So I went to see this one 2x because I had to confirm if I was tripping because my reaction just wasn't what most people felt when they saw The Odyssey according to the reviews here. The second viewing only confirmed my initial reaction, it's a good enough film but it not a mastepiece.
On a technical filmmaking level The Odyssey puts foot to ass and delivers some hard hitting moments like the cyclops encounter and the battle with the giant Laestrygonians. It's also immersive watching Odysseus and his crew on thier ship as they're traveling about the region, you feel like you're on the ship's deck. It's a film that excels at visual spectacle many times, combined with some inventive sound design and there are many moments that will stick with you.
So then there's that other half of the film and it's mostly were I felt the biggest disconnect from the material. Half of this film is spent with Penelope and Telemechus and how they navigate Odysseus' absence. These stretches are clunky and poorly written IMO. I wanted to groan out loud at their final confrontation before the last feast. Anne Hathaway's eyes and forhead veins bulge as she utters poorly written line after poorly written line in the strangest cadence. There's so many moments like this.
I think Tom Holland and John Leguizamo seemed the most comfortable and natural while saying the dialogue. It wasn't even the modern language that bothered me. I just ask, why go through the effort of stacking this cast and then turn around and give them crumbs to work with in terms of a script? It really made it hard to connect with these characters on an emotional level. I think that's why the dog was added, so folks could feel something. Make a little effort so we can have some energy in these exchanges and John Bernthal doesn't just sound like Frank Castle in a robe. I think probably the most consistent group was Telemechus vs the suitors in the dining hall, and that's thanks more to Corey Hawkins and Robert Pattison's abilities than what was written for then. Tom also did a great job of being pissed and taking jabs at them. They made me laugh a few times, I genuinely wanted to fight them. Also I do give a lot of props to the Cerce scene. That was one of the few times where the dialogue and acting were in sync and cooking. Outside of that, memorable bars and exchanges were few and far between. Zendaya, Lupita, and Charlize just felt wasted. So many of these moments I just didn't care for and their blandness really stood out a second time. The average Game Of Thrones episode plays better than this dramatically.
Overall I think it's a technial marvel, but there's too many films that have come out this year that I've enjoyed so much more that prevent me from putting this one among them.