Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Receives High Praise from Brother Jonathan Nolan: 'Spectacular'
Christopher Nolan's latest epic, 'The Odyssey', has received its first glowing review from none other than his brother, Jonathan Nolan. The 'Westworld' co-creator and 'Fallout' executive producer shared his thoughts with CinemaBlend, calling the film 'spectacular' and 'tremendous'.
Jonathan, who has collaborated with Christopher on several projects, including 'Memento' and 'The Prestige', expressed his admiration for the film. "I'm not working on 'The Odyssey', but I've seen it, and it's an incredible achievement. I was fascinated by the 'Iliad' and 'The Odyssey' as a child, and I had some fun conversations with Chris about his vision. It's a spectacular film... I'm not sure I'm supposed to say that, but yes, it's tremendous."
The Nolan brothers' professional relationship is well-known, with Christopher's breakthrough film 'Memento' based on Jonathan's short story. They have since co-written several critically acclaimed films, including 'The Dark Knight' trilogy and 'Interstellar'. Jonathan also contributed to the script of 'Batman Begins'.
Matt Damon, who stars in the lead role of Odysseus, reunited with Nolan after 'Interstellar' and 'Oppenheimer' for this project. Tom Holland plays his son, Telemachus, and the cast also features Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and Jon Bernthal.
In an interview on the 'New Heights' podcast, Damon highlighted Nolan's innovative use of Imax cameras, making 'The Odyssey' the first Hollywood feature film entirely shot with this technology. "Imax cameras are really loud, like a blender in your face. We couldn't have these dialogue scenes with normal Imax cameras. Nolan built a giant structure around the Imax for those scenes and a system of mirrors to ensure close-up shots. The amount of work he put into this is remarkable!"
Nolan's interest in adapting Homer's 'Odyssey' for the big screen was driven by his desire to push cinematic boundaries. As he told Empire magazine, 'As a filmmaker, you seek gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven't been done before. I saw the potential for a grand, mythological film that could capture the weight and credibility of a big Hollywood, IMAX production.'
'The Odyssey' is set to be released in theaters on July 17th, distributed by Universal.
