Genres

Visitors Review

2013-05-21 15:41:38

Good Film About A Famous Greek Myth

I thought it was an all out good movie, it was full of adventure and thrills. some scenes where good some where not. I liked the Cyclops i think that was the best part. also the crazy lady when the mother killed herself that was funny as hell.See it once but probly not wanna see it again.

2013-05-21 02:46:41

The Odyssey in the eyes of a student

I enjoyed watching the movie. Movies like the Odyssey helps me get a feel for what we are talking about in class. Sometimes it's hard to get into a subject when you don't have anything to go by. The Odyssey may be kind of bloody, gross, and something you don't watch before lunch, but the specil effects are great. Everything seemed so real. One part I don't like about the Odyssey is the Underworld. Being a christian, the underworld gave me the chills. The Odyssey was a good resource for the classroom.

siderite 2013-05-20 06:26:59

Accurate and enjoyable Homer

I've read a lot of reviews. Many are favorable and many say the filmwas dull. But the truth, as I see it, is that it is a very accuratedepiction of the way people were back then. Odysseus is even recognizedby one of the gods as "the first man to use his head". The rest of thecharacters are emotional, animalistic sometimes, the gods are petty andegotistic and always in conflict to one another and Ithaca is harder toreach than Hades's realm.The effects are not great, the actors play almost like in a Biblemovie, but actually, it's the best adaptation I've seen yet. So give ita try, enter the world of hard men and gorgeous women from which onlyIrene Papas is Greek, and you might also like it as I did.

2013-05-19 13:12:34

Where's the soundtrack?

I loved this movie/mini series. I've watched it time and again. I've always wondered about the soundtrack..I just CANNOT find it anywhere. (There is a link on amazon music..waiting for the seller to respond if what he/she has is the real thing) If anyone knows where to get the soundtrack, pls do send me a mail.ThanksChet

2013-05-19 01:05:34

Good

I loved this movie! The special effects were great and Armand Assante did a great job acting the part of Odysseus. My daughter even sat down and watched it with me, which doesn't happen very often. However, I loved it as a movie, not necessarily as an adaptation of The Odyssey, which is one of my favorite books.

2013-05-18 16:18:32

Poor excuse for a great story

I watched this movie this year after I read the book. The movie switches the story a lot and the acting is very dissapointing- the actors of Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus, the main parts are not very talented. I would show this to a child to give them a taste of the Odyssey, but if you have read the book or are planning to, watching this will ruin the flavor of the Odyssey.

2013-05-16 18:02:05

Great effects...NO HEART NO PASSION

The special effects of this film were wonderful--no debate there--but Armand Assante seems like he's sleep-walking through this movie. It LOOSELY follows the poem at parts and suffers from a severe lack of passion! Compare this film with the 1950's "Ulysses", which despite poor effects, had MUCH more passionate and inspired portrayals of the characters by Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn among others. Even the classic scene involving Argos the dog was ommitted from this modern creation. Ugh!On the flip side, Athena's portrayal by Isabella Rossellini and the actor playing the god Mercury are very fun to watch in "The Odyssesy". Still...not enough to do the story justice.

James Ruwaldt 2013-05-16 03:18:09

Enjoyable film, despite some technical flaws

I realize filmmakers have to include some personal touches, but it would benice for them to remember that this film is called "The Odyssey", not "TheLife of Odysseus." To some extent the latter is what we've gotten, since itis essentially a chronological rendering of the legend, instead of repeatingHomer's epic poem. Of course, flashbacks only work to a certain point inmovies, so having Odysseus tell about his adventures to date at thePhaeacian court might seem a little tedious to most viewers. However, hedoes narrate most of the story, anyway, so it wouldn't seem too difficultfor him to slip into that mode in Phaeacia.Other minor quibbles: Menelaus is consistently referred to in the literatureas "blond Menelaus," so why does he have black hair in this film? ThePhaeacian ship should not have any crew, since their ships were able to sailthemselves. Odysseus' men did not merely run out of Polyphemus' cave; theytied themselves to the undersides of the sheep. The film does get close,however. Some of the men crawl out with sheepskins on their backs. Eumaeusraised pigs, not sheep. Finally, what happened to Laertes (Odysseus'father) and Argus (his dog)? Argus definitely should have been included,since the scene where he lifts his head and wags his tail, being one of thefew characters who recognizes Odysseus, then dies, is one of the mosttouching and tragic scenes in the book. Laertes isn't even mentioned, eventhough Anticleia appears for most of the film.But, as I say, minor quibbles. This is overall an enjoyable film, muchreminiscent of the epic films of the '50's and '60's.

