Director Christopher Nolan's dream project, prepared for over 20 years — 'The Odyssey,' a film adaptation of Homer's classic 'The Odyssey' — opened on the 5th. It is regarded as a grand work that goes beyond a simple blockbuster, embodying the director's cinematic vision and challenges.

The diverse casting has also been a topic of discussion. Korean-American actor Will Yun Lee appears as one of Odysseus's crew members, adding tension to the story. He is the son of taekwondo grandmaster Lee Soo-woong and has appeared in films such as 'The Wolverine,' 'Spy,' and 'San Andreas.' Will Yun Lee said of this project, 'It was the biggest journey of my Hollywood career,' recounting his experiences wearing armor while climbing mountains and traveling between Morocco and Iceland for filming.

There was also controversy surrounding the casting. Some backlash arose when Black actress Lupita Nyong'o was cast as Helen and Clytemnestra from Greek mythology, and transgender actor Elliot Page was cast as the female warrior Sinon. Elon Musk criticized Director Nolan on his social media, calling him a 'white-hating racist.' In response, Director Nolan said in a pre-screening interview, 'Such controversies are meaningless,' countering that those criticizing the film had not actually seen it.

Minimizing CGI and VFX: Magic Realized Through Practical Effects

It is well known that Director Nolan does not rely heavily on CGI or VFX (visual effects) and prefers practical filming and physical effects. This directorial philosophy is fully evident in 'The Odyssey' as well.

The scene where the witch Circe carves the faces and bodies of soldiers was realized using practical effects. A pig animatronic that Samantha Morton could operate directly was created, and through precise editing and camera angles, the effect of soldiers transforming into pigs was achieved. Morton, who plays Circe, stated, 'No CGI was used at all; every scene was completed through actual filming,' adding that the kind of magical, deceiving technology has existed beautifully in cinema.

The scene featuring the giant 'Laestrygonians' was also directed to look like actual giants using forced perspective filming and the height differences of stunt performers. Stunt performer Devin Dalton, standing at 4 feet 6 inches (137 cm), was placed in front of stuntmen over 7 feet (approximately 213 cm) tall as a stand-in for Matt Damon. Matt Damon, who plays Odysseus, revealed that his stand-in was a female stunt performer and that she had the most impressive arm muscles of anyone he had ever seen.