Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is one of the most anticipated movies of the year, and people crashed the AMC Theaters website signing up for tickets in IMAX. That tracks when you consider how well-received Nolan’s films have been over the past several years — omitting the divisive Tenet, of course. Fortunately, I don’t have a true IMAX screen near me, so I was able to get tickets for opening night quite easily.
Many people are very familiar with the story of The Odyssey, and that’s due to how many times the story has been adapted over the years. We’re talking about a story that’s been around for thousands of years, so there’s a bunch to dig through. One standout, however, is the 1997 2-episode miniseries. Don’t let the fact that it’s broken into two episodes deter you, as it’s just over three hours for both of the episodes. This puts it on par with Nolan’s 2 hour and 52 minute runtime, so it’s a very similar time commitment. The best part about it is that this series is completely free to stream on Tubi. Sadly, this does mean you’ll have to put up with ads since Tubi has to make its money somehow. In my experience, ads haven’t been as distracting as I thought they would be, but I’d still prefer to have no ads at all.
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The Odyssey miniseries brought home some hardware
Go for the gold
Tubi is the home to many great films and TV shows, but also a lot of duds. Fortunately, The Odyssey miniseries finds itself in the former section. The 1997 miniseries stars Armand Assante as Odysseus, Greta Scacchi as Penelope, Christoper Lee as Tiresias, and Isabella Rossellini as Athena. It was written and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, who is also known for directing one of my underrated favorites, Tango & Cash.
The Odyssey follows Odysseus’s quest to get home after the Trojan War, where he was presumed to be killed. His wife, Penelope, is being courted for marriage in his absence, and as you might guess, it leads to a lot of drama as Odysseus works to find his way back home. The series won Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Special at the 49th Primetime Emmy Awards.
While the story of The Odyssey has been explored several times over the years, it looks like Nolan plans to put his own spin on it. Notably, we see the Trojan Horse being advertised in the film, and there’s even a popcorn bucket planned for it. This famous horse was actually in The Iliad, so Nolan might be blurring the lines between the two stories.
There are several adaptations worth your time
Even if they aren’t obvious
The Odyssey is a story that can be bent and twisted in several ways while still following the basic story. A great example of this is the Coen brothers’ 2000 hit O Brother, Where Art Thou? This movie doesn’t take place anywhere near the time period seen in The Odyssey, but it’s still considered to be an adaptation. George Clooney’s character is also named Odysseus, so you’re supposed to make the connection.
For another adaptation, 1954’s Ulysses starring Kirk Douglas is a good one. This film can also be found on Tubi, so if you’re still craving some more after watching The Odyssey miniseries, it’s another good choice. I wouldn’t want to watch too much before Nolan’s film, however, because I would hate to go into that with a sense of overfamiliarity. Fortunately, the Nolan film is just about a month away at the time of this writing, so the wait is almost over. I already have my tickets, so I’m more than ready to dive into the world of the Odyssey for another time.
