A Little Odyssey of My Own
Let's talk about The Odyssey.
I have officially entered my ancient Greece era, apparently. There was something about this movie that kept me thinking about it long after the credits rolled, so naturally I had to come here and write about it.
I want to start off by saying no i didn't see it in the Imax film and spoilers ahead!!!
↓ My thoughts below ↓
I came into that theater expecting popcorn and confusion because public school didn't care enough to teach Greek mythology, also naturally I am a hater to things I can not understand. Laugh with me people, not at me please!
Enough about that. My mysterious gentleman friend and I set out to this movie and was not disappointed, him more than me of course. The beginning of the movie started out a bit hastily for me because of the 40 minutes of credits before it even began. Nonetheless, I put my ancient Greek hat on and dove into the movie ONCE I saw Spider-Man, now known as Telemachus, on screen. I was enamored.
There was a clear divide between Telemachus and Antinous from early on, and I loved that for the movie. I hated it even more for the fatherless but hopeful Telemachus. Still, in the beginning of the movie, we see this bustling hall full of Antinous and his very vile little henchmen feasting in Odysseus's home, acting as if they deserved to be there. For the life of me, I would have kicked them all out. They were arrogant, had their noses turned up at the beggars asking for their scraps, and still expected to have the Queen Penelope's hand in marriage while acting that way? No ma'am. That was the time back then. Moving on!
We get a very LITTLE glimpse into Telemachus's life without his father, Odysseus. I will say, being without a father, let alone having an empty throne in that day and age, must have been troubling. I would have loved to see more of that aspect, but we can't always get what we want, now can we? Even more so for Penelope, being alone and surrounded by 108 suitors in her own home, eating and walking around telling stories as if they truly knew Odysseus, must have been incredibly difficult for her. Telemachus was a baby when his father left for war, if I'm not mistaken. He truly wants to understand his father, and I can relate to that, truly. #daddyissuesalert
Wait... are hashtags allowed in a blog?
We jump right into the journey that becomes a nightmare of mythology: the Cyclops, Circe, the Sirens, the Underworld and Scylla, along with the wrath of Poseidon. Each encounter costs Odysseus and his men something. My thoughts on this were: his men were so eager to get ahead of him when it came to decision-making, and I couldn't understand it. They were supposed to be loyal, I thought? Maybe I am mistaken. I felt terrible when they burned the Cyclops's eye and messed with his flock of sheep. They just came in and messed with everything! Everywhere they went, trouble was afoot. I really liked the battle scene with the Laestrygonians. It was very primal and rough! My second favorite scene had to be when they had to pass the very tempting Siren women. I loved that they covered their ears in wax and followed Odysseus's rules THIS TIME. But one of the men jumped overboard anyway... but that's men for you.
Another encounter i really liked was Odysseus and his men encounter was Circe, who transforms his men into pigs. Odysseus eventually gets them back, but Circe becomes another part of his complicated journey and another temptation keeping him from home. I was noticing the weird overpowering behavior his men had and to see them turning into pigs was righteous to me. Even though were just following their leader.
I would also like to mention that everytime trouble came to Odysseus and his men, they were hauling ass to that fucking ship okay? Sorry to swear.
Another random thought was what the fuck was Zeus law and why was it so important? Also reminded me of the three questions ricks asked people in the walking dead.
Why did the suitors at the odysseys house hate Telemachus so much? Was it his fight to never forget his father? Was it his status? Was it his will to beat the odds of the empty throne no matter what?
