For the last two weeks, there have been only two movies on offer at our local cinema – Christopher Nolan’s controversial distillation of “The Odyssey,” Homer’s epic poem from ancient Greece, and the latest Tom Holland “Spider-Man” flick. Both have enjoyed significant sold-out stretches and plenty of buzz. And both deserve every bit of it.
“The Odyssey”
I remember back in September of 2020 when Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” came out. The only way to see it was in the theater, and it was 2020. I went gladly, because a Nolan movie, to me, is worth putting your health on the line for. About six other people agreed with me and had their masked minds blown. I once called Nolan the King of the intellectual blockbuster. I stand by it, because there are not many directors who would even attempt his signature blend of spectacle and speculation.
Christopher Nolan often takes strange roads, with little regard for our willingness to follow, and he is doing it again with “The Odyssey” (still out in theaters). I will not attempt to defend or denounce Nolan’s interpretation of Homer’s writing. That is the work of professional classicists and some of them are pursuing it with a passion. I will, however, stand up for “The Odyssey” as a movie.
Nolan is the master of multiple time-stream storytelling and the three distinct threads that make up this plot are tonally distinct and fun to unravel as a viewer. I never once felt lost and that is not only because this is a nearly 3,000-year-old tale we should already know. Nolan has such a gift for spinning plates at different registers and different speeds that his fans have learned to trust that a single momentum will eventually intervene and bring it all home. “The Odyssey” is a masterclass in this kind of cinematic daring. To get this 12,000-line epic down to a reasonable run time, Nolan had to make sacrifices. Not every literary scene or theme could make the cut. I think he nailed it, but don’t trust me or anybody else. See it for yourself while you can.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day”
When we last saw Tom Holland’s version of Spider-Man in “No Way Home,” he was wrestling with a new reality in which nobody – not his friends, not his fellow superheroes – knew who he really was. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” places him right back in that lonely spot and makes his isolation the central struggle of the film. Peter Parker has no one. He is all by himself, and the lack of meaningful companionship is changing him, inside and out.
Tom Holland is once again perfect in the title role. He might be 30 years old in the real world, but he is still very credible as a young crusader in his 20s. And his rapidly expanding emotional range actually benefits a character who has seen far too much to stay a kid. The plot is something I don’t want to ruin, in case you have managed to avoid trailers and spoilers. But suffice it to say, this is another effort by Disney, Marvel and Sony to finally bring some formerly separate properties together. It works very well and it really makes the future Marvel something to root for again. You already know the action is going to be good, but Destin Daniel Cretton’s direction in “Brand New Day” is just so patient (an odd word to use for a superhero movie), you have the time to consider just how much Spider Man is being reborn in this story. The supporting cast around Tom Holland is excellent too, and series newcomer Sadie Sink really stands out.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is a terrific time in the theater. It took me a while to score a ticket, even here, but it was well worth the wait.
