# Plan to see Nolan's The Odyssey this weekend **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [July 16, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722 "2026-07-16T16:25:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/101 "2026-07-23T18:52:51Z")
This may have been mentioned up thread but I learned today that the armor clad giants that attack was a practical effect using seven foot tall actors in armor playing the giants and five foot tall stunt people playing the Greeks along with in camera perspective tricks. That is pretty amazing. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/102 "2026-07-23T18:59:41Z")
Yeah, Nolan never uses CGI when he can do a practical effect. And with the budgets he can command, he can do almost anything. Like crash a real 747 into a building. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sdDsHQR9Ol4/maxresdefault.jpg "TENET Clip - "Plane Crash" (2020) Christopher Nolan") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdDsHQR9Ol4&t=76) ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/103 "2026-07-23T20:22:38Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > that the armor clad giants that attack was a practical effect using seven foot tall actors in armor playing the giants and five foot tall stunt people playing the Greeks Women stunt people, many of them, being shorter. So sez the internet anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/104 "2026-07-23T22:14:28Z")
And the Cyclops is a human actor (Bill Irwin) or a giant puppet. Filmed in an actual cave in Greece, not a soundstage. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2026, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/105 "2026-07-23T22:26:04Z")
And yet, he denied the role to an actual cyclops. I understand that their interest group is protesting the lack of representation. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/106 "2026-07-24T00:24:59Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > . I understand that their interest group is protesting the lack of representation. That lobby has lost a lot of their cachet since the deaths of Sandy Duncan and Peter Falk. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2026, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/107 "2026-07-24T01:56:41Z")
Forgot to mention that I would have liked to have more armor clanging and armor stripping in the battle scenes. Homer is always mentioning how this or that fallen warrior’s armor clanged around him (not surprising when you’re wearing multiple bronze protective items) and how enemy warriors are always swarming to strip slain adversaries’ armor and weapons. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2026, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/108 "2026-07-25T22:13:52Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Standout performance: John Leguizamo as Eumaeus I agree, he was terrific. Robert Pattinson also impressed me, but then he always does. Interesting directorial decision (I assume) to have everyone speak in American accents. Usually with these historical things it tends be most people are posh/estuary English. Made a bit of a change. IMAX really doesn’t hide anything does it? Could see every wrinkle and blemish. And I thought the effects held up very well considering that. Enjoyed it but probably needs repeat viewings to properly assess how much. Give it 7/10 for now because it is very long and I think might’ve benefited from splitting in two to flesh it out a bit more. Better than _Dunes 1 and 2_ though. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/109 "2026-07-27T01:29:33Z")
How many framing devices can fit in one movie? Christopher Nolan finds out! Finally saw it in laser IMAX. All the commercials and previews at the beginning kept changing aspect ratios, so it was very apparent how much more image we got when the movie started and it actually filled the whole screen. Agree with others about it being very loud. Mostly that was fine, but for some reason the bass and drums in the beach scene near the beginning seemed like they were clipping badly. I don’t know if that was on purpose, in my head, or a real problem with the theater’s mixing, because it was only that one scene. I do appreciate that the sound for the movie was mixed so that even when incredibly loud, I could still hear all of the dialogue. > [@Kimstu](#): > > “…Next up: _Aeneid!_ WOOOOOT!!!” I asked my wife if we were going to stay for the post credits scene with Aeneas, and I was yelled at that the Aeneid is not a sequel to the Odyssey. > [@iamatractorboy](#): > > IMAX really doesn’t hide anything does it? Could see every wrinkle and blemish I kept getting distracted by ear piercing holes. I’m sure the ancient Greeks had ear piercings, so not in a “he’s wearing a wrist watch” type way, just a hmm, Charlize Theron has three piercings in that ear (or whoever). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/110 "2026-07-27T02:26:14Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Just came back from the movie. Every woman he saw die in Troy was Zendaya, it wasn’t just one priestess. Yes! Ok I noticed that too! I am pretty sure that the little girl that was sacrificed, Agamemnon’s daughter, was Zendaya too. Basically every female that was killed was Athena. I saw the movie tonight on a regular-ass screen. It was decidedly not too loud. In fact the sound kept cutting out in places 😕 Our showing started late. The showing before it must have gone late. But it was late the same length of time as the previews/commercials. So guess what? They just started the movie without previews! So I only had to watch 3 hours of film and that’s it! Pretty awesome. I am one who usually gets bored during long movies. I was very surprised when this one ended and I wasn’t bored. I think Nolan did a great job of keeping pace. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/111 "2026-07-27T04:47:17Z")
Are you suggesting the Cyclops should turn a blind eye to this injustice? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/112 "2026-07-27T04:54:09Z")
In the book, both Mentor and Mentes were visits from Athena, and Telemachus commenting on their grey eyes was an allusion to that. It wouldn’t be possible to make a three hour movie showing all the gods and characters, especially since many were more “Troy than Odyssey” with enormous background stories. Nolan did a good job. The historical criticisms are amusing given Circe changed men into pigs or the widespread acceptance of Gods and magic. If you want to reread these stories with minimal pain, I suggest the Steven Fry “reimaginings”. Odyssey is good (only $4 on Canadian Kindle); Troy, Heroes and Mythos cover the whole Greek pantheon. Odysseus was said to be sexless, since Nausicaa was omitted and he did not sleep with Circe - but he was given the Athena jewelry while sleeping with Penelope and clearly slept with Calypso many times. The bigger change was turning the Trojan Horse into a regrettable act rather than a clever ruse. This made the film much more Christian and somewhat less Greek. Still, I really like this movie. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/113 "2026-07-27T12:01:36Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I am pretty sure that the little girl that was sacrificed, Agamemnon’s daughter, was Zendaya too. Yes! I forgot that too, how did they get a freaking baby that was a dead ringer for Zendaya? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/114 "2026-07-27T13:38:59Z")
I saw the movie last night, and having read the thread, I was watching out for women during the sack of Troy. I think the “they were all played by Zendaya” is overblown - apart from the priestess who was obviously her, I saw 2 or 3 glimpses of faces, neither of which was clear enough to determine if they were Zendaya or not. I’ll note that IMDB lists [two actresses as Trojan Civilians](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33764258/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cst_sm). And given that Agamemnon was white with black curly hair, and Clytemnestra was black, casting a biracial actress with curly hair as Iphigenia seems perfectly normal, not a way to refer back to Zendaya. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/115 "2026-07-27T13:40:46Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Yes! I forgot that too, how did they get a freaking baby that was a dead ringer for Zendaya? You sure you didn’t just see “mixed race young girl” and think she looks like Zendaya? Odysseus was never there, he never saw the child. Why would she look like Zendaya? That doesn’t really make sense. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/116 "2026-07-27T13:47:25Z")
Yes, I am sure. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/117 "2026-07-27T13:48:57Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > Agree with others about it being very loud. My wife and I brought [Eargasm earbuds](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019M576XW) and they were doing God’s work. Even with them in, there were still parts that seemed heckin’ loud. They don’t really muffle the sound and we could make out the dialogue just fine, they just take it down a notch. I should add them to the “products you endorse” post. > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > You sure you didn’t just see “mixed race young girl” and think she looks like Zendaya? I immediately thought she looked like Zendaya as well. As in, my brain went to “Wow, that baby looks like a baby Zendaya! I wonder if that was CGI or a really lucky casting find” As for the film itself, I enjoyed it but felt like if I wasn’t already familiar with the story/stories then I’d have been more lost and it would have felt more disjointed. It was well cast and acted, looked great and the effects were excellent but still felt “good” to me rather than “great” and I think it was in the pacing. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/118 "2026-07-27T14:57:12Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Odysseus was never there, he never saw the child. Well, depending on which classical source you’re referring to, Odysseus came up with the plot to bring Iphigenia to the becalmed fleet by claiming it was to marry her to Achilles, it wasn’t until the they arrived that Clytemnestra found out it was for sacrifice, not marriage. So he not only saw her, he was pretty responsible for her sacrifice/murder. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/119 "2026-07-27T16:08:24Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > As for the film itself, I enjoyed it but felt like if I wasn’t already familiar with the story/stories then I’d have been more lost and it would have felt more disjointed. It was well cast and acted, looked great and the effects were excellent but still felt “good” to me rather than “great” and I think it was in the pacing. Exactly my thoughts. I’m not that au fait with the story (although obviously I’ve seen homages/parodies/rip offs etc of bits of it), it was a solid 7/10 but wasn’t Nolan’s best by a fair way. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722/120 "2026-07-27T16:23:30Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Well, depending on which classical source you’re referring to, Odysseus came up with the plot to bring Iphigenia to the becalmed fleet by claiming it was to marry her to Achilles, it wasn’t until the they arrived that Clytemnestra found out it was for sacrifice, not marriage. So he not only saw her, he was pretty responsible for her sacrifice/murder. 🙄 I’m referring to the movie. Since what I quoted is about an actress in the movie and this thread is about the movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plan-to-see-nolans-the-odyssey-this-weekend/1031722.md?page=7)