The Odyssey

Monty Python couldn't improve on this. Suffice to say, someone doesn't know their classical Greek history/mythology too well. They have excavated remains from the site of Troy and undertaken facial recreations. Would it surprise anyone to know they look Greek? Would it surprise anyone, too, to know the main figures of Homer's work, are described clearly, as Greek?

Upsides include reasonable if at times miscast acting, great sets, okay action and top locations.

In summary, I wonder what actual Greeks make of this re imagining of their proud heritage? For me, what I can say the past is what it is, not what revisionists want it to be. Enough said.

Check out my full review @ https://www.manuelsbento.com/the-odyssey-2026-christopher-nolans-most-faithful-epic-is-also-his-most-ambitious-one/

Rating: A

THE ODYSSEY is a maximalist, deeply faithful adaptation of Homer's poem that somehow ends on a quiet, contemplative note despite everything it throws at you along the way. Completely unafraid of its own scale and scope, it's ten years of war, myth, and horror (!) woven into the story so tightly that the whole thing paradoxically feels more grounded, not less. An astonishingly stacked ensemble led by a phenomenal Matt Damon, deceptively convincing practical effects, and filmmaking craft firing on every level. Ludwig Göransson's score alone is worth the ticket. Easily one of the best theatrical experiences of the year. This is Christopher Nolan at his most alive.

The hype was massive, the crowd was packed, but the boredom in the theatre at the end credits said it all. A 172-minute film felt like it was a 6+ hour watch. This isn’t a respectful adaptation of Homer’s epic; it’s a bloated, self-important disaster that butchers the source material, erases Greek identity, and rams woke DEI nonsense down your throat while delivering some of the worst big-name acting I’ve seen in years. Right from the opener, it was clear Nolan had zero interest in Homer’s actual text. Instead of going back to the original Greek or a faithful classic translation, he based the whole thing on Emily Wilson’s modern, feminist-slanted version, that crappy, agenda-driven reinterpretation that twists the poem’s language, downplays traditional heroism, and injects contemporary gender politics. No wonder the soul is missing. The Odyssey is the foundational poem of Western civilisation, cunning, nostos, divine meddling, human endurance, told in sweeping oral poetry. Nolan reduces it to mere nothingness. Matt Damon as Odysseus is the biggest miscast of all; he sleepwalks through it like a tired Jason Bourne in a chiton, delivering flat quips with zero charisma or bronze-age king energy. No wit, no depth, just brooding stares. Zendaya’s Athena is wooden and out of place, Tom Holland’s Telemachus is hyperactive but empty, Anne Hathaway’s Penelope feels phoned in, and Robert Pattinson’s turn is lost in the gloom. Charlize Theron as Calypso, Jon Bernthal, walked and looking like he's out of a Robin-Hood film, and John Leguizamo all feel awkwardly shoehorned in with zero chemistry or gravitas. Worst of all is Elliot Page as Sinon (replacing Achilles after backlash); he runs around like a marionette doll with stiff, unnatural movements that kill every action beat. Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy (and Clytemnestra) is completely out of place and entirely misrepresents the characters. The entire main cast is miscast to hell. Bad acting across the board sinks wha...

This has to be the best movie theater experience I’ve ever had. I unfortunately couldn’t see it in 70MM IMAX as Houston doesn’t have one and didn’t want to drive to San Antonio. I watched it in standard IMAX at Regal Lonestar 12 minutes from home. I’m a Nolan fan but not everything he’s done has been great. The passing in this movie is amazing. I was waiting for a slow part in the movie to go the bathroom but it just kept going and kept you hooked. I’ve seen all the negative reactions of this film from stupid people making stuff up without watching it. I’m in a smaller area north of Houston and a lot of us aren’t liberal but also not crazy right like the small vocal idiots are. Homers Epic was literally Epic. Nolan out did himself on this one.

ABSOLUTE trash of a movie, goes against all ethos and morals in filming, it takes way identity and places people of new world order agenda. Very poor adaptation of homer. Matt with his daughters and wife should spend time in India for the next pandemic, instead of Ireland. I will say this, pacing, story telling, amazing scenery, all of that dont fool the millenials audience, maybe genz, since they are so much into hype and 4k - its easy to mislead them. Also, lets take a moment to dedicate how far the studio has gone to show this film early in the most populated country, to get positive reviews from a very ill informed audience!

