Christopher Nolan’s take on The Odyssey has caused quite the stir and is already one of the most talked-about films of the year. Whether that’s because it’s the first film to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras, or translator Emily Wilson’s damning review of Nolan’s interpretation of the classic text.
While I have booked to see the epic on an IMAX 70mm screen in September, I just could not wait to watch so I headed to my local cinema in the meantime. Despite the smaller aspect ratio, I was still blown away by the beautiful visuals and emotive score.
But there was one element that detracted from the whole experience for me: it is a very loud movie. The volume level during one particular scene made this startlingly clear (mild spoiler ahead). When Odysseus and his men attack a huge cyclops, the foghorn-like scream that the giant emits made me cover my ears.
Now, that could be attributed to a variety of different factors, from my cinema’s volume levels or the sound mixing, but I am not alone in my experience. One user on Reddit said, “I was expecting a masterpiece, and yet all I could focus on was the fact my head felt like it would explode”. Others also commented that their smartwatches detected unsafe noise levels.
It has not been the case for everyone, but for me these loud moments did pull me out of the film a little. It was especially jarring when, in one moment, I was straining to hear what the characters were saying and the next getting blasted by that ear-splitting roar.
That’s why I’m excited to get it into the test room once it comes out on 4K Blu-ray so I can control the volume levels myself. Of course, I still want to experience the thrill of the shift in dynamics, but not to such an extreme extent.
Nolan is also infamous for making films with muffled dialogue, with releases such as Tenet and Oppenheimer leaving some viewers stumped on what characters are actually saying. That irritating habit popped up again in The Odyssey, so the dialogue-boosting feature on a TV or soundbar’s audio system should bring voices to the front of the experience. And if that doesn’t solve the problem, there’s always the option of subtitles.
Don’t get me wrong, seeing Nolan’s epic on the big screen is a thrill that I wouldn’t miss. But having more control of the dynamics should let me enjoy the film differently.
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