La Odisea: El Regreso

This screen adaption of the Odyssey - or rather just the part of it - is a modern take and is rather good.

Both Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche are excellent, as is to be expected, and they are supported by a good cast. Charlie Plummer, in the role of Odysseus and Penelope's son, is equally good.

What stands out most from this short and low budget film is how good it is: Fiennes portrays Odysseus with PTSD with utter believability, and it makes you wonder (though you already know) what really happened to his men after the war.

The fights are also well choreographed, without many of the quick edits that hide an actor's lack of skill. In fact, Fiennes is so fit that that even the edited actions (with the bow) are believable. I wouldn't be surprised if he really did learn how to use it.

Even if you've never read the Iliad or the Odyssey, watching this movie might pique your interest in these classics.

Some may find this film boring. And while the runtime does drag on a few times during the course of the movie, I didn't find it as lacklustre as I thought it might be. This is mostly due to the two great lead performances by Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, reunited after almost thirty years (Their last picture together was the Oscar-winning film The English Patient in 1996).

I'm not at all familiar with Greek myths, as there are so many of them, it's hard to keep track. But this particular story focuses solely on the last part of Odysseus's story, when he is washed up, broken, scarred and a shadow of his former self after the war of Troy. His wife Penelope, who has been pressured by annoying, leery men into marrying them, cannot recognise her husband. Not necessarily because he looks physically different, but because of the atrocities he committed while he was away. And the question of whether the sacrifices his homeland made was worth it for war.

It focuses on the timeless story of men returning back home from the horrors of warfare, only to find that their home no longer wants them, and they cannot escape their soldier's life. Such is the situation for many veterans suffering from PTSD.

But it also offers a glimmer of hope to start again. And I have no problem with quieter movies as long as they offer good themes and realistic characterizations. We don't always need CGI monsters and big battles to keep us hooked.

This is one of those great epic stories that could have been a fantastic film instead of this terrible script and horrible directing.

Luckily the island of Corfu keeps you enjoying the beautiful scenery so go in with low expectations and remember it's been 20 years since Ralph Fiennes disappeared from the island.

The only reason to watch it is Ralph Fiennes who puts a phenomenal effort into building his body to look like a real warrior and he still has the A star acting chops.

Juliette Binoche does her best yet her costumes are pathetic and look like a Flash Gordon costume and the make up artist makes her look like she is in a play rather than a film.

The supporting cast is a terrible mistake of mostly b level clowns that have either bad English modern accents or 20 something gen x that are way too clean and boring to live in a supposed Greek world.

The son played by Plummer is a decent actor yet comes across as an imbecile except in the 3rd act suddenly out of the blue the director turns the father/ son team into a Tarantino Caligula kill fest that is almost laughable.

Spoiler The funniest part is the kill area is cleaned of all blood including the pathetic son - but mysteriously somehow Fiennes remains all bloody and stays in character. It is so disjointed that it makes the scene feel mostly like a comedic play.

The director unfortunately creates a b movie with 2 stellar actors and the Greek village looks like a student film with a motley crew of extras that appear to be from some North African country rather than local Greeks.

It almost appears that the DEI office in hollyweird stipulated that half the crew must be from outside of Greece.

At least the movie Troy got the casting right but this one is a joke so enjoy the comedy show esp the blonde actor with a crew cut. And almost all of the actors look like they play video games and never once lived outside in the Sun or lifted a sword contrasted with Ealph Fiennes that looks like he was cast in a completely different movie.

The slow pace is not worth the wait even with Ralph Fiennes brilliant acting and the only saving grace is that you get to watch him shoot arrows into these pathetic lame actors.

The Return deserves a better script, casting and director and it's a shame to see Ralph Fiennes talent wasted - but he deserves an Oscar nomination for his efforts.

5 stars for Ralph Fiennes.

The Odyssey has been adapted many times, often focusing on the fantasy and adventure elements of Odysseus' journey. This is not one of those. Starting off when Odysseus lands home on his native island kingdom, the film deals with Odysseus' inner journey of wrestling with his guilt, anxiety, PTSD, and longing to reconnect with his family after being away for 20 years. Fiennes and Binoche are superb individually and enthralling when together on the screen. Watch for their eyes, so much is said with them alone. Don't believe the low ratings, this is a fine adaptation of the deeper and human parts of The Odyssey. Not for those expecting a fast action flick.

While watching the trailers for Gladiator II, this film was teased. That was certainly the best part of the Gladiator II experience. What I was expecting to see from the teaser was not what I experienced, and that was wonderful. I was expecting, simply, a modern play of the third act of the Odyssey with some great modern actors. Instead, I was treated to a thought-provoking exploration of many difficult topics involved in the human experience. They just so happened to find their home in Odysseus's return home at the end of the Odyssey. This film comes across as a passion project of the lead actor and producer. I would love to look into the story of the making and funding of this project. This movie was not at all what I was expecting but found it to be a real treat and left me and my viewing companion discussing the different themes and meanings. The cinematography is where this film shines.