Watch This Ralph Fiennes Drama If You Can’t Wait for Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey
The movie has received universal acclaim and came as Odyssey’s adaptation we actually never noticed.
While the Academy was giving away its statuettes last night, Christopher Nolan was nowhere to be found in the audience as he might be preparing another potential Oscar nominee for its release.
Coming off the director’s Oppenheimer ’s success last year, Nolan’s next project is now set to become an even more ambitious movie, the themes of which might be challenging for the filmmaker to tackle.
As the future film is already confirmed to turn into an adaptation of Homer’s legendary poem Odyssey, the hopes are high for a flick that risked taking on such a role, even though we’ve already seen the same Homer-ish story on the screen pretty recently.
Starring this year’s Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes, the movie was released back in 2024 and also reflected on Odysseus's epic journey, though not many might have paid attention.
The Return Is an Overlooked Foreshadowing of Nolan’s Odyssey
Despite not many movies taking inspiration from Homer’s poem or actually having its plot based on it, the Fiennes-led drama The Return wasn’t as much celebrated and anticipated as Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie.
Also starring Juliette Binoche as Penelope and Charlie Plummer as Telemachus, The Return offers Uberto Pasolini’s perspective of Odyssey and follows the eponymous character, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, as he’s back to Ithaca after 20 years spent in battles of the Trojan War.
However, things are obviously not the same as they were two decades ago: Odysseus's wife Penelope is held captive in her own home by invaders aiming at seizing her husband’s power; their son Telemachus is also likely to fall victim as he’s seen like quite an easy obstacle to handle on the way to the pursuit of the kingdom.
Having already lost his abilities as a warrior, Odysseus must regain his strength to protect his family and country from those who want to take it all away from him.
The Return Is an Acclaimed Homer Adaptation Which Still Might Be Very Different from Nolan’s Movie
Though it didn’t gross much in the box office, The Return received positive reviews from critics and audiences, holding scores of 77% and 76% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes.
Praised for Fiennes and Binoche’s powerful performances, the film also got a nod for its refreshing view on Odysseus's story which in the original source primarily focuses on his journey rather than the events that happen in Ithaca after he’s back home.
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation, in its turn, will reportedly delve more into struggles and dangers that await Odysseus in the sea rather than on land.