Arguably the biggest and most ambitious Christopher Nolan film to date does not disappoint. With incredible pace and precision for his already trademarked temporal line jumps throughout the narrative, every action point, which are many, feels earned and grandiloquent enough to entertain the audience. While undoubtedly the film suffers from the popular theme extracted from the Odyssey myth of “the important thing is the journey and not the destination”, making the quieter moments a bit more dragging (although absolutely well placed and required plot-wise) than the actual adventure sections, the result is a movie that is a must in the English filmmaker’s filmography.

It has been twenty years since King Odysseus left Ithaca to fight alongside Menelaus and Agamemnon in Troy. The palace is getting progressively more packed with suitors asking for the hand of Queen Penelope, who, still hoping for her husband’s return, confronts her son Telemachus, who seeks clarity on the whereabouts or status of his father as he is eager to move on and take the throne. Little do they all know that Odysseus’ return is close, and even less do they know that his legend grew even bigger once he sailed away from Troy and had to endure the most incredible adventure.

The first character that we should talk about for this movie, and as per usual one of the main (if not the main) characters across Nolan’s catalogue, is time. And the truth is that the balance that he manages to achieve in the way that he devises the story couldn’t be better. The way in which you jump from the incredibly action-packed and nerve-wracking scenes that display the incredible happenings that Ulysses had to go through both on land and at sea years back, counterposed with his quiet time during the latter years spent with Calypso (Charlize Theron) or the more sober Machiavellian politicking occurring in present-day Ithaca, is handled in such a seamless way that you don’t ever get stunned by too continuous action without stop nor slowed down as to get bored. Every strenuous action from Odysseus and his crew that we get to see feels not only fully earned but also elevated in importance thanks to the work that the quieter moments do to provide grounding and more gravitas.

Nonetheless, it is also true that these quieter sequences, which mostly take place in Ithaca, feel less engaging and entertaining in comparison to the more overpowering moments. The one performance that towers over any other in the calmer setting is that of John Leguizamo as Eumaeus. His performance is by far the most collected of all, but that does not impede him from being the immovable moral compass of an Ithaca descending into chaos, and the sole fully trustworthy confidant for both Odysseus, before his departure and upon his return, and Telemachus, during his father’s absence. On the other hand, the performances of Anne Hathaway (Penelope), Tom Holland (Telemachus), and Robert Pattinson (Antinous) demand a wider range of emotions, with Hathaway being at her best in Penelope’s most vulnerable moments, Holland excelling at the later stages of development of his character as he starts to confront the suitors in a mature and serene manner, and Pattinson when he has to highlight Antinous’ sniveling ways more vehemently.

Juxtaposing that, we have the totally dispensable representation of the trip of Telemachus to speak with Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and Helen (Lupita Nyong’o), to see if the King of Sparta happens to know anything about his father’s return. The unneeded non-explanation and exposition of what happened to Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) when he returned home to his wife, Helen’s twin, Clytemnestra (also played by Nyong’o), could have been completely erased, and it feels like it was only added for what it ends up leading to as Telemachus is on his own trip back home.

In contrast, the bigger and more action-heavy set pieces present throughout the various chapters and challenges that Odysseus faces alongside his crew are gripping, non-stop. Accompanied by incredible effects, action, some incredibly well-accomplished horror-flavoured sequences, and a really strong performance by Matt Damon make for its success. The one moment that deserves to be singled out, in which all of these elements come together more strongly, together with a great use of music, which is one of the most uneven elements in the film, is during the encounter with the Cyclops. Other moments such as the fight in Troy and the land of the giants, the encounter with Circe, their meeting with the dead, sailing across the enchanting singing of the sirens, and the monstrous confrontation with Scylla excel in some of those areas, but the Cyclops sequence ticks all the boxes. That said, it is also worth noting that some of the best action in the entire film does not take place on the biggest canvas, but instead aboard the ship when they actually have to fight the wrath of the gods as they struggle to survive storms and seas.

Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s classic poem elevates itself to the status of an absolute must-see in his catalogue. While not perfect, and most probably not the best of the bunch, the solid balance between the usual huge visual spectacle for which he is well known and the gentler scenes, enhanced by strong acting from the entire cast, makes it an essential viewing experience.

On a different note, I would like to give my two cents on the debate about the use of IMAX 70mm and its accessibility to audiences. First things first, full disclosure, I must say that I am one of the fortunate ones who had the chance to watch the film in Nolan’s preferred format without inconvenience. Having said that, after debating internally on the subject, I have to position myself against the apparently extended take among several critics and cinephiles of calling Nolan’s approach elitist and selfish, while questioning his commitment to the defence of the live viewing experience and cinemas as a whole.

My impression is that it is precisely this point of view that reeks of cinephilic elitism. While it is true that it is unfortunate that very few locations exist where the picture can be seen as intended by the filmmaker, the truth is that if we want to consider cinema an art, and not solely a purely commercialised consumer good, we should give leeway to the artists in using and expressing themselves using whichever tools they prefer. No one would dare question a painter for using a certain brush or canvas, or a sculptor for using a certain material. At the same time, we take the place where art pieces are exhibited as a fact, and we do not question it (besides in the cases where there may be political connotations), meaning that Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is at the Louvre in Paris and Michelangelo’s David is at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence. Yes, unfortunate, but that is the way it is. Even with photographic exhibitions or audiovisual installations, you might get lucky to have it stop where you live so you get a chance to visit it, but also you may not be that lucky.

It is a subject that is being blown out of proportion by a very niche group of the actual audience of the movie. Sure, people who love movies, we will give it importance, but the reality is that for better or for worse (and I would argue for worse), the wider public not only does not know that there are different formats, or even less a controversy about it, they simply do not care. People want to go to the cinema to watch a movie, have a good time with some popcorn, feel like they did not waste their time nor money, and soon after they leave the cinema they will forget about everything. Sad but true.

All that said, it seems to me that questioning not only Nolan’s artistic decision, but even his commercial know-how, is nonsensical. We are talking about the maximum exponent among current filmmakers of commercial success while keeping an incredible degree of artistic freedom. He has managed to convince money-greedy executives and production companies to do things in certain ways, while giving them a big return in order to not be questioned in his choices. It just seems funny to me that it will now be us, the ones who have benefited the most from many of his bold decisions during his career, who will be turning our backs on him because one of these decisions impacts us (cinephiles) a bit.