Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey is nearing release, and while it’s too early for critics to have seen it, there is one person who has and is allowed to talk about it: Tom Holland.
The actor spoke about watching a cut of the ancient Greek adaptation and, according to him, it’s going to blow people away.
“I can tell you that it is an absolute masterpiece,” he told GQ, “and I’m taking myself out of that equation.
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“Chris Nolan’s movie is fantastic. It’s unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before.
“I think when I saw the movie, I found myself asking a question that I haven’t asked about a movie for a long time, which is, ‘How did you do that?’
“I think with CGI and stuff like that, we’ve become so accustomed to seeing these amazing things on screen and just kind of having the basic understanding that some very clever people and artistic people are able to do that on a computer.”
“But Chris is obviously trying to do everything as practically as possible in camera.”
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He continued: “And there were certain sequences in the movie where I’m watching it and I’m just sort of thinking like, ‘How on earth has he done that? That has to be CG.’ And then after the movie asking him, ‘That was definitely CG, right?’
“And he’s like, ‘No, no, no, that’s all in camera effects. Very planned, very prepared.’
“So I think fans are going to be really, really blown away by the set pieces and sequences throughout the movie, because even as someone that was there on the day and was in the film, I was absolutely blown away by the scale, the scope, his ability to navigate such an intricate and heartfelt story in the middle of this insane kind of action movie.
“So it’s one of my proudest achievements as an actor and I’m so touched that Chris gave me the opportunity to be in the film. And I really think that people are going to be floored by the film.”
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Holland stars in the film as Telemachus, the son of king Odysseus (Matt Damon), who is determined to find his father after he went off to fight in the Trojan War.
That’s easier said than done however, as Odysseus’ journey home is fraught with danger, thanks a host of mythological beasties and one very angry goddess.
Not only has Nolan shot the entire film in IMAX, the first time he’s done so, but he’s assembled a mega-watt cast for it. Alongside Holland and Damon, there’s Robert Pattinson and Zendaya (currently seen in The Drama), Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, and Mia Goth, to name just a few.
The Odyssey is released in cinemas on 17 July.
The new edition of Living Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Sir David Attenborough, is here! Buy Sir David Attenborough in newsagents or online.
Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.