As one of the 2026 summer movie season’s most anticipated releases, writer-director Christopher Nolan’s screen adaptation of Homer’s literary epic, The Odyssey, has generated more than its share of reactions and for a variety of reasons. So I’ll come right to the point on my view of this release: I liked it, but I didn’t love it. This retelling of the diverse experiences of Greek warrior Odysseus (Matt Damon) on returning to his Grecian home of Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War explores the many adventures and profound soul-searching of his 10-year journey, the second half of a 20-year-long absence. Waiting for him back home are his devoted wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), who has long been courted by a band of would-be suitors like Antinous (Robert Pattinson) who believe her husband is dead, and Telemachus (Tom Holland), the son who’s never met his father and stands to succeed him as King of Ithaca should he be officially declared deceased. This historic drama, a common reading selection in many high school English lit classes, thus follows the intrigue and adventures from the perspectives of the trip and the homefront, many of which viewers are likely to find familiar in this cinematic depiction. However, not everything works in this adaptation. For starters, the film is too long with its 2:52:00 runtime, especially during the picture’s languishing, talky opening hour. Then there’s the writing, which incorporates more than its share of ill-fitting contemporary dialogue, material that should have never made its way into the final script. And there are noticeable exclusions and underdeveloped sequences from the source material that could have been included and/or tweaked in the film narrative with the removal of overlong, extraneous material. For example, despite frequent references to the Greek gods, their presence in the film is largely absent save for a few conversations between Odysseus and Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom (Zendaya). A similar fate befalls Hel...

Homer's epic has endured for thousands of years, and Nolan's adaptation reminds you exactly why. The dialogue is lean and purposeful, he trusts the audience completely, and every setpiece — Cyclops, Sirens, Ithaca's reckoning — builds to a stunning finish. Superb acting, cinematography, and seeing it in IMAX just adds to everything that makes it epic. The year's best film, full stop.

With a production design worthy of Sir Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan takes us into antiquity for his take on the second instalment of Homer's Trojan War stories. I have to say it's maybe not the most impressive of wooden horses that is left as a tribute for the maybe just a little too gullible Trojans, but now we know that this decade-long siege has all ended in a mighty conflagration and that Odysseus (Matt Damon) is keen on returning to Ithaca where his wife and son await him. On that island, though, strife is rife. Penelope (Anne Hathaway) is being besieged by an army of suitors like Antinous (Robert Pattinson) and the young Telemachus (Tom Holland) isn't really best equipped to step in and protect his mother from their machinations. Now flitting between the island's domestic issues and the legendary trials of the returning husband, Nolan tries to weave the two threads together in quite a compelling fashion. The snag for me throughout this epic drama is that we spent too much time on Ithaca with the family issues and not enough time with Odysseus and his crew as they faced a plethora of deadly foes and evil temptations as they traversed the Mediterranean. Too many of their adventures are too tightly compressed and involve a few scenes of menace before everyone rushes back to their ships - usually fewer than arrived - before continuing on their dangerous travels. Much is told thanks to his memory-provoking conversation with the lotus peddling Calypso (Charlize Theron) but again, we don't really get to grips much with who she is or what he is doing on her beautiful island. Charybdis and the Sirens, even the Cyclops are all given a little too much short shrift as we dwell more at the other end of his voyage on the issues facing the young Telemachus as he travels to Sparta to find news from Menelaus and his now restored wife Helen. The visual effects are pretty spectacular and Damon manages quite well to craft a character who is brave and ingenious but also trouble...

An amazingly ambitious effort that mostly pays off. Solid acting, great production values, and an effective reuse by Nolan of plot elements and characters from Homer's epic to tell a story for the modern audience. I have no regrets having paid for theater tickets to have seen this.

A more detailed look here: https://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2026/07/19/movie-review-the-odyssey-2026.html

Laughably bad. The funniest part, albeit unintentional, was when travis scott did his black 'slam poetry' attempt. I heard several people in the audience start giggling. It was the part of the film that I'll always remember. I bet a thousand memes will live on in history thanks to this POS movie.

Acting was bad except for Pattinson. I truly don't understand why some of these people were cast, they have zero connection to Greece. Anyway, like I said several parts were laugh out loud funny, but I'm 100% sure the director didn't mean for ppl to laugh. Next time we won't be so quick to buy a ticket to a nolan movie, probably skip the next one and maybe see it at home.