JuicyTalk
The following contains spoilers for The OdysseyThe Odyssey is Christopher Nolan’s epic take on the ancient poem, detailing the challenges that Odysseus faced on his way back home after helping win the Trojan War. Although the movie is set in ancient Greece and is very faithful to the spirit of the original text, there are definitely some modern touches throughout the story.
New plot elements, such as Athena appearing to Odysseus in the guise of a priestess slain during the sacking of Troy or the increased focus on the soldier Sinon, add layers to Nolan’s storytelling intent. Beyond that, though, there are several small but key changes to the source material in the adaptation.
These changes include combining some of the islands that Odysseus visits and blending them together. In other cases, supernatural forces and minor challenges are removed from the story. The changes work incredibly well for pacing purposes, but it is still worth knowing what tweaks have been introduced to The Odyssey in Nolan’s telling of the epic poem.
The Laestrygonians Are Different
A lot of teasers for The Odyssey featured the hulking soldiers known as the Laestrygonians, which are reimagined from typical depictions in adaptations of the story. In the original epic poem, the Laestrygonians are much more brutal in their charge on the Greek soldiers, going so far as to eat many of the soldiers they capture.
Instead, only the cyclops Polyphemus eats the soldiers, enhancing his inhuman nature and avoiding repetitive scares. While the Laestrygonians destroyed eleven ships in the poem, they destroy only two in the film. In both cases, this leaves Odysseus with just his crew. The cinematic Laestrygonians also use different military tactics, instead of just throwing boulders and spears at the Greeks.
Odysseus Never Uses The “No One” Trick
Speaking of Polyphemus, the encounter with the cyclops is played largely faithfully with the source material. However, while Odysseus and his men do still escape in part by blinding him, the creature’s wraith is further set off when a furious Odysseus fires an additional arrow at the creature, setting it into a rage.
In the original poem, the exact means of escape and Odysseus’s mistake are different. While they do blind the cyclops, they also talk with it and get it drunk beforehand. Odysseus also does so as “no one,” initially avoiding blame for hurting it when it can only call for vengeance against “no one.” However, his ego prompts him to announce his name, earning Poseidon’s ire.
The Lotus Flowers Are Used By Calypso
The lotus flowers are a powerful substance in both versions of The Odyssey, capable of clouding a man’s mind and suppressing memories. In Nolan’s version of The Odyssey, Calypso uses the flowers to ease his pains during recovery and utilizes them as a means of keeping him trapped on her island with her.
Calypso holds him captive in the original story until Hermes, at the behest of Zeus and Athena, forces her to release him. Instead, the lotus flowers belong to the lotophages of Peloponnesus, who use the flowers to lull visitors into a careless slumber. Odysseus is forced to drag his crew back to the ship. Given that Odysseus has to save his crew with Circe, the encounter was likely cut for fears of repetition.
Odysseus Doesn’t Stay With Circe For A Year
The encounter with Circe in The Odyssey is an effectively creepy take on the scene from the poem, with Circe morphing his men into pigs and only relenting when Odysseus threatens her sister. However, she does give him some advice on how to advance on his quest while also teasing that he will be the only one of his men to make it home.
Their visit to Circe’s island is brief in the film, but actually takes a year in the original story. She is also depicted as a much more proactive temptress in the source material, using an almost siren-like singing voice to further lure the men into her trap. It’s also in part because they remained on the island for so long that Odysseus and his crew must venture through Hades.
Odysseus Doesn’t Hook Up With Calypso Or Circe
A key change in terms of what is socially acceptable today versus what was expected in ancient times, Odysseus remains romantically faithful to Penelope in Nolan’s version of The Odyssey. Although he is “happy” when with Calypso, his heart remains firmly with someone else, which eventually pushes Calypso to let him return home and leave her behind.
In the original story, Odysseus actually became lovers with both Calypso and Circe during his time with both of them. In the stories that happen after The Odyssey, such as Hesiod’s Theogony, Circe and Odysseus even had multiple sons. This didn’t impact his love for Penelope, but it complicates that dynamic from a modern perspective.
