In just over two weeks, Christopher Nolan’s long Odyssey will end—I mean, begin. It will begin by appearing in theaters.
The final trailer for the film has just arrived and, curiously for a movie that’s nearly three hours long, contains mostly the same footage we’ve already seen in the previous two trailers. The voiceover is different, and we finally get the quickest looks at both Elliot Page and Lupita Nyong’o (who plays two roles), but the greatest trailer hits are all here: Robert Pattinson’s Antinous mocking Tom Holland’s Telemachus, who is pining for his daddy (literal, not, uh, figuratively?); Anne Hathaway’s Penelope looking distraught but firm; men row a boat very forcefully in an attempt to escape Charybdis’ whirlpool; and the same two shots of Argos, Odysseus’ dog, at different ages. The dog evokes the greatest swell of emotion.
Horses will be Trojaned; very large men will be fought; the many suitors for Penelope’s hand will clash. And Odysseus himself (Matt Damon) will defy the gods. The man just wants to get home to his wife, you know?
Reportedly, it’s not just Nolan fans that are excited about Nolan’s new epic; according to CNN, “Odyssey fever grips the Classics world.” This is, perhaps, the most charming thing I have yet to read about this film. “I hope there is a surge in interest,” said UC Berkeley professor Kim Shelton, who teaches ancient Greek and Roman studies. “I am teaching my class on the Trojan War this fall for that exact reason.”
One hopes the Classics profs are happy. The Odyssey is in theaters July 17.
