“Timeō Danaōs et dōna ferentēs.”
(I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts.)
Viewed yesterday (08/17/2026)
The Odyssey is a culturally seismic story of ruin. I never read homer, only the predigested English textbook versions… Always rooted for Troy in the Iliad. I like underdogs and despise horse tricks. Probably why Odysseus continues to get the better of me on Chess dot com. This month’s featured bot.
Okayy but why should I fair any better at intelligence? (thunk)
Google will tell you the moral of the story is perseverance. Also loyalty, family, cleverness over brute strength, resisting temptation… What I take away, no matter the version, is that Odysseus’ men also wanted to return home, and Odysseus failed them at every turn.
“Punished by the Gods.” For his violent choices, his hubris… His men pay the ultimate price. The same degenerates who crawled out of a horse’s ass to pillage and burn their brethren. So I suppose they deserved it. Why, are we still giving lip service to these monsters 3000 years on? Because they never truly died, EF. They’re us.
“The same blood flows in my veins. The same weakness.”
“Your time will come. You will face the same evil, and you will defeat it.”
If LOTR be the epic standard, none of us have a chance😅
Now, I’m not going to critique Nolan’s film. Saturday I handed over my badge to Chief, like The Other Guys— placed on indefinite leave for, in my case, reckless reviewing😬… But I will tell you I sat next to my older sister in the theater. She teaches The Odyssey to her English classes and was excited for the movie all summer. She did not say she liked it afterward. Checked her watch several times during the movie also. Make of that what you will.
We did all laugh when Robert Pattinson finally delivered all the influencers’ new favorite line.
The 2026 movie schedule looked great on paper. But didn’t you get the sense… That it looked, a little too great? To be true? What I mean is, how could we have great art at a time when everything’s on fire. It’s the question I would ask the Trojans.
“Timeō Danaōs et dōna ferentēs.”
(I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts.)
And that is my drifting but circuitous review response to a drifting but circus story.
Now can somebody get these BEGGARS outta here.
EF😉
My father, https://lawyersroadreview.com/2022/02/20/scholar-solider-lawyer-spy/ quoted Persian King Xerxes as saying “Beware of Greeks, “particularly” when they are bearing gifts. Emphasis added.
Dad was old but I don’t think he knew Xerxes personally, just read this somewhere.
“…I don’t think he knew Xerxes personally.”😄
A great man! Very glad you linked to this monumental post which includes your interview of Mark Patterson Sr. Who left us in 2021. RIP⚖️🌸😎
I read “The Odyssey” for the first time three years ago. I’m always distrustful of Hollywood’s attempts to convert great books to film. A few have succeeded (To Kill a Mockingbird, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). Most attempts are embarrassing or insulting or both. Haven’t seen this film, but I can understand your sister looking at her watch. 😆
Those are iconic adaptations. One of my sister’s favorite books, To Kill A Mockingbird. And Gregory Peck as Atticus in the movie— the whole cast is superb.
Well said, mate! I haven’t seen this new film yet, as you may know, I am busy with myself! 🤪
However, I think we are all on a kind of Odyssey in our lives. You may want to have a look at James Joyce’s Ulysses.😉🖖
I know and I send love. A good recommendation— I have heard previously there is resemblance to The Odyssey🖖
Wow!
Love this cynical review EF. It is very cool how you come to know what you/we already know, but now know it better. “They’re us.”
“Same as it ever was.” – David Byrne
I appreciate your sensitivity, and expression of frustration aout a world without pity, decency and filled with ignorance; that the Odyssey reminds us of.
Make Art Not War!
“SAme as it ever wAs.” You understand♥︎♡
I do! ❦❦x
Java Bean: “Ayyy, our Dada says he will probably watch this eventually, but he’s been saying that about ‘Oppenheimer’ too for at least a year, so …”
I’d watch this for no other reason than to see Samantha Morton as Circe. She carried an entire TV series as Catherine de Medici without any magic powers, I’m sure she can carry this with them! 😁
Morton also plays Agatha the lead precog from Minority Report I just realized. Yeah she’s great!
Uh-oh. Maybe I should get drunk first…
That’s what I did😂 Had a GREAT time.
I like smaller films these days, not grandiloquent ‘monsters’ —
I like Nolan’s films, but I can’t say I love them. I enjoyed The Odyssey, it has some charm. However, this is down to stand-alone performances rather than anything else. I would be curious to read the poems now. Great read 😎
It’s got a high rating but I didn’t love it. I’m glad the pace of the film wasn’t as slow as I’d feared but it lacked that extra magic for me.
Nolan went for realism but I wanted a little extra magic, both from the production and the story itself.
Realism with modern dialogue? Didn’t work for me. Thought Tom was way too old and muscular to play someone so timid for most of the film. The main thing I was worried was a long, drawn out 3 hour movie and it certainly wasn’t that!
Wow, your sister teaches The Odyssey in her English classes; very cool! Sounds like she’s not all too impressed w/ Nolan’s take on this. I happen to like it, much better than TROY, which felt more artificial and commercial, though I love Eric Bana in that one. Pattinson is quite memorable here as one of the suitors… he’s been having quite a year!