Rating: 
Summary: You gotta see this!
Review: The OdysseyI think that this was a very cool movie! At first I was kind of doubtful, because lots of times school movies are pretty boring. But between the great costumes, cast, and special effects, this reinactment of Homer's Odyssey was great. The cast was awesome, including some very well-known actresses like Vanessa Williams and Bernadette Peters. This movie has something for everyone. If you like blood and gore, or if you like adventure, or if you like romance, this video has it all. This movie starts out with Odysseus' son being born and him leaving Ithaca to fight the Trogan War. After the war, Odysseus is cursed by Poseidon, who swears Odysseus will never get home. On the way back to Ithaca, Odysseus encounters many gods, goddesses, and mythical creatures, such as the Cyclops and the Scylla. Many of him men were killed on the long journey home. While he was away, lots of men tried to marry his wife Penelope, but she was faithful to her husband. When Ithaca's hero and king returns home, everything has a very happy ending. This video also tells a great deal about the true history of Greece during this time period. Olive farming and pressing was mentioned, the attire of the men (tunics) was also shown. Also, the citizens of Greece and it's hilly, unfertile ground were portrayed realistically, being herders, sailors, and warriors. Also, the religion of early Greece also played a big part in this story. For example, Athena was always watching over Odysseus, who feared Poseidon because of the curse. Another custom was to sacrifice goats and other animals to the gods and to always bring a gift to your host. All in all, I really liked this movie. I think you will too!
Rating: 
Summary: "Monsters, Myth & Magic: a SuperAdventure--Start to Finish!"
Review: As a part of teaching 7th graders ancient Greek history every spring, I have the privilege of introducing to them Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey". They think they know what real adventure is till they learn about Odysseus' grand voyage home from the Trojan War. And then--when we watch this movie, the students have a much greater appreciation not only for real adventure, but real literature! Filmed on location around the Mediterranean, the film captures the perilous journey of Odysseus back to Ithica and his beloved Penelope. The glaring weakness of the script is attempting to condense the Trojan War into a half-hour. Nevertheless, Achilles' slaughter of Hector is awesome, and after all--the film isn't titled 'The Iliad'. While the 7th graders enjoy the mysterious Aeolus (and his bag of winds), and less so Vanessa Williams' seductive Calypso (which gets a bit 'steamy'), there is simply nothing to compare to two scenes. First, the Scylla and Charybdis, which evoke all the surprise, blood, and special effects which today's teenager expects (without overdoing any of the three), and second, the concluding sequence where Odysseus is revealed to the wicked suitors who have "...stolen (his) world", and violated the most sacred of ancient Greek customs--hospitality. The bloodletting here is intense, but Homer would certainly have applauded the interpretation presented. Not all of Odysseus' ten adventures are included in the film. For example, we do not see the lotus-eaters, the slaughter of the cattle of Helius, the rescue by the sea nymph Ino, etc. But what we do see is wonderful! One will never forget the belching and monstrous cyclops who (again) pictures for us the unavoidable punishment Greeks felt was certain to befall the inhospitable! Also missing is the death of Odysseus' faithful dog Argos upon beholding his master's return. Finally, also missing is what would have been a great visual scene--Odysseus bound to the mast of his ship as he experienced the wonder of the deadly sirens' call--and lived to tell about it! I also found it just a bit disconcerting that although we see King Menelaus of Sparta, we see nothing of his wife Helen whose beautiful 'face launched a thousand ships' and started the whole darn Trojan War in the first place. And where is Paris...? (Oh yes, I forgot again--this is "The Odyssey"!) For me, the highlight is Odysseus' trip to the underworld to seek the blind prophet's direction on how to get back home. Though combining two of four rivers of the underworld into one (the Styx, and the Phlegethon--river of fire), the sequence loses none of the magical mystery of the Greek conception of the afterlife. Even included is the haunting meeting of Odysseus and his mother who committed suicide, in believing her son would never come home. Bernadette Peters' Circe sequence is as humerous as it is clever, and watching Odysseus' men turn back into men from animals is memorable. Nevertheless, character development is often sacrificed at the expense of trying to cover the many adventures, but I guess one can't have it both ways! The special effects are great--especially the face of Poseidon in the waves as he strives to punish Odysseus for blinding his son (the cyclops), and (as one of my students pointed out)in reality, ends up making our hero a better man, by crushing his hubris, and teaching him the ultimate Greek lesson: "...man is nothing without the gods!" Great movie! Whether they know the classic tale or not, the film will entertain teenagers (and most everyone else). But as a supplement to teaching the great literature pieces of Homer...ah, it doesn't get any better than this! Now, if the same director would only make "The Iliad"....
Rating: 
Summary: Not user friendly
Review: Those of you that who do not have English as your first langhuage,are hard of hearing,or are Deaf should note that the production company did not bother to caption the film. Inexcusible in this day and age, particularly since this subject is often covered in school.
Rating:
Summary: Movie Review for THE ODYSSEY By Phil
Review: THE ODYSSEY is based in the book THE ODYSSEY by Homer. It tells the exciting tale of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, who, on the day of his son's birth, was called to fight in the Trojan War. However, the movie is not about Odysseus fighting in the Trojan War. The real plot begins when Odysseus begins his journey home after the war. As the war ended, Odysseus happened to anger a very vengeful god named Poseidon, who is the god of the sea. Poseidon decided to make Odysseus' journey home as miserable as possible. Now Odysseus must make it home to Ithaca while avoiding Poseidon's wrath. During his long, hard journey, Odysseus and his crew encounter many strange creatures. Some creatures are friendly and try to help Odysseus and his men. Others are not friendly and try to destroy Odysseus and prevent him from reaching Ithaca. Here are some of the main characters: Odysseus:The mighty king of Ithaca and main character of the story.(Armand Assante) Penelope:Odysseus' beloved wife who waits patiently for his return.(Greta Scacchi) Athena:Odysseus' guardian god who guides him in times of need and gives him helpful advice.(Isabella Rosselini) Circe:Odysseus was unlucky to run into this woman. After someone drinks her magical honey wine, she turns them into swine.(Bernadette Peters) Calypso:Another unfourtunate accident of Odysseus' was running into Calypso. She kept him on her island for two whole years!(Vanessa Williams) THE ODYSSEY has a very strong visual impact on the audience that watches it. It is full of action and suspense and the special effects are amazing, especially the scene where Poseidon was speaking to Odysseus through the waves. Also, the acting and costumes were realistic. The actors talked and wore clothes that were worn in that time. The soundtrack is also realistic to that time, The music on the soundtrack is mostly old Greek music. Overall, I give THE ODYSSEY five stars.
Rating:
Summary: A great story
Review: In my English class, on the last weeks of school, our teacher said she wanted us to watch a movie that will be educating for years to come and pulled out The Odyssey. At first the whole class seemed dull by the ideal of the movie but from the beginning, we were stuck. The story has an amazing plot, and the actors are pretty good. Some of the special effects were kind of lame but that wasn't the movies fault, it was their budget. This is really good for a TV miniseries. From the spooky lair of Syclla to the amazing Island of Ithaca, this movie really portrays the story well. It's very enjoyable, and I'm going to have to order the movie to keep!
Rating:
Summary: "Monsters, Myth & Magic: a SuperAdventure--Start to Finish!"
Review: As a part of teaching 7th graders ancient Greek history every spring, I have the privilege of introducing to them Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey". They think they know what real adventure is till they learn about Odysseus' grand voyage home from the Trojan War. And then--when we watch this movie, the students have a much greater appreciation not only for real adventure, but real literature! Filmed on location around the Mediterranean, the film captures the perilous journey of Odysseus back to Ithica and his beloved Penelope. The glaring weakness of the script is attempting to condense the Trojan War into a half-hour. Nevertheless, Achilles' slaughter of Hector is awesome, and after all--the film isn't titled 'The Iliad'. While the 7th graders enjoy the mysterious Aeolus (and his bag of winds), and less so Vanessa Williams' seductive Calypso (which gets a bit 'steamy'), there is simply nothing to compare to two scenes. First, the Scylla and Charybdis, which evoke all the surprise, blood, and special effects which today's teenager expects (without overdoing any of the three), and second, the concluding sequence where Odysseus is revealed to the wicked suitors who have "...stolen (his) world", and violated the most sacred of ancient Greek customs--hospitality. The bloodletting here is intense, but Homer would certainly have applauded the interpretation presented. Not all of Odysseus' ten adventures are included in the film. For example, we do not see the lotus-eaters, the slaughter of the cattle of Helius, the rescue by the sea nymph Ino, etc. But what we do see is wonderful! One will never forget the belching and monstrous cyclops who (again) pictures for us the unavoidable punishment Greeks felt was certain to befall the inhospitable! Also missing is the death of Odysseus' faithful dog Argos upon beholding his master's return. Finally, also missing is what would have been a great visual scene--Odysseus bound to the mast of his ship as he experienced the wonder of the deadly sirens' call--and lived to tell about it! I also found it just a bit disconcerting that although we see King Menelaus of Sparta, we see nothing of his wife Helen whose beautiful 'face launched a thousand ships' and started the whole darn Trojan War in the first place. And where is Paris...? (Oh yes, I forgot again--this is "The Odyssey"!) For me, the highlight is Odysseus' trip to the underworld to seek the blind prophet's direction on how to get back home. Though combining two of four rivers of the underworld into one (the Styx, and the Phlegethon--river of fire), the sequence loses none of the magical mystery of the Greek conception of the afterlife. Even included is the haunting meeting of Odysseus and his mother who committed suicide, in believing her son would never come home. Bernadette Peters' Circe sequence is as humerous as it is clever, and watching Odysseus' men turn back into men from animals is memorable. Nevertheless, character development is often sacrificed at the expense of trying to cover the many adventures, but I guess one can't have it both ways! The special effects are great--especially the face of Poseidon in the waves as he strives to punish Odysseus for blinding his son (the cyclops), and (as one of my students pointed out)in reality, ends up making our hero a better man, by crushing his hubris, and teaching him the ultimate Greek lesson: "...man is nothing without the gods!" Great movie! Whether they know the classic tale or not, the film will entertain teenagers (and most everyone else). But as a supplement to teaching the great literature pieces of Homer...ah, it doesn't get any better than this! Now, if the same director would only make "The Iliad"....
Rating:
Summary: You gotta see this!
Review: The Odyssey I think that this was a very cool movie! At first I was kind of doubtful, because lots of times school movies are pretty boring. But between the great costumes, cast, and special effects, this reinactment of Homer's Odyssey was great. The cast was awesome, including some very well-known actresses like Vanessa Williams and Bernadette Peters. This movie has something for everyone. If you like blood and gore, or if you like adventure, or if you like romance, this video has it all. This movie starts out with Odysseus' son being born and him leaving Ithaca to fight the Trogan War. After the war, Odysseus is cursed by Poseidon, who swears Odysseus will never get home. On the way back to Ithaca, Odysseus encounters many gods, goddesses, and mythical creatures, such as the Cyclops and the Scylla. Many of him men were killed on the long journey home. While he was away, lots of men tried to marry his wife Penelope, but she was faithful to her husband. When Ithaca's hero and king returns home, everything has a very happy ending. This video also tells a great deal about the true history of Greece during this time period. Olive farming and pressing was mentioned, the attire of the men (tunics) was also shown. Also, the citizens of Greece and it's hilly, unfertile ground were portrayed realistically, being herders, sailors, and warriors. Also, the religion of early Greece also played a big part in this story. For example, Athena was always watching over Odysseus, who feared Poseidon because of the curse. Another custom was to sacrifice goats and other animals to the gods and to always bring a gift to your host. All in all, I really liked this movie. I think you will too!
Rating:
Summary: Best Odysseus I've Seen
Review: Armand Asante does an excellent job as Odysseus. As with all movies, there will be some significant differences from the original Homer. After having seen the recent release of Troy, I'd have to say The Odyssey is a better movie. If you prefer to watch a movie that remains faithful to the original classic with good casting/acting, this is for you. If you want cool special effects and big name stars in a story that is loosly based on a classic tale...then see Troy.
Rating:
Summary: Still compelling after 3000 years.
Review: Homer would have endorsed this rendering of his tale. Full of wonderful special effects, gorgeous Mediterranean vistas, and gods and goddesses who look their parts, this movie is still driven by personalities. The casting was brilliant: Armand Asante is all that one could wish in an Odysseus -- engaging, passionate, mature, heroic in every dimension. Isabella Rosellini and Greta Saachi are perfect in their roles as Athena and Penelope, respectively. Telemachus is a classical adolescent only child, and Antichea, Odysseus's mother, dominates each of her scenes. While this production is eye-candy from beginning to end, the visual appeal cannot distract from the timeless humanity of its characters. There is a reason that Homer's story still reaches us after 3000 years, and this telling does justice to its ancient material.
Rating:
Summary: calypso's island is actually Pamukkale in Turkey
Review: Pamukkale is the site used for Calypso's island. It's not actually an island, but thermal baths that deposit calcite. it looks really clean in the movie, but apparently is getting dirty from environmental pollution. (...)
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