r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/padfoony • 3h ago

Christopher Nolan avoided CGI and used 7ft stuntmen to portray Laestrygonians in The Odyssey. The giant leader, King Antiphates, is portrayed by actor Josh Stewart, while Matt Damon’s stunt double is Devyn Dalton, who is just under 5ft.

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u/thissexypoptart 2h ago

I just don’t get why they cut the famous “nobody” conversation

I guess it would make the cyclops seem less monstrous and scary if it speaks coherently, but it’s like getting rid of Scylla and only having Charybdis or something. Or doing a rehashing of OT starwars and excluding the “No, I am your father” from the Vader-Luke confrontation.

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u/peon2 2h ago

What I dislike about that change is Odysseus is tricky with the "Nobody" thing so the Cyclops couldn't get Poseidon to curse them. But when he's escaping Odysseus gets all cocky and yells out to the cyclops his real name and then the Cyclops asks Poseidon to fuck Odysseus' shit up.

The whole crew being unable to get home for years and slowly getting killed off entirely because of Odysseus' ego and desire to brag and taunt the Cyclops about how smart he is is a pretty big part to his character.

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u/solo_dol0 1h ago

Also Odysseus randomly shooting the (blinded) Cyclops becomes very out of character for how Nolan otherwise presents him

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u/SoapyDoodle 1h ago edited 1h ago

Agreed but also in a way it was needed. He was scared, he had just seen several of his men be eaten, and he probably went overkill. That’s why his men said ‘you didn’t have to do that.’. Otherwise Poseidon’s rage would’ve felt less earned.

My main issue is that his men didn’t give him enough shit about it. It was only mentioned as a plot point which felt cheap. My only major criticism with the film

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u/Captain_Kab 1h ago

Bro gave out his full name and address when he had already gotten away

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u/denizenKRIM 1h ago

The whole crew being unable to get home for years and slowly getting killed off entirely because of Odysseus' ego

To be fair a lot of the crew were already escaping out of the cave and practically in the clear, but Odysseus had to shoot an arrow (to the eye!) to agitate the Cyclops further and engage in a chase that got a few of them killed.

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u/djc6535 Interested 2h ago

Nolan suggested that the pun didn't really fit with his movie.

There's a few layers to this.

First: the pun doesn't work in English. The word Odysseus uses is "Outis" which is very much like a short version of his own name. You can imagine the poet playing on this during the verbal telling of the story. Imagine if in English the characters name was "Norman" and they used "NoMan"

Second: The verbal trap doesn't really fit with the tone of the movie Nolan created here. The original Odysseus is a brilliant trickster who revels in his games. Avoiding spoilers, this Odysseus is not. In Nolan's movie Odysseus is haunted by the trick he performed at Troy, and blames himself for performing it. He isn't going to happily engage in sparring with the Cyclops, he's a sad man full of shame trying to get home, not show off

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u/thissexypoptart 2h ago

That all makes sense for the direction Nolan was taking things but it’s pretty much my main criticism of the movie. It’s an incredibly minor point as well, I was just hyped for the “nobody” scene and didn’t get it lol

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u/XtendedImpact 2h ago

That was me when he acknowledged Argus. I didn't remember much of the Odyssey but that was the one scene I did specifically remember and I was a bit disappointed that they basically flipped it.
Also I thought the cyclops just going to sleep when he knew there was a bunch of walking snacks in his home was a bit odd tbh but those were really my only gripes with the story.

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u/Michauxonfire 1h ago

It's weird cuz the cyclops should've definitely gone out immediately and open the cave. But Nolan had to had that silly scene where he says the name which is such an obvious "nod". No subtlety there.

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u/thissexypoptart 1h ago

This deep into the thread I really think the spoiler tags are a bit silly lol

Going to sleep with a bunch of walking snacks makes complete sense though. The cyclops’ daily life includes locking the sheep that he eats in his cave with him every night.

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u/SoapyDoodle 1h ago

My main criticism is that in the film, Odysseus was not shown getting any flack from his men by inducing Poseidon’s rage. I would’ve loved to have seen a mutiny scene or at least some heated argument. But it was just brushed aside in the film.

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u/djc6535 Interested 1h ago

I tend to agree. It's why I personally didn't like the movie. It is excellently done, and a masterful piece of art... that I didn't enjoy watching.

I get what he's going for and appreciate the effort. I even find the approach to the art and message fascinating... but it wasn't what I personally wanted out of The Odyssey as a story. I like more adventure and cunning in it.

This version had much more the "Man doomed for his sins" tone of "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

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u/bertboxer 2h ago

to your last point, the biggest out of character thing he did in the movie to keep true to the original story was tying himself to the mast with the sirens. they hadn't really played up his curiosity much until that point and it stood out compared to the rest of how he was written

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u/SandpaperTeddyBear 2h ago

In Nolan's movie Odysseus is haunted by the trick he performed at Troy, and blames himself for performing it.

There's shades of this in the poem too. If I remember Odysseus "unaccountably" cries a couple times when the Trojan War is discussed.

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u/Eldan985 2h ago

Right, but even without the pun, if Odysseus had talked to the giant and the giant ate his men in response, that would have been another violation of guest right for the movie's theme. 

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u/Skypirate90 1h ago

Exactly this its why we see him Strum his bow like a harp before he shoots the deer on circe's island What he did in troy was unlike his character. And he tries to reconcile this throughout the film but he simply cannot.

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u/Skypirate90 1h ago

Exactly this its why we see him Strum his bow like a harp before he shoots the deer on circe's island What he did in troy was unlike his character. And he tries to reconcile this throughout the film but he simply cannot.

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u/SoapyDoodle 2h ago

I think they still made him seem gentle with the ‘ants’ line. And if you notice, he held no regard for Odysseus’s men at all, he would just snack on one and go to sleep, like we would a chicken wing.

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u/NewWorldLeaderr 1h ago

I think it would have broken the fear aspect. That scene was terrifying and i loved it. Probably my favorite part of the movie. It felt so real because if you imagine you are a random soldier, that night could be the last.

Also, i love how the gained their composure after the initial shock. Shows how battle hardened they were.

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u/Michauxonfire 1h ago

Because in this movie, Odysseus isn't a trickster, or even clever. He's just a poor man, a poor hero, please pity ol' Ody.
He lacks the character that makes him Odysseus. Even Troy nailed Achilles by making him a huge rage boy - which is the central theme of the Iliad.