The Odyssey (2026) | Film Review

The moment has finally arrived, the excitement at a fever-pitch, and the theaters were the most crowded that I have seen all year. Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s The Odyssey – about the tactical warrior Odysseus and his 10-year journey home from Troy – has set sail. Met with controversial casting decisions, the reliance on American accents, and shