An effect I think would have been creepier and more memorable than the one depicted. I had a monster book when I was a kid (I still have it too) that depicts this many-headed serpent with monstrous female heads. I was a little disappointed in this representation of Scylla. The creatures I did remember were Scylla, and her sister, Charybdis, whom Tiresais warns Odysseus of. Ray Harryhausen did his own version of this encounter in The 7 th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958), but here we get to see how this mythical encounter was really supposed to play itself out. I had forgotten about Odysseus’ encounter with Polyphemus, the Cyclops (Reid Asato). If you’re any kind of monster movie fan, it’s the creature effects that end up being the real eye candy for this mini-series. Hermes (Freddy Douglas) makes two brief appearances Poseidon is represented by a voice over (Miles Anderson) and a pretty nifty effect of his visage undulating in crashing waves, while Zeus is only mentioned by name. The Odyssey reminded me of Clash Of The Titans (1981) and Jason And The Argonauts (1963), (remade later as a mini-series itself by the same people who made this one), where the Greek Gods interact freely with humans, but in this show we only get three Gods, Athena (Isabella Rossellini) is the main one who puts in the most appearances as she guides Odysseus and his grown son, Telemachus (Alan Stenson), on their life journeys. Bernadette Peters is Circe, who keeps Odysseus and his me captive for 5-years, Vanessa Williams is Calypso, who keeps Odysseus captive for 2-years, and Christopher Lee is Tiresais, an Underworld being who tells Odysseus exactly how to get home, but it comes at great peril. Pollard ( Split Second, I Come In Peace) plays Aeolus, a God who doesn’t like Poseidon’s bullying ways and gives Odysseus a sack of wind to let loose with when he gets close to home. First, the immortal beings (this mini-series has a lot of name actors you’ll recognize): Michael J. As he and his men search for home he comes up against all manners of immortal beings and three noteworthy monsters. Odysseus gathers his crew and tries to defy Poseidon, but every time he sets sail Ithaca is the last place he’s destined to set shore. This is the crux of the entire mini-series, Poseidon is so pissed by Odysseus’ slight he tells him he’ll never make it home to Ithaca, and when a God tells you you can’t go home again, you really can’t go home again, well, not until two decades pass. It even swallows up the seers head like the worm from that film did to Crawford Tillinghast. The God of the Ocean helped him a day before by sending a serpent to swallow up this seer who was on the brink of blowing Odysseus’ plan, a serpent that reminded me of the worm from From Beyond (1986). But at a moment on the beach overlooking the ocean he thanks everyone for this win except God Poseidon, and, well, this irks Poseidon. The tide turns when he hides his men in a “Trojan Horse” that’s taken into Troy and the war is finally won. Unexpectedly he’s called to duty in the Trojan War, and in the first 22-minutes seven years of his life has gone by in this war. Armand Assante ( Prophecy, Fatal Instinct, Judge Dredd) plays King Odysseus of Ithaca, and he has a devoted wife in Penelope (Greta Scacchi), who’s just had a baby. This mini-series is based on the poem by ancient Grecian poet, Homer. Jason & The Argonauts, 7 th Voyage Of Sinbad, Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, Sinbad & The Eye Of The Tiger, Clash Of The Titans). I’m a sucker for sword and sorcery films, have been ever since childhood when I fell in love with Ray Harryhausen’s mythology movies (i.e. My appreciation for this ‘sword and sandal’ epic has grown in the interim to the point where I jumped at the chance to review it once I heard yet another re-release was happening, this time from Mill Creek Entertainment. I do believe I enjoyed parts of it, especially the monster encounters I recall several times throughout the years wanting to add it to my collection, but never did. I remember seeing it when it aired back in the spring of 1997. I enjoyed this much needed revisit of this mini-series.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |