Movies often describe themselves as epics but Christopher Nolan’s THE ODYSSEY truly is an epic, both because it is based on a storied ancient tale that defines the idea of epic and because it is a cinema masterpiece with the sweep and grandeur the title implies, a piece of film-making that succeeds on all levels, artistically and technically. In his follow-up to OPPENHEIMER and with a brilliant cast led by Matt Damon and including stars such as Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and more, Oscar-winner Christopher Nolan, who adapted Homer’s classic for the screen as well as directing, creates a world of gods and monsters and men, where myth, action and human struggle combine in a tale of a flawed hero. That story both transports to another time yet is timeless, as it explores post-war trauma, moral issues, and the longing for home. These topics are explored against at canvas of men at sea on an adventure into the unknown, shot in breathtaking cinematography by Oscar-winning Director of Photography Hoyte Van Hoytema, the first film shot entirely on 70mm film in an IMAX format. Filmed at numerous striking locations and at sea, with a preference for practical effects over CGI (although those CGI visual effects present are amazing), Nolan keeps the energy high and emotional power gripping with spot-on dramatic pacing, so that one hardly notices the epic’s nearly 3 hour length. THE ODYSSEY is a true epic from the start, a colossal cinematic achievement where all the stars align, in storytelling, performance, creativity and technology soaring to create an astounding cinema epic truly worthy of that title.
Director Christopher Nolan directs this epic tale brilliantly, keeping the pacing and excitement high while allowing space for the human emotional arcs and internal struggles. At just under 3 hours, THE ODYSSEY is epic in length too but it is so well structured and paced that one does not feel that running time. Shooting entirely on 70mm film in IMAX meant technical challenges for the director and Director of Photography Hoyte Van Hoytema. The film generally sticks to the story of Homer’s great epic poem about the travels of Odysseus (Matt Damon), the king of Ithaca, as he wanders while trying to get home after the end of the ten-years-long Trojan War described in The Iliad. We get snippets of the Trojan war in flashback, and like the book, the film opens in the story’s middle, at Odysseus’ Greek palace in Ithaca where he was king, with his wife, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland) waiting for Odysseus’ return from the war while besieged by a horde of suitors who have been camped out in their home for years. The suitors are waiting for Penelope to give up on Odysseus and pick one of them to re-marry, making that suitor the new king of Ithaca. Chief among the suitors is local noble Antinous (an excellent Robert Pattinson), a slick, slippery fellow who tells a story of being turned down for service in the war by Odysseus, a claim we learn early is false.
The suitors have been living on Penelope’s hospitality since the ten-year-long Trojan war ended ten years ago, abusing the Law of Zeus that instructs hosts to welcome strangers. They have grown bold over the years, and Penelope and her teen-aged son Telemachus endure rude and obnoxious behavior from their unwelcome guests. Meanwhile, loyal Penelope puts off the suitors clamoring for her hand by telling them she will chose one of them after she completes a weaving she is making for her father-in-law, a weaving she secretly unravels by night. Meanwhile, young Telemachus grows restless and longs for news of the father who he has never known, a man gone for 20 years.
The story then shifts time and place, in a flashback to the end of the Trojan War, where we see a beach and a wooden horse awaits in the sand. The beach appears is nearly deserted, except for one young Greek, Sinon (Elliot Page). A collection of Trojan soldiers approach, and Sinon tells them the wooden horse in a gift for the goddess Athena.
In the aftermath of the fall of Troy, and its violent sacking and destruction, the Greeks prepare to set sail for home. Odysseus tells the crew of his three ships that they are going home too, but he is done taking orders from others, so they will take a different route. Instead of the faster, familiar route back to home that Agamemnon (Benny Safdie), the king of Mycenae and the Greek forces he leads, are taking, Odysseus wants to take a way less traveled to see something of the world before going home. His crew enthusiastically agrees, trusting their clever leader.
