Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus at the helm, has finally been unveiled, and early reviews promise an epic saga.
Christopher Nolan swept the board with Oppenheimer. On one hand, he crossed the billion-dollar mark at the worldwide box office, and on the other, his film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and even Best Actor for Cillian Murphy. Three years later, he returns with a story just as gripping as Oppenheimer’s and the consequences of creating the atomic bomb with The Odyssey.
A colossal, extravagant adaptation of the famed Homeric tale chronicling Odysseus’ long journey home to Ithaca to be reunited with his wife Penelope and son Telemachus after the Greeks’ victory at Troy, Nolan’s The Odyssey is likely the summer’s biggest movie event. Fueled by a jaw-dropping Hollywood ensemble including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, and Lupita Nyong’o, the film is finally hitting theaters. The world premiere took place in London on July 6, and, naturally, the first reviews have flooded social media ever since. A roundup of tweets.
Odysseus Against All Odds
« The Odyssey: an unexpectedly natural (and less bleak) follow-up to Oppenheimer about a man haunted by having defied the gods and damned civilization — a man fighting to avenge his own pride. IMAX, of course, absolutely immense. Too awkward to be a top-tier Nolan, but the final act rewards the journey. » David Ehrlich – IndieWire
« At first, it’s a little disorienting, then the film settles into what feels like a succession of vignette-like moments, and before you have time to realize what happened, everything comes together just in time for the third act. In other words: a Nolan-esque take on The Odyssey. Each scene is simply incredible. » Evan Romano – Men’s Health Mag
« The Odyssey is a monumental work, its interpretation of Greek mythology rendered with striking strangeness. A staggering scope, action staged with brio, and rich emotional texture. The Cyclops and Circe sequences rank among Nolan’s best work. » Jordan Farley – Total Film
« The Odyssey keeps all its promises. It’s Christopher Nolan’s Ten Commandments, with a scale and grandeur that never impinge on the intimacy of the story. A realistic (yet faithful) adaptation of this epic myth, enhanced by a clever revisionist twist. Himesh Patel is the standout! » Jeremy Mathai – SlashFilm
« This is the most lucid film Christopher Nolan has ever made — and perhaps the most impressive. Both its epic sweep and its attention to detail are absolutely astonishing. The immediate comparison that comes to mind is Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. » Jacob Kleinman – Polygon
« The Odyssey is a true tour de force. The film brims with spectacular, even terrifying, sequences that make it feel as if Nolan has fully embraced the horrors of Greek mythology. Yet it’s the subtle way he reinterprets the myth for the modern world that stayed with me. In a world where pride, selfishness, and a sense of superiority fuel endless wars and bloodshed, Nolan uses Odysseus’ myth to ask what’s needed for true forgiveness of our past mistakes. Epically sweeping and thought-provoking, the ending filled me with hope. » Andrew J. Salazar – Discussing Film
« Odyssey is breathtaking. Grounded, ghostly, intense, at once witty and grand. Pure cinema. Of course, the story is about coming home, but more broadly it’s also a return to the exciting, entertaining action films this medium was built to deliver. » Joshua Rothkopf – Los Angeles Times
« Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is a monumental work in so many respects. Yes, the film does attempt to condense virtually Homer’s entire work into three hours. But it also approaches its subject with more emotion than any Nolan film since Interstellar, his most important source of inspiration. At its core, behind all this majesty, Nolan reveals himself to be a man who’d rather stay home than venture out to achieve “important” things. Like Oppenheimer, Odyssey focuses on the consequences — here, departure and the impossibility of recapturing domestic happiness. »
“It’s a film rich in emotion, but let’s be honest, it isn’t the masterpiece that Oppenheimer was. It is so dense, with fantastical elements treated with excessive caution and with curious references to Greek history, like the People of the Sea (classics professors will be astonished!), that its scale even exceeds IMAX 70mm. Yet it is superbly staged.” David Crow – Den of Geek
Not surprisingly, early reactions surrounding The Odyssey are overwhelmingly positive. If one remains cautious about this flood of rave reviews with only minor caveats, it’s hard not to believe Nolan has pulled off another feat here. To get a definitive read, one won’t have to wait long. The Odyssey opens in French cinemas on July 15, 2026.
