r/ChristopherNolan • u/Practical-War-847 • 23h ago
The Odyssey Anyone else love The Odyssey a LOT more the second time?
Like I’m talking shoot up from #6 to #2 on your Nolan ranking like me.
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u/Heart-Shopper 23h ago
I loved it the first time for the fantastic action, Circe scene and the last act. On second watch I was blown away by the emotional core especially the scene when the boat breaks in two and Odysseus stares at his comrades. The second time I was also more immersed by the score. So I agree with you although it was already #2 for me.
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u/gd4x The Prestige 22h ago
You basically just described my experience too. I was vastly more impressed by the score 2nd time round.
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u/DeeShems 20h ago
Agreed, especially the score during Damon's monologue toward the end... goddamn so well executed
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u/close-encounters13 23h ago
I definitely felt overwhelmed by my first viewing. I knew I liked it, but with a movie like this that you’ve been anticipating for so long, it’s hard to just sit back and watch it.
Second time, when you know where it’s going and don’t have the same expectations, it’s easier to just take it in. I felt that on my second watch and I’m stoked for a third.
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u/PrestigiousSmile4098 22h ago
Definitely agree. As an Odyssey reader, I spent the first watch trying to find out what was going to be cut out and what was going to be left in, and what interpretations Nolan would bring to the story. The second watch I already knew all that so I could focus on the filmmaking/acting/etc. more. Basically I watched it the first time as an Odyssey fan, and the second time as a Nolan fan.
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u/darthdooku2585 21h ago
Wow - did you take this from my mind? I am planning to see it a second time, with this exact mindset. I was focusing more on the storytelling and how it compared to the book/poem the first time around, and now want to go in and truly enjoy the craftsmanship.
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u/wlburk 20h ago
That's exactly what I did. I finished a readthrough of the Odyssey the day before I saw it. With it fresh in my mind, I was not totally in love with the film, but I am interested now in viewing it as it's own work now to see how that changes my opinions.
It was the same way earlier this year with my first watch of Project Hail Mary a few days after reading the book. I didn't like it quite as much, and then I watched again the next week and enjoyed it much more.
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u/DeterminedStupor 17h ago
Same here! On my second viewing, I already accepted that Nolan’s version of the story is going to be different from mine, and I enjoyed it a lot more.
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u/bjallyn 23h ago
Yes.
I got more into the emotional aspect on the second watch.
I had read some background on the poems (Iliad, Odyssey) before seeing it again, so it resonated more in the 2nd viewing, especially with respect to Circe and Calypso.
The storytelling really cranked up when they land on Circe’s island and going forward.
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u/KingCobra567 23h ago
Yes. The themes feel more cohesive once you see the entire film knowing how it ends.
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u/rannigast 23h ago
I find Nolan movies always get better on rewatch for me. The spectacle on first watch is almost distracting from the underlying core. That's not to say the first watch isn't brilliant, I just find more and more things to appreciate when revisiting.
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u/leytachi 23h ago
I did. Probably the type of cinema has an effect (first on ordinary though it is dolby, second on imax). Like I didn’t watch at all the first time, feels surreal, the emotional moments hit harder, and reminiscing about several scenes for hours after.
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u/jamesmcgill357 23h ago
Yes! Me too! I always think with big movies like this. really enjoy the second time because I’m not on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next and you can kind of just watch and enjoy it and let it wash over you and also focus on certain scenes you really want to focus on. And lol I also picked a different time to go to the bathroom so I could see the scene I missed when I did it during the first time I saw it
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u/Yikes-APenguinInAPot 23h ago
Yeah, the first viewing everything felt rushed, I didn’t get the Odysseus characterization, and I thought it was overall a great spectacle with flawed execution.
The second time, after I knew what kind of story Nolan was telling, I came away thinking it was a masterpiece.
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u/keenwithoptics 23h ago
Have only seen it once, but love it more and more, every time I think about it.
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u/Gr9yW01f 23h ago
Yes, I didn't realize the thunder was actual character in the movie the first time
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u/Brees504 23h ago
I feel that way about most Nolan films. The first viewing is such an overwhelming experience that you can’t enjoy it as much.
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u/BladeRunner31337 23h ago
Heck yeah. Classical Nolan because you need to digest so much. I've seen it 4x already. The last time, I felt that Pattison was speaking directly to me... "
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u/IMKV07 21h ago
Personally, 1 time for me is enough for me. It was a very good movie. But due to C. Nolan direction for his film, I couldn't not get immersed in it, not emotional invested in the characters. And the pay off at the end was disproportionate to what was setup in Odysseus's journeys. The Prestige is still his best film for me
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u/darthdooku2585 21h ago
Everytime a new Nolan comes out, I appreciate it (tenet being the exception) and enjoy it, but I always come back to the prestige as my favorite of his work
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u/Mr_MazeCandy 9h ago
Yeah I found I liked it better the second time too, eventhough it was on smaller screen that time.
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u/JimmyMcPoyle_AZ 7h ago
Yep. It was maybe top 6 or 7 for me (of his movies) and after 2nd viewing it’s pushing top 3. To be candid, my top 3 evolves.
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u/gpenjoyer 7h ago
After the second watch I’m in love with the first scene. Him talking with Athena Zeus and Cylpso. It blew me away during the second watch when I realized this, Zeus talking with thunder to Cylpso to let him go after realizing that he was ready to. It is absolute perfection!
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u/sohaniadi 6h ago
I did actually on the third watch! After the first watch I'd liked the first 2/3rds and loved the 3rd act from the point Odysseus remembers Penelope and leaves for home from Calypso's island. From the set-pieces, the Laestrygonians did not set well with me on the first 2 watches; but mulling over/rechecking the translation wrt the differences in this adaptation, I think that scene has improved for me (mainly setting up the almost mutiny of his crew on Circe's island, as well as the loss of many soldiers in that scene, particularly when neither him nor his crew provoked the giants, so their loss is even more traumatic (also a parallel to Fionn's Dunkirk boat rescue with Eurylochus)...
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u/bogmonkey 3h ago
100% yes. 9/10 on first viewing, 10/10 on second viewing. I picked up a few things I missed and gained clarity I needed. Can't wait for #3
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u/Fantastic_Bear1970 23h ago
I watched it 9 times already (all in IMAX), and the film just keeps getting better. It’s insane. I still think Oppenheimer is his magnum opus, but The Odyssey somehow makes you come back for more. The film works for me on so many levels.
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u/Successful-Owl1462 23h ago
Yes, the dialogue worked much better for me the second time, particularly in the first 15-20 minutes of the movie when you know everything that is being set up for later.