Odysseus Never Goes To The Phaeacians
In Nolan’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is finally able to get back to Ithaca immediately after leaving Calypso’s island. In the original story of The Odyssey, however, the first place that Odysseus lands is the home of the Phaeacians. They are the ones he tells his story to, instead of recounting it to Calypso as he regains his memories.
The Phaeacians are more or less cut from the entire story of Nolan’s adaptation. It makes sense, as their role is more or less replaced by Odysseus regaining his memories while he is with Calypso. As with most of the cuts and tweaks in the film, it seems to have largely been done in the name of pacing and condensing the story.
No Bag of Winds
One of the supernatural elements of the original story that is cut from the Nolan film is the bag of winds from Aeolus. Having been gifted the bag by the king on their travels, Odysseus is furious when the crew opens the bag fully while they’re approaching Ithaca, sending them off-course and prolonging their journey by years.
The bag and Aeolus are entirely cut from the film’s telling of the story. This does remove the brief respite that the crew is provided, keeping the tension up throughout the film. It also takes away an overtly supernatural tool from the heroes, something that underscores the challenges they face in making their way home.
Odysseus Sees Different People At The River Styx
Odysseus’ visit to the underworld is a crucial part of both versions of The Odyssey, as it provides the crew with the info they need to make it the rest of the way home. To get this information, they are forced to confront the spirits of deceased warriors and friends. However, the actual people they talk to are different in the film compared to the poem.
While the blind prophet Tiresias is present for both versions, Odysseus is greeted by just Sinon and his king Agamemnon in Nolan’s version. The two offer recriminations and warnings before the spirits of soldiers chase the living off. In the original version, Odysseus was met by Agamemnon but also Achilles, his mother Anticleia, and sees more of the underworld before fleeing.
The focus on Sinon also plays into one of Nolan’s big additions in the film, which underscores the fate of Antinous. Flashbacks reveal Sinon took Antinous’s place in the recruitment for the Trojan War, with Odysseus taking the marker back to Antinous. By making Sinon one of the people greeted in the underworld, this thread sets up Odyessus’s final words to Antinous before he kills him.
Argos Is How Telemachus Finds Out About Odysseus In The Movie
One of the more somber moments of reunion in The Odyssey is the scene where Odysseus briefly greets his old dog Argos. The hunting hound has been waiting for his master to return home, greeting him warmly before finally passing away in peace. This is what reveals Odysseus’ identity to Telemachus in the film.
This scene is fairly accurate to the original story, but with one key difference: Telemachus is not present for that reunion. Instead, Telemachus finds out about his father’s identity when visiting him alongside Eumaeus the swineherd, at which point the pair plan out their assault against the suitors.
The Gods Aren’t In Nolan’s Odyssey As Much As The Original
Although the influence of the Greek Pantheon can be felt throughout The Odyssey, the gods themselves are largely absent from the story. In the original text, Athena convinces Zeus to allow Odysseus to return home, leading to Hermes repeatedly playing a key supporting role in his efforts to escape.
Although Athena appears throughout visions in the film, Hermes is entirely absent from the movie. The influence of Zeus is largely relegated to his laws being met by the Greeks, as well as his vengeance when Odysseus’ men eat Apollo’s cows. It’s a small difference, but one that further separates Odysseus from the deities he regularly frustrates.
The Bed Challenge Is Cut
The final major tweak to The Odyssey comes in the final moments of the film, after the defeat of the suitors. In the original story, Penelope has one last challenge for Odysseus where he must move their best. However, Odysseus knows it is carved out of a tree trunk and could not be moved, finally proving his identity.
This last challenge is cut from the film, with Penelope finally reunited with her husband after he defeats the suitors. This allows the big battle to be the climax of the film and lets The Odyssey end on the more quietly triumphant moment before letting Odysseus and Penelope reunite and head off into the west.
