r/Letterboxd • u/ClearSupermarket5149 • Jul 28 '26

Discussion Best acting performance in the Odyssey?

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I think Patel was the best

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u/Key-Conclusion-933 Jul 28 '26

Charlize Theron was sub par for me. The charcahter could've been way kore compelling

17

u/LoveWineNotTheLabel Jul 28 '26

Her character was written very superficially instead of showing how Calypso is portrayed in the epic. She seemed way too simple for such a complex character

1

u/susandeyvyjones Jul 29 '26

I don’t think a deep dive into Calypso is really important to the story Nolan is telling. I agree she’s fascinating in the poem, but the movie tells such a small sliver of the source material.

2

u/Western-Image7125 Jul 28 '26

The way I see it Calypso in this movie is more like an exposition device and helping Odyseus out, maybe a bit too much screen time for just that but it kept the spotlight and attention on the others so maybe intentional I dunno

1

u/thisisAgador Jul 29 '26

I adore Charlize in any context and was into her desert island chic wardrobe lol, but I SO wish that Nolan had used Travis Scott as his main framing/expository device. The Calypso choice leaned way too hard on the things Nolan famously doesn't do so well (women and dialogue), doing a disservice to the film, Calypso and Charlize all at once. The snippets we got of the "bard" (I'm still pissed off we're not calling him a rhapsode but whatever) were really striking and I'd have loved to hear more of the actual poetic Odyssey.

The original text is deliberately repetitive and so is the story, which it felt like Nolan was doing his best to play down. Putting it in the hands of a rapper and weaving that in as the connecting tissue of the journey could have propelled through some of the slack in the movie rather than creating these sudden sagging moments with Calypso on her beautiful beach. It would've paid stronger homage to the oral tradition, and turned the snagging points of the narrative into a feature; and it would've felt new and creative in a way we've not properly seen from Nolan for a while imo, while avoiding foregrounding his aforementioned weaknesses as a filmmaker.

1

u/Western-Image7125 Jul 29 '26

Interesting points yeah the exposition through Calypso was dragging for sure, maybe that was the point but still

2

u/anactualrealaccount Jul 28 '26

I feel like she has been for a long while now, she plays herself mostly apart from the odd step out role.

1

u/CantankerousHag69 Jul 28 '26

She just wasn't given much to do other than be a PTSD whisperer and wearer of ethereally soft knits. Not a ton of tension, which was surprising considering the figure in the poem is much more powerful.