2013-05-16 02:38:42

the odyssey

This review is from: The Odyssey (DVD) I believe the cast in this movie was as awesome as the story was, it gets your attention and keeps it till the very end.the special effects and the filming locations were the perfect settings over all simply 5 stars.

The juggler 2013-05-15 10:06:58

God's gift to mankind

The story is about Odysseus' journey home from the great Trojan war. It differs only by a few parts they cut out to avoid making it too long. The only thing "condensed" about it is that they have a few more scenes of Penelope in Ithaca then there were in the book, and that they tell some of The Illiad along with The Odyssey. But these features actually make the movie even better. Very good filming- Ithaca is beautiful- and special effects- when they so Poseidon in the waves, I instantlly needed to put that on. The cyclops scene is a perfect example of what horror should be like, and the great acting and plot entertains in the breaks from action. Through all of this, what more can I say? The Odyssey is a pure triumph!

2013-05-13 21:46:11

Ancient Adventure

This review is from: The Odyssey (DVD) After watching this movie, I realized how tedious it would have been if the director had filmed feast after feast or all the details of the original story. He focused more on the adventures. Listening to 11 compact discs to hear the entire story is quite an odyssey itself, so if you don't have a lot of time, the movie will save you a few hours. The recording is about 12.5 hours in comparison with 165 minutes for the movie. There are many differences between the movie and the recorded book version. For one, Odysseus' son leaves to look for his father early in the original story and in the movie, he seems to leave much later. The movie focuses more on the suitors and sailors. The adventures of Odysseus are dramatic, exciting and interesting even to a contemporary audience. It is a story of a great warrior who is cursed by the gods and must wander the seas for years after the Trojan War. It is also a story of how a man wishes to return home to his faithful wife all while he is "forced" to enjoy the pleasures of the islands. Although goddesses of great beauty take care of him in the islands, he does not seem to really enjoy being away from home. Odysseus seems to have a girlfriend on every island and yet we forgive him and admire his wife. While he is enjoying the pleasures of the islands, his wife sits at home defending her very existence from a group of suitors bent on pursuing her to the end of time.When considering a critical analysis of this movie, I had to look at the "acting" and "special effects." There is beautiful scenery in Turkey and of course you have ships at sea and goddesses and gods causing havoc with the humans. Some of the more complex scenes were filmed in Malta. This was where they had a huge tank set up for the sea adventures. What they did with the special effects is pretty impressive. The acting gets better as the story progresses. What you will notice is some "overacting" when the characters emphasis their emotions so strongly that the effect only causes you to laugh. Imagine a bunch of wrestlers hugging and crying. Yes, that funny. You should not be laughing when characters are crying, however, that is the effect because the overplaying of emotions becomes almost comical. Andrei Konchalovsky's obviously had a vision for how he wanted the emotions to be played out onscreen although I think he dipped too far into extravagance and the viewer might consider it more insincere than tragic. However, if you consider how the individuals really might have acted, this is perhaps more true to ancient life. It is true that in the original Odyssey, men cry pitifully (passionate sobbing) and show their feminine side freely. I especially loved seeing all the gods and goddesses in the movie. I loved Isabella Rossellini as the "clear eyed" goddess Athena. She was definitely a highlight in this movie. It seems she is rather fond of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca (Armand Assante) and with a twinkle in her eye, she sends him off to be brave. Her eyes are just amazingly beautiful in this movie. Some of the goddesses in this movie had dark hair and in the original they were "fair-haired" goddesses. There is a creative use of waves to display the anger of Poseidon when Odysseus doesn't give the gods credit for his successes. He is cursed and must wander on the ocean until the end of time.Another highlight is the horse and ships. The Trojan Horse makes its appearance and is very well made, as are all the ships which were built in England. You will also be amazed by the special effects in Hades. As Odysseus descends into "hell/Hades" he is almost overwhelmed with the heat. Some of the most bloody scenes I've ever seen occur in this movie, although they are not quite "horror." Imagine bodies being gobbled up by hungry sea creature and blood splattering on a wooden deck or a Cyclops tearing a body apart to devour it. Because it happens during the daytime, the effect is not as intense. The scenes in Troy are also fairly violent. There is also a fairly long scene at the end where men are locked up in a room and systematically slaughtered. This is for revenge so seems to have a point. What I kept waiting for was a scene where Odysseus is bound to the ship's mast as the sirens call to him and his men. This is a very short section in the original story, so they must have felt it was not as significant. However, it would have been spectacular on film. Recommended to those who love Greek Mythology or who want to have a visual reference in your mind when ready or listening to the translation of The Odyssey by Homer. If you are trying to decide if you like the Odyssey or the Iliad: The ending of the Odyssey is much more romantic and there is far more romance and beauty in the Odyssey. The Iliad ending will appeal more to men and the story seems to contain more "war" violence and has a much more definite focus on war. Main message of this movie seems to be: "Man is nothing without the gods" or "never give up on your dream no matter if the gods try to stop you, you are captain of your fate in the end." The movie is more entertaining than listening to 12.5 hours of an Audio Book, yet if you watch the movie and then listen to the Audio Book, it takes on a new meaning. You then have a visual reference for all the adventure sections. I can recommend the movie for that aspect alone.~The Rebecca Review

2013-05-13 12:06:36

Did the screenwriters even READ the Odyssey?

No seriously. Because this movie was almost NOTHING like the original tale. And everything from the original tale they do add is horribly botched.Let's take the Trojan War. Call me crazy, but I don't think Greek warfare consisted of guys running around madly swinging swords in their loincloths. Or how about the way they portray Hades: in Greek legend it was never fire or brimstone, it was just a dull place. And most of all...the choice between the man-eating serpent and the giant whirlpool is TOTALLY screwed up. The two obstacles block two seperate paths, and Odysseus has to choose one to get through. In the legend he chose the monster, and he does here...but then he bumps into the whirlpool!! What the heck?! OK, stop! Foul! Plothole! Bad continuity! And how about the killing of the suitors, huh? Isn't it a great action scene when a bunch of guys just run around or stand there and let two guys kill them? And how about them jumping back ten feet when they're hit by javelins thrown by some dorky teenager? I guess javelins at close range have the impact of a semi-automatic shotgun.I have to admit that Homer hasn't aged well. Watching Odysseus cheat on his wife willingly for most of the movie and then expecting us to feel compassion that his wife MIGHT have cheated on him isn't exactly great character development. I know of course it was in the story, but like I said - some things really don't work well nowadays. Like bad writing.

2013-05-13 08:15:59

Homer's Odyssey on DVD

The story of Homer's Odyssey is quite faithfully told in this grand production from Hallmark, considering the length of the epic poem and the necessary story parts taken from the Iliad, Homer's companion poem about the Trojan war. The acting is good quality, and special effects are very good. My only complaint is that the disc itself, advertised as new and sealed, showed scratches and fingerprints when opened. It did not play very well at first, but that was rememedied by a 5-minute resurfacing.

2013-05-12 17:51:09

Good, faithful adaptation

This review is from: The Odyssey (DVD) In the comentary, the director upfront admitts wishing to focus on the most entertaining parts of the Odyssey and this he does. I do not believe their is much to criticize (although there are some to be done) given the fact that even with scenes removed the runtime of the film is close to four hours. Therefore credit is due for fitting as much as they did.The real strength of the movie is its staying true to the core story. Unlike myth/ancient history movies that have come up in the last few years such as Gladiator, Troy, and Alexander, which are mostly rationalized assumptions of the stories they are supposed to tell, the Odyssey stays true to the events that are written. Even little things that really don't bear a great deal on the movie (e.g. Athena being Mentor, the scar on Odysseus' leg, and Nausika finding Odysseus on the shore) are kept to ensure the purity of events.Another nice point is the talent used in this movie. Despite the effects being about 10 years old, they do not overly dominate like most multi-million dollar effects movies today. Unlike the before mentioned movies who star the current most-popular eye candy of the time to garner support for the movie, such as Orlando Bloom, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolies, the performers have more a theatre (and thus more credible ability) background.Isabella Rossillini stays true to Athena's playful toying part, Bernadette Peters is sassy and seductive as Kirke ought to be, and Vanessa Williams, though not the "fair-haired" as her epitath always calls her, but is exotic enough to make a convincing Kalypso.As for the critiques, they are few, and mostly scene modifications.1) Poseidon's grudge against Odysseus is his blasphemy, though in the book it is primarily the blinding of Polyphemus. This is touched in the movie, when the Kyklops calls his father to avenge him, but is never addressed. It would have been better to keep it so.2)The sheep of Helios is missing, but I believe that Karybdis is a much better effect, so that omisssion is more than forgivable.3) We always see the olive tree, but its importance should have been stressed. Penelope uses it to test Odysseus when he comes home. They could have cut out some of the lovey-duvey dialogue at the end to add that scene-it would only take about 30 seconds.4) The scene where Ares and Aphrodite are caught in bed by Hephestatus is a funny scene, and helps to explain why Odysseus eventually makes it home without Poseidon's interference. The movie on a whole does all its sex scenes tastefully, and this one could have been as well, unlike Rome and Troy where it is graphic sex for the sake of gratuitous sex.5) They might have thrown in Odysseus' conversation with Agamemnon in the underworld about being stabbed in the back by his wife, Klytemnestra, as it would help the drama when later Odysseus admits misgivings about Penelope's faithfulness to him to Athena. On the other hand, the scene in the underworld from the book is mostly a list of the procession of Persephone and the movie captures the most important parts of the chapter.Finally there are the sets. The boats are modeled after realistic triremes, and the paintings on the houses, especially Menalaus', are close to accurate. The layout of Odysseus' home complete with the Andron, and the women's quarters upstairs, and the bouletarion with Odysseus' throne shows that their set designer actually did some research (another trait often lacking in blockbuster films on ancient epics)All in all, one of the best examples of ancient epic/mythology in the media out. It stays more close to the original material, and anytone who is familiar with the work of Homer will enjoy it. Academic it may not be, but it is sucessful being entertaining as promised, but also telling the story as Homer probably wanted it to be told.

2013-05-12 00:57:10

Captures the action and emotion of the poem.

Well I just finished watching this movie in school, after reading the poem. Most literature-based films are cheesy, and this one is slightly cheesy, but the special effects were amazing. The Cyclops especially looked real, and pretty gross. Of course, nothing can compare to the original poem by Homer, but the film actually lets you see all the action and emotion. Speaking of emotion, the film has very good actors, especially the guy who played the adult Telemachus. That's another thing. In the movie I saw more of Telemachus and Penelope, and how they were and stuff, because when we read the poem we didn't read all of it. There were some things in the movie, though, that weren't in the poem. For example, in the poem Telemachus never fought one of the suitors, and the suitors didn't burn Penelope's shroud. But the film was pretty historically accurate. I didn't know, however, that women had to cover their faces when they spoke to men (or in public?). Because at one point in the movie, Penelope speaks to all the suitors with a cloth covering her face, and they ridicule and are rude to her. But when she drops it, they become silent and seemingly shocked. Hmm. Overall, it was an excellent film. It was a bit bloody, but I suppose that's why it's rated PG-13. If this was done with an all-star cast by a well-known director, it probably would have become a huge hit.

2013-05-11 16:06:32

WOW

This was a great movie. The beginning was a little rocky, but then it smoothed out a little bit. The movie had great special effects and a great cast. Some of my favorite characters were Odysseus (Armand Assante), Telemachus (Alan Stenson), and Calypso (Vanessa Williams). This movie was very gory, but in a way I think that made it better. In this epic poem by Homer, my favorite part was when Odysseus shot an arrow through the axe handles. Overall, my opinion of this movie is that its a masterpiece.

Rob Lennox 2013-05-10 21:31:50

True to Homer, not slave to Hollywood.

It is incredibly difficult to move a masterpiece like the Iliad or theOdyssey to the silver screen without seeing it totally destroyed.Pleasantly Andrei Konchalovsky's success with The Odyssey is as greatas Wolfgang Peteresen's monumental failure with the Iliad (Troy, 2004).He is probably as true to the text as a film adaptation canrealistically be. There is no Hollywood 21st century moral alterations,there are no major deviations from the story and there are no majoromissions. This is achieved partially because of the 3 hour length, andstill it feels like it is rather crammed into the time. I found thecharacters portrayed well and most importantly, similar to theirportrayal in the poem. Armand Assante is certainly not Brad Pitt, andthe film gains greatly because of it. Watch 'The Odyssey' and you willgain a knowledge of Homer. Watch 'The Iliad' and lose 2 hours of yourlife watching the ghastly slaughter of one of the greatest stories evertold.

2013-05-10 08:26:59

It's A Movie

The OdysseyI think The Odyssey was an okay movie. There were a few parts that I didn't like. I think that Armand Assante played Odysseus very good. Odysseus was the ruler of Ithaca. Vanessa L. Williams was one of my favorite characters. She played Calypso very well. I felt sorry for her when Hermes played by Freddy Douglas forced her to let Odysseus free. Odysseus came across many creatures and gods. Most of the gods did not help Odysseus but one god did his name was Aeolus played by Michael J. Pollard. Aeolus was god of wind. Odysseus came across another god Circle played by Bernadette Peters. Circle was a witch. She got men to drink the Potion and it would turn them into animals. I think that the cast played there characters very good. They dressed like the people would in Ancient Greece . The women wore long flowing dresses. The men wore short tunics. The tunics were made from wool. They believed in many gods With there religion they would sacrifice goats for the gods. The movie was filmed in Greece so you would see what it looked like. There occupations were fishing, herding, warmer, sailors, and ship builders. One of the social lacks was to bring gifts for the person who was giving you food and shelter.

2013-05-10 07:19:35

Odyssey

This review is from: The Odyssey (DVD) I saw this movie years ago and have been trying to locate it. At a cost of $100.00 dollars it was not cheep, but it was worth every penny.

2013-05-09 22:13:18

The Odyssey was intresting movie.

The OdysseyThe Odyssey was a very interesting movie. It was also comical in many places. In this story Odysseus was the main character. He had to fight in the Trojan War.l After this he tried to go on his journey home. On this journey he ran into many troubled times. In Odysseus was played by Armand Assante. One of the funniest parts of the story to me was when he blinded the Cyclops. In this movie they dressed in a very unique way. It was just as if they were the real people. During that time if you were a visitor you must bring a gift. He had many task on his way journey home. He ran into some troubling females. One in which was name Circe (Bernadetta Peters). When men went to see her if you drunk her wine you would turn into swine. But since a messenger came and warned him, and also gave him some grass to eat. Therefore he didn't turn into swine. He also ran into Calypso (Vanessa Williams), who kept him on her island for two years. That was the one most important hardest time that he faced with a women.By Seaunte