There are really two ways to experience Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The first is to compare it to the Greek epic it is based on and hope it matches up. If that is how you intend to see the film, I’m going to go ahead and say that you probably won’t have a very good time. There is simply no way to condense the entirety of Homer’s original work into a single movie, even with a nearly three-hour runtime. Instead, Nolan focuses on the messages and ideas presented in the story and streamlines them, cutting characters and plotlines as needed, to make a cohesive film that feels like the original, even if it doesn’t look the same. If you are willing to take the movie for what it is and enjoy what Nolan has accomplished, you’re going to find a lot to love about The Odyssey.

The narrative is actually two separate stories. The first centers around Odysseus (Matt Damon), the king of Ithica and hero of the Trojan war. On his way home from Troy, he and his crew become lost at sea and encounter all manner of supernatural foes that keep him from returning home to his wife and son for 20 years. Meanwhile, his now grown son Telemachus (Tom Holland) is dealing with suitors living in his father’s castle, trying to marry his mother and usurp Odysseus’ throne.

While both stories are compelling and interesting in their own right, it is the way those stories are told that really stands out in this film. The stories are their own characters. When Odysseus loses his memories, it is through telling his story that he begins to regain them. When Telemachus needs guidance on dealing with the suitors, he doesn’t look for an army, he goes in search of stories about his father. Even the fall of Troy is a story told in different ways by different characters, changing the meaning of what happened that night from person to person. The Odyssey isn’t an adaptation of an ancient myth, it’s a love-letter to storytelling that just uses the poem as a frame.

Of course, none of it works without actors that are up to the task. Thankfully, The Odyssey is not in short supply of those. Damon and Holland are both excellent, taking a huge amount of the narrative burden on their shoulders. Damon in particular feels like a man apart for most of the film. Even when he is surrounded by his soldiers, Odysseus is isolated. It’s a challenging performance that Damon handles well. However, the star of the show is Anne Hathaway as Odysseus’ wife, Penelope. Her character is torn between steadfast belief that her husband will return and the pain of knowing that she is probably wrong, all while having to maintain her elegant façade so that her kingdom doesn’t fall. Hathaway delivers a knockout performance that nails every detail of a complicated character perfectly.

The visuals also mostly help the film, though there are a few moments I’d say some of the costuming and shot selection drag things down. Nolan has always been really great at big, epic, sweeping shots, and he has plenty of opportunities to play to his strength in this one. However, some of the tight quarters shots and fight scenes do get muddled and confusing. So many of the characters wear generic “fantasy epic” costumes that it can get difficult to tell them apart when the action starts going and the camera work is less than stellar.

I’d also complain about the length of the movie, because it is long and it feels even longer, but I’m honestly not sure what you could have cut out. Given what Nolan was trying to accomplish, he needed to spend a lot of time with various side characters, piecing together the story of Odysseus bit by bit. So, nothing is really wasted. That said, there are times the narrative drags a little. I’m just not sure that could be avoided.

I do not doubt for a second that there will be people who have far more complaints about this movie than I do. This is not going to be for purists, nor those looking for a quick action fix. It is neither of those things, nor does it ever try to be. What is trying to be is commentary on the power of storytelling, while still holding true to the core themes and ideas of The Odyssey. At that, it is a complete success. It also happens to just be a very fun movie to watch. I heartily recommend taking a trip to the theater to see this one. Just...try not to get lost on the way home.