Why Odysseus doesn’t head straight home is one of the recurring questions the film raises, as it peels back the layers of this complex character. Odysseus is a flawed hero: smart, innovative, even sometimes cunning, he is a charismatic leader who sometimes makes bad choices, but someone who can be selfish and even a liar.
The film follows Odysseus and his crew on that adventurous voyage, which they begin in high spirits but where they encounter unknown dangers and unexpected tragedy. THE ODYSSEY has most of the monsters and tribulations of the book, including the cyclops, sorceress, giants, and sirens, and the wrath of gods, as the film also explores moral and human issues, including the value of hospitality, a longing for home, and human failings of a flawed hero.
We sometimes hear about the Greek gods in this epic but see very little of them, apart from Athena (Zendaya) who appears only to Odysseus. The Greek gods are very present in the classic tale but here they are distant, more talked about than directly seen. The only one who is seen is Athena (Zendaya), Odysseus’ protector, who appears to him at times.
Visually and technically, THE ODYSSEY is astounding. The 70 mm film IMAX gives the film an unparalleled realism and grandeur, a much richer and detailed image that is best appreciated on the biggest screen possible. To get the best, more realistic, and impressive images, Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema shot on real locations in Greece, Morocco, western Sahara, Scotland, Italy, Iceland and Malta. Location shooting, the use of practical effects and keeping CGI to a minimum retains the high image quality and realism of the images, as Nolan recreates the ancient world of Homer. Filming in IMAX on film presented challenges for both director, DP and the actors, as the camera was bulky, encased on a device to muffle its noisy operation, and in that the camera only held three minutes of film, requiring frequent reloading. Despite the challenges, the results are magical and stunning. In short, epic.
The acting is outstanding as well. Matt Damon carries the biggest load for the film, as his character evolves over the harrowing journey, going from a confident, selfish charmer to someone less sure of his own brilliance, humbled by experience and tormented by pain he caused. Flashbacks give us insights on the trauma of war that Odysseus carries, after both ten years of war and then witnessing the brutality of the sacking of Troy after his trick, which violated the rules of hospitality by concealing a danger in a gift for the gods. Besides that trauma and guilt for his unethical trick, he increasing is haunted by guilt over the fallen men under his command, particularly those he did not give proper burial rites, which the Greeks believed were essential for the afterlife.
Likewise, the rest of the cast deliver remarkable performances. Anne Hathaway is moving as Penelope, strong as she stands against the suitors exploiting her home and consuming her wealth, steadfastly loyal to her husband but wracked with pain over his continued absence and fears that he won’t return, and worries over her nearly-grown son. Tom Holland succeeds as her son, young Telemachus, coming of age under the threat of the suitors that would take his throne and obsessively longing for the father he doesn’t remember, driving him on the risky actions. Robert Pattinson is villainously perfect as the lead among the suitors, as the smooth, deceitful Antinous, who presents a noble face to Telemachus while plotting to take his crown.
In standout supporting roles, Samantha Morton is perfect as the vengeful, calculating sorceress Circe, and Lupita Nyong’o is strikingly memorable in her dual roles as Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra. As the goddess Athena, Zendaya wordlessly speaks volumes with her eyes and her expressions.
Other supporting roles deserving of note include Elliot Page, who as touching young soldier Sinon, Himesh Patel as Odysseus’s first mate and friend Eurylochus, and John Leguizamo is moving as Odysseus’ loyal blind swineherd and former teacher Eumaeus. Jon Bernthal, largely unrecognizable in full beard and bald head, is striking as King Menelaus, who helps young Telemachus, and Charlize Theron is unexpectedly touching as Calypso, who falls in love with Odysseus and keeps him on her island.
THE ODYSSEY is a spectacular epic, a film that gives audiences thrilling moments and jaw-dropping visuals, but also something that makes you think. For the best experience, see it on a big IMAX screen, or better yet, in 70mm at one of the theaters offering that option. Either way, do not miss seeing this one in theaters.
THE ODYSSEY opens in theaters on Friday, July 17, 2026.
RATING: 4 out of 4 stars
