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Odysseus made his name by embarking on a perilous journey from Troy to Ithaca, plus a few unplanned diversions courtesy of the gods. But this is nothing on Christian Campbell, who last night travelled more than ۴,۰۰۰ miles to see the Greek king’s epic fable on the big screen.
The ۲۲-year-old film graduate, who aspires to be an editor, made the journey from Atlanta to London to watch Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey.
Like many people gathered in the BFI Imax in south London before the film’s first midnight showing, he bought his ticket a year in advance. “I had originally planned on going to New York, but when the tickets dropped, they sold out immediately,” he says. He was also out of luck nabbing a ticket in Georgia. “I was like, the third best option is London.”
Not only is it his first time in the British capital, it is the first time Campbell has left the US. While seeing The Odyssey on Nolan’s home turf was the initial reason behind coming to London, his aunt Donna joined him and they turned the trip into a holiday.
BFI Imax, near Waterloo Bridge, is one of the few cinemas in the world that will show The Odyssey in Imax ۱۵۷۰ the highest-resolution film format in existence. The Odyssey was the first feature film to be shot entirely on ۱۵۷۰ cameras.
Each weighs ۱۸۰kg and Nolan worked with Imax to develop a soundproofing “blimp” to make it quiet enough for him to record dialogue on the heavy-duty cameras for the first time. While this has certainly not hemmed the films’s huge $۲۵۰m (£۱۸۶m) budget, it looks set to pay off. Box office predictions suggest The Odyssey could record $۸۰m-$۱۰۰m on its first weekend in North America alone.
Campbell was eight when he watched his first (and favourite) Nolan film, The Dark Knight, despite it having a PG-۱۳ rating. “My uncle played it for me and he would skip the bad parts,” he says. He has watched every other film by the director and had the same response: “Dang, that was awesome.”
Also embarking on an epic journey was Marco Garbely, who travelled from Switzerland with his two friends, landing in London mere hours before rocking up to the BFI Imax wearing shirts commemorating their favourite director.
The ۳۰-year-old, who works in healthcare, says he was a bit nervous before the review embargo broke on Wednesday because “we have such high standards of him”. But his fears were allayed when the film debuted with a ۹۹% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (it has since fallen to a still mighty ۹۶%). In a five-star review, the Guardian called it a “god-tier” breathtaking epic.
He was also concerned that far-right criticism, including from Elon Musk, about Lupita Nyong’o’s casting as Helen could affect the reception of the film. “It’s quite forced. It’s a myth which was invented ۱,۰۰۰ years ago. We don’t have proof of how Helen existed or what she should looked like,” he says.
Alongside Garbely is Julian Jäger, ۳۰, who works in finance. He says Nolan had “quite an impact on our childhood and how we understand cinema”. He recalls watching Inception in the cinema aged ۱۵. It remains his favourite Nolan film. “It’s so interesting, it’s not like a regular action movie,” he says.
While Garbely considers ۲۰۲۳’s Oppenheimer to be Nolan’s “best work”, he hopes “it could be surpassed tonight”. Either way, he can get a second opinion on Friday because the trio have tickets to watch the film two nights in a row.
For Rachana Mettem, her visit to BFI Imax was “basically a pit stop” between landing in London from Ireland and embarking on a trip to Edinburgh. She also bought her tickets a year in advance. The ۲۶-year-old student remembers watching Ghajini, which was inspired by Nolan’s breakout sophomore hit. “I grew up thinking it was a Bollywood movie at first, but it turns out it’s based on Memento,” she says.
She wonders why Himesh Patel, who plays a pivotal role in the The Odyssey, has not had a more prominent part in the press tour. “I feel like Hollywood has showcased white actors and made them the centre point rather than people of colour who have distinct roles within the film,” she says.
While most people in the cinema opted against wearing a helmet, Walee Ahmed went all-in to get the true Odyssey experience. The ۲۶-year-old data analyst says Nolan is “probably one of the greatest directors out there”. He has seen Oppenheimer nine times. “As a cinematic experience, it’s top notch and the soundtrack is one of my favourites. I listen to it every other day,” he says.
He managed to see Nolan in person when he received the BFI fellowship, something his friend, Forhad Alom, would also love to experience. “I’m not much of a cinephile but when it comes Nolan, I don’t play around,” says the ۲۹-year-old civil servant. “That’s my Goat. I would be starstruck.”
He plans on seeing the film again on Friday night, though if he did want to part with this ticket, he could fetch a decent profit. Screenings at BFI Imax are sold out until early August, while tickets to some viewings are listed on eBay for more than £۵۰۰.
With his helmet in hand, Ahmed entered the sold-out screening to join his fellow Nolan enthusiasts. As the clock approached midnight, the lobby, which was heaving moments ago, was silent. After a year-long wait for many, their cinematic odyssey was finally beginning.
