Trailer The Odyssey | Official Trailer

[Paul Farquhar]

I'd guess yes. In either case, I would argue that there are differences. Both films do better than the Universal movies (at least the 1931 one) in showing Doctor Frankenstein as evil, but the del Toro version switches it up by making the monster nigh blameless

Which is undermined by making the “monster” sexy. Lots of real people are far more disfigured. And doubled down on by having him lose his leg. Moral: disabled people are evil, sexy people are good. Then we have the complete lack of scariness. The monster isn’t threatening because he is obviously nice, Victor isn’t threatening because he is a hapless fool.

Cushing’s Victor is cunning, devious, manipulative and will just keep on making monsters. He is actually scary. The Hammer films are far superior.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Pity, I’d like to see Dwayne Johnson’s eyebrow as Odysseus

Likewise.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I guess one element is that even Christopher Nolan isn’t going to get a lot of bums on seats with a film version of the Odyssey, and so the incentive is to make it fairly predictable so that people go and see what they expect to see.

The Coen Brothers managed it, and I think Nolan can be expected to do even better, financially, across the board, than the Coens.

I don't think anyone other than big nerds is tired of the Odyssey. I predict a whole lot of "here's what all of that stuff is in the trailer" articles when we get our first full-fledged trailer next spring, since I don't think the general public remembers Scylla and Charybdis, etc. Even the cyclops scene -- probably the most famous in the story -- is going to be "new" to many audience members.

Christopher Nolan doing a big special effects spectacular, featuring manly men with MCU-level physiques, being manly with the ultimate goal of Matt Damon fighting the men who want to have sex with his wife, all done without a trace of camp, should get a ton of butts in seats.

Clash of the Titans, this is not.

 

[trappedslider]

sees comment about people making a director their identity while on a D&D/RPG forum

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don't think anyone other than big nerds is tired of the Odyssey

But isn’t Nolan a big nerd? Why isn’t he tired of it? Surely it must be because he has a fresh take?!

I predict a whole lot of "here's what all of that stuff is in the trailer" articles when we get our first full-fledged trailer next spring

Most of the stuff in the trailer seems pretty obvious to anyone familiar with the story. We have the winds let loose, looking up at an approaching giant (who we can take as read has an ocular deficiency) etc.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

sees comment about people making a director their identity while on a D&D/RPG forum

Everyone should strive for at least two things to define themselves by.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

But isn’t Nolan a big nerd? Why isn’t he tired of it? Surely it must be because he has a fresh take?!

Most of the stuff in the trailer seems pretty obvious to anyone familiar with the story. We have the winds let loose, looking up at an approaching giant (who we can take as read has an ocular deficiency) etc.

Stop random Americans on the street and offer them $20 to tell you the plot of the Odyssey, including how it starts, how it ends, and at least three of the adventures along the way, and you will still have $20 at the end of the day. (Yes, the average ENWorlder would take that $20 off you immediately, but we're not the average members of the public.)

The fact that you are tired of the Odyssey makes you very unusual.

And given that almost no one goes to see a Shakespeare production without knowing how it'll all play out -- and in many cases, without knowing most of the best lines -- in no way hurts their popularity.

The general public is not going "oh god, yet another version of the Odyssey!" The response so far has been "cool, a new Christopher Nolan film."

 

[Willie the Duck]

Which is undermined by making the “monster” sexy. Lots of real people are far more disfigured. And doubled down on by having him lose his leg. Moral: disabled people are evil, sexy people are good. Then we have the complete lack of scariness. The monster isn’t threatening because he is obviously nice, Victor isn’t threatening because he is a hapless fool.

Cushing’s Victor is cunning, devious, manipulative and will just keep on making monsters. He is actually scary. The Hammer films are far superior.

I thought the discussion was whether the two films were sufficiently distinct from each other/the new one had any originality, not whether it was any good/you liked it/which was superior.

sees comment about people making a director their identity while on a D&D/RPG forum

Touché.

 

[trappedslider]

Stop random Americans on the street and offer them $20 to tell you the plot of the Odyssey, including how it starts, how it ends, and at least three of the adventures along the way, and you will still have $20 at the end of the day. (Yes, the average ENWorlder would take that $20 off you immediately, but we're not the average members of the public.)

The fact that you are tired of the Odyssey makes you very unusual.

And given that almost no one goes to see a Shakespeare production without knowing how it'll all play out -- and in many cases, without knowing most of the best lines -- in no way hurts their popularity.

The general public is not going "oh god, yet another version of the Odyssey!" The response so far has been "cool, a new Christopher Nolan film."

the only thing i know about the odyssey beyond how he defeated the cyclops and the jokes can be summed up "Guy returns home after a war but has to deal with all kinds of naughty word along the way"

 

[jian]

Likewise.

Yeah, it’s like that clip from Last Action Hero where Arnie plays Hamlet with a cigar in his mouth and a SMG in his hand, quipping, “Who says I’m fair?” I’d have paid good money for that version.