I watched the Odyssey movie this morning. I went in with low expectations because I heard mixed reviews about it and now having watched it, I have my own opinions. Itās a good movie, but a bad adaptation. So in this post, Iām going to try my best to compare the movie to the original epic poem.
I liked the movie fine. It was good, the score was great, and the monster designs were creepy in a good way. However, good score and character design doesnāt make an adaptation good, itās how you tell the story.
First off, a lot of details were missing. We donāt see Aeolus at all, the Laestrygonians donāt do as much damage (THEY THROW ONE FREAKING ROCK! ONE! ), and we miss a lot of details Im the Polyphemus encounter (Polyphemus doesnāt talk, which means we canāt have him taunting Odysseus).
Second: Odysseus has a lot of agency removed from him. As previously said, Polyphemus doesnāt speak, and one of the biggest reasons Odysseus gets home 10 years late is because Polyphemus tells him āMy father is Poseidon, apologize or you will get home lateā, then Odysseus CONTINUES to taunt him. On the island of Helios (not Apollo, even if the movie says Apollo), Odysseus snitches to Zeus as soon as his crew kills the cattle and says (laymanās terms) āZeus, come kill their dumb assesā, whereas in the movie, he tries to get them to leave before they die.
Third: they remove the part of the story about him washing up on the Phaeacian island. Now granted, that was mainly a plot device to get him talking, but it still holds importance in the story and leads into
Four: Athena barely has a role in the movie. In the book, she is there to help Odysseus get home (sheās the one who asked Zeus to free Ody from Calypsoās island) and Telemachus learn about his dad. In the movie, she has one conversation with Odysseus, one with Telemachus, and then is just there to stare sadly at Odysseus and shake her head.
Finally, it seems like the movie draws more inspiration from previous retellings (EPIC the Musical and Circe by Madeline Miller especially). If you are going to adapt a story, donāt use outside source materials and other retellings, pretend they donāt exist.
me, wearing nothing but a sheer plunge-neck ballgown thatās plastered to my skin from the rain, soaking wet and trembling with cold and fatigue as i stand outside the entrance to the castle: p-please help me ;) iām s-so lost and s-scared ;) ;) i have no where to stay for the night ;) ;) ;)
the sexy vampire lady who answered the door, and to whom the castle belongs: of course ;) you poor thing ;) ;) come inside, you must be freezingā¦ you may stay as long as you need to recover from your ordeal ;) ;) ;)
amandla
prguitarman
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turnnoffyourmind
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