones off, sit back and enjoy the ride. We’ll see what happens.

So, why should you see it?

No green screens, mostly no digital handiwork. (Minor CGI touch-ups, though, I hear.) It’s movie magic with practical effects like make-up, camera tricks, and actual built-out sets and locations. It just feels real.

More importantly, it’s a lesson in human morality. If you’re anything like me, watching the news or reading news articles (on the internet now instead of the newspaper) is a lesson in human depravity and the relentless degradation of our society. The good news: it’s always been like this. The bad news: it’s always been like this.

In addition to the origin story of The Odyssey addressing the ways in which humans mistreat each other and how the violence we do to others is visited upon ourselves, Nolan tells us “we are the sea people.” (This will make more sense when you see the film.) He is telling us we are the things we fear. This should be an asset, something that will guide us in dealing with those we perceive to be “the enemy.” They are no different than we are. Now, like Odysseus, we just need to apply that perception to our own lives and follow a stronger moral compass.

The suitors at Odysseus’s palace are like trolls on social media. People who take advantage of the vulnerability of others to feed their own empty desires for money and attention, their own greediness. The Odyssey may be a story based down in the oral tradition from B.C. Greece, but it’s a timeless rhetoric on the evils that men do and how to reckon with and come to terms with them that is just as valid today as it was then.

The final act of The Odyssey (no spoilers, I promise) brings hope in two ways:

1. We do not control everything. We cannot predict or interpret how others may behave or respond, and, because of that, we should stop trying to control others and take responsibilities for their actions. If you’re anything like me, that does remove a heavy burden. It’s a spiritual acceptance. For some, that may align with your religious beliefs. It’s a lesson we don’t hear too often anymore,  but it’s one worth remembering

And 2. Things may be bad, but don’t worry, things will also be good again. The old “the glass is half full” aphorism. When I feel depressed about where our society is at, now, and the world that my children are inheriting, I must also remember that throughout history, humans have messed things up, but then we’ve also righted the ship. I have to hope that the ship will be righted and the human journey will continue.  The messes will get cleaned up, and we’ll treat each other with the love and respect that we are all worthy of receiving.

Lastly, a brief comment about the diversity in the film. The peoples of Ancient Greece and Turkey (where Troy was located) were not a purely Caucasian population. To consider that peoples of color were not present in that geographic location during that time, is like the white Anglo-Saxon Christ that was presented to us in Catholic School back in the 70s. Not a factual representation. All actors in this film — whether black, white, Hispanic, Indian or other, British, American, Irish or other — all performed and were believable. The final product was enhanced, not lessened, for the cultural richness of the casting.

Noteworthy performances by John Leguizamo, Samantha Morton, Matt Damon, Hamish Patel, Jon Bernthal, and Bill Irwin (Cyclops).

Final recommendation: Go see it. It’s historic and timely at the same time. It’s worth the price of admission. Visually beautiful, emotionally stirring. A work of art that’s entertaining and valid.

And if you’re interested in the story as well as the movie, I highly, highly recommend Stephen Fry’s (yes, that Stephen Fry) The Odyssey and Troy. Both are easy-to-read modern retellings of the classic tale.