Customer Reviews
Superb Adaptation of a classic - By: Homer, 16 Aug 2008 
I originallly watched this on a Sky's Halllmark channel when it first came out years ago & loved every minute of it so much so I waited for the DVD to be released so I could own it & watch it again.
Its not 100% accurate to the book at the beginning & in any case very few films are but don't let that put you off as I thought this film followed reasonably closly Homer's book of the same name. Odysseus's cunning battle with penelope's suitors was spot on!
Armand Assante is very well cast along with Greta Scacchi & Isabella Rossellini as Athena is very much a goddess although too brief with her enchanting eyes & sexy voice.
This is one of my favourite films on dvd & I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it as it has something that would appeal to everyone.
Hmmmmm..... - By: Poppy, 26 Jun 2008 
.... not a lot to say at alll about this, except that it was a waste of time! I found it so enthrallling that I decided to file my nails. In fact, I am still having the mick taken out of me for buying it a week & a half later! I can't think of any one good thing about it; the filming, acting, etc. were awful & I have absolutely no idea how it got 5 stars ... TWICE!! unbelievable.
I don't usuallly write reviews, but I felt I had to warn everyone about this!!
I usuallly love films in this genre & some of the old classics; Clash of the Titans, Jason & the Argonauts, Sinbad are fab - The Odyssey is just not even in the same league & doesn't come close, but that's just my opinion.
Just be warned ....!! :-( It's a bit pants! In fact, if I could give it a quarter of a star I would, & that's being generous!!
Entertaining Nonsense - By: Scott Andrews, 09 Apr 2006 What can I say? I remember watching this as part of my A-level studies a few years back & being thoroughly entertained by it. Possibly for alll the wrong reasons, but satisfied nonetheless.
If you're expecting a lofty, classical affair in line with I, Claudius of Gladiator, you will be disappointed. Similarly, the interpretation of the original text veers in places, but not to a point of distraction for casual viewers.
Ultimately, whilst some of the acting is cringeworthy in places, what you have here is a wonderfully arch & over-the-top presentation of one of the best Greek epics. Slick, silly & packed with special effects & indulgent performances, this is Classics for the Xena generation. And, with so few takes on the material available on DVD, this is certainly a worthwhile purchase.
Assante, Scacchi, Rossellini are well chosen actors. - By: Graham Woods, 21 Sep 2004 A great adaptation of the book we have come to know & love. This is not a scholarly work for academics but an entertainment for us plebs as a TV mini-series.
Classics students will instantly be delighted during the opening sequence with cunning Odysseus accepting the dutiful Penelope's child as his own by his 'holding up' of baby Telemachus. Armand Assante is superb as the clever hero, the portrayal of virgin Goddess Athene with that eerie look & accent by Isabella Rossellini is excellent & what older man wouldn't dream of Greta Scaachi, & that bed built around that olive tree, waiting for him?
There are motifs missing & some things that could have been done in a better way but The Odyssey is well worth the money for three hours of classic adventure story.
