The Odyssey Leaves Audiences Stumped by This Unanswered Mystery
How do you make gods, mortals, and IMAX all fit in a single sentence? Leave it to Christopher Nolan to try. The man behind cinematic labyrinths has now dragged Homer’s The Odyssey—yes, the story they made us butcher in high school English—onto the silver screen, complete with 70mm IMAX grandeur. Problem? Well… have you ever seen a viral tweet calling out a blockbuster for dropping “Zeus’s Law” every ten minutes but never bothering to tell us what it actually is? Because, apparently, a whole bunch of moviegoers left theaters wondering if “hospitality” was just Greek for chocolate mints on pillows. If you’ve ever considered what Robert Pattinson, ancient Greek etiquette, and Anne Hathaway’s dinner parties have in common, or why only three cinemas in the entire UK are worthy of Nolan’s vision, you’re not alone. Dive in as we untangle this mythic comedy of confusion—where centuries-old spoilers meet brand-new befuddlement on the big screen . LEARN MORE.
Christopher Nolan looks set to earn himself another set of Oscars after his latest epic The Odyssey hit cinemas last week, but some viewers are still a little confused.
Telling one of history’s greatest stories was always going to be a challenge for the legendary director and after shooting the film for 70mm IMAX, there’s actually only three cinemas in the UK where you can watch it as Nolan intended.
When the trailer for the film first released, there were many fans who were left a little confused and disappointed to see Robert Pattinson talking to Tom Holland about his ‘daddy’, but historical experts later allayed those fears by suggesting that Nolan had done a fantastic job with Homer’s historical tale, which follows Odysseus’ journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
Anyone lucky enough to have seen it in the first few days since it was released will surely be appreciative of the incredible cinematography, sound and acting on display in a film featuring some of Hollywood’s best.
However, it seems as if viewers failed to grasp one of the most important concepts of the film, which was ‘Zeus’s law’. If you’ve not seen the film, not to worry, I won’t be including any spoilers here. Although given Homer likely composed the poem in the 7th or 8th century, you’ll have done well to avoid spoilers for so long.
Robert Pattinson is one who takes advantage of Zeus’s Law (Universal Pictures)
One viral tweet, which has been seen over a million times, reads: “Biggest problem w the odyssey is that the movie doesn’t tell the viewer wtf Zeus’s law is supposed to be. Characters say it many times but by the end of the movie you still have no clue what it’s all about lol.”
Although the film focuses on Odysseus’ journey back from the war and the various perils he faces, there’s also a lot of coverage of the lives of his wife and son (Penelope and Telemachus), who are portrayed by Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland.
While Odysseus is away from his home, Penelope hosts people from all walks of life for food and drink every evening, with many hoping to become her husband and therefore the king of Ithaca.
These dinners and events would have been a mixture of people rich and poor, and that is because of the Ancient Greek law of hospitality which suggests that you should always treat people well, in case they are a god who has disguised themselves.
Matt Damon as Odysseus (Universal Pictures)
Better known as xenia, the law is a common theme throughout the film and mythology as a whole, as Zeus would often disguise himself and visit humans, sometimes in unscrupulous ways, as he once appeared to Danaë as a ‘golden shower of rain’ in order to impregnate her after she was locked away by her father because of a prophecy which suggested her son would kill him. A prophecy which obviously came true after Zeus’s golden shower.
In mythology, we also see Jason carry Hera, the queen of the gods across a river when she is disguised as an old woman, something which earns him her eternal favour despite being the product of her husband’s infidelity.
Anyone familiar with the story of the odyssey will understand why this is such an important part of the film and Odysseus’ journey home, so it’s something you’ll need to understand if you’re planning to see it.
And if you did go and see it and didn’t have a clue what they were talking about, well, now you know.
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