[EXPRESSO] The Odyssey (2026) | Our 1UP Man

I will say that there are legitimate criticism to be made about this new Nolan adaptation of the greek epic, especially those about historical accuracy, in a movie that opts for a realistic war movie-ish tone…. but on the other hand, what did people expect when Anne Hathaway is Penelope and one of the first thing we saw about the film were those superhero style armors?

Since it not even a 3 hours long film, it doesn’t opt for a complete retelling, but in line with Nolan’s style, the whole thing is framed as “ memory box/machine” for Odysseus to unravel as he wakes up from 7 years of oblivion (as the lotus flowers he was fed make people forget) on Calypso’s island, this after ending the 8 year longs Trojan War via his wooden horse ploy, and had many adventures on his attempt to reach his home island of Ithaka.

There his wife, Penelope, has held off contenders to the throne for 20 years via a scheme, and his son, Telemachus, that still believes his father is alive, goes searching for him, while Odysseus himself comes home posing as a vagrant, only to prove his identity and slaughter the disrespectful contenders that leeched off his hospitality.

It does most of the expected stories of the epic, while taking various liberties (especially in the Polyphemus encounter) and arguably omitting a lot, but i’ll say that despite some flaws (the superhero style armours, trying to frame the Greek morality in a certain way, the Hollywood casting), Nolan’s The Odyssey does live up to expectations, delivering a powerful rendition of the poem in a way that calling “epic” does actually seem fit, it has that gravitas and majesty of the old Hollywood, it’s arguably one of Nolan’s best in a while too.

[EXPRESSO] Oppenheimer (2023) | Quantum Step

Not seen in IMAX because i couldn’t buy even a single goddamn seat, but i’m sure Christopher Nolan will forgive me, specifically.

Jesting aside, his latest film, the long awaited historical biopic about the inventor of the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer, is finally in theathers here as well, and what do you know, it’s pretty good, as most would expect…. if you actually know what the film is about, you’d think it wouldn’t be that hard since the title is literally “Oppenheimer”, but that won’t stop people pontificating on subjects that this movie was never gonna realistically touch, like the atrocities behind Los Alamos’ birth.

I mean, this is about Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, which obviously encompasses more than his mortal life, but he is an unvoidable central figure in this chapter of history, and this biopic it’s as far as it can from a flattering portrait of the man, as it should be, given the heavy themes at play and the many struggles for power and political dominance that surround him and other scientists tasked by the military during WW II, Oppenheimer’s personal life, his rise to fame and political oppression during McChartyism due to his left-leaning tendencies…

It’s typical Nolan as it goes for the kind of non-linear narrative the director revels in, starting with a senate hearing, then digressing back and forth from Oppenheimer being put in a shame trial, and various events of his life during and after the conceptualization, creation and usage of the bomb (shown in frightinly realistic terms), all eventually coming together with precision, and constantly engaging, regardless if it’s engineering fission, waiting for the bomb’s test countdown, or following the compelling court drama sequences, which it’s already quite impressive for a movie sporting the behemoth runtime of 3 hours.

Final Verdict: Expresso

[EXPRESSO] Tenet (2020) | Time After Time

Ah, yes, Christopher Nolan tale of Batman against one of his most obscure villain, Palyndrome. Or maybe it’s a live-action Tin Tin adaptation in disguise.

FIY: i watched this in theathers with social distancing enabled, but then again, i remember i’m Italy-based, which happens to be kinda lucky for me in this particular istance. Don’t go to theathers if there any chance to get the plague, not worthy it.

So, Nolan is back into the game, bringing his lavish and twisting narratives into the spy movie genre, with Tenet, where a CIA agent gets recruited for a secret mission, launched into action only knowing the word “Tenet” and that at stake is avoiding World War III. Oh yes, also, there is time travel involved, so good luck.

Like most movies that center their story about time travel, Tenet has his own specific rules (outside of the obvious ones like paradoxes), which are unique, but are also a bit confusing. The script and direction by Nolan help juggle all the time travel hubba without leaving plot holes or anything like that, but at times, even with some choices made specifically to avoid them being confusing – or more confusing -… some scenes feel too busy, way too busy. Even so, it’s always quite the spectacle, even when you aren’t exactly sure what exactly is happening, a highly entertaining spectacle, the plot is worth watching unravel all the way through its 2 hours runtime, and you have a great cast (as expected) with John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagah, Elizabeth Debicki, Hamish Patel.

Oh, yes, Michael Caine is in the movie for 5 minutes, being very british.

Good movie, even if at times confusing (not incomprensihible, but confusing), and with a tone that feel a bit too “composed”, even for Nolan.

expresso-icona