Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Lancoor A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Chris_Docker Assante's Odyssey is a minor triumph in more ways than one. As a cracking good adventure it will already have been reviewed many times. What is perhaps worth adding is its possible interest to those approaching Homer's Odyssey or even the Iliad (preferably in that order) for the first time. It is not, of course, a blow-by-blow film of the very lengthy Homeric poem, but as dramatisation go, it is a worthwhile introduction to the characters at a basic level. It doesn't 'Westernise' the Greek mythology to fit tastes dictated by the likes of Disney, or make the ancient Greek Gods silly and ridiculous. We see Odysseus inspired to intelligent courage by the Goddess Athena (wonderfully played by Isabella Rossellini), and this will contrast for the student with the great but unthinking bravery of Hector (in the Iliad). Rossellini combines the qualities of blue-eyed beauty without a hint of soppiness. Hermes edifies with technical insights in a perfectly detached way. Thus the Gods are both external realities and that which inspires and strengthens specific internal values. The devotion of Odysseus to his beautiful wife Penelope is both subjected to his strong sense of duty (in the bigger picture, from oaths made to his fellow men) and, if that seems uncaring, shown in the strength by which he chooses to return to her even after he is offered the choice of that or immortality.As far as a mainstream film goes, it at least attempts to tell the story within the ethos of ancient Greek values. But there is another benefit to seeing it. That is, Homer is so long, so dense, and with so many characters, that although one can gain an intellectual appreciation by reading it, a dramatisation helps the reader to identify and understand the characters emotionally, dynamically, wand this brings out the force of the relationships. Assante has tried, and to some extent succeeded, in bringing out the taste of ancient Greece in a way not dissimilar to what Christian Jacq, in his novels, did for ancient Egypt's New Kingdom period. Well worth a watch!

mmisc-33052 If it was not for the fact that this film felt so bad it was good, it would have been unwatchable. The film looks like it genuinely honestly tries to be something good, but misses the mark horribly. The film is full of inconsistencies. For example, Telemachus is born with an English accent (Unlike the rest of the cast)yet he grows out of this accent as he grows up. The actors don't have the slightest clue what they are doing, speaking in tones that simply don't make sense for the situation. A great example of this poor acting is when Odys mother kills herself. She walks into the Sea (This method of suicide is nowhere in the book and is physically impossible) and drowns herself. One of the servants is swinging her head back and forth repeatedly. This is an attempt to convey grief, but fails miserably.

mkim0423 I had recently bought a new feathered friend. Because I really liked the epic poem that Homer wrote, I decided to even name my new bird after a character he wrote about, Odysseus. In honor of my bird's birthday, we (Cookie, Odysseus, and I) snuggled into my bed and put the movie on. At first there was WAY too much violence. Cookie had nightmares for weeks. Then, during the scene with the cyclops. Odysseus threw up all over my new fuzzy pants. The movie dragged on for way too long and the pacing was awful. My feathered friends were way too tired by the end of it, it has caused a huge change in their attitudes the next day. Overall, I highly recommend that birds not watch it. Thanks for your time.

drystyx If you thought the Kird Douglas version was bad, don't even bother with this one, which makes the Kirk Douglas version look like a classic in comparison. That may be why they made the movie. Homer's books (I've read the Iliad and the Odyssey) are extremely poorly written to begin with. Homer was a hack, and today would be considered a ludicrously excessive sycophant and butt kisser. He did nothing but praise kings and people in power. The more powerful you were, the more he praised you. That is all he did. His characters have no different qualities about them other than some are stronger and more powerful. It took later writers and directors to give character to these names. Through the ages, Ulysses has come to mean a more intelligent form of the character of Odysseus. This name embodied wisdom mixed with strength. This film gives him absolutely no wisdom at all. He is merely a murderous fiend with no saving grace, and no reason for anyone to like. Indeed, it is an ordeal to sit through, knowing that he will be victorious, and you don't care a bit about what happens to him. The other characters are given some attention, but we know they will die, and we await some saving grace from the "hero" which never appears. This film takes all the worst from the book and all the worst from todays films. It is truly a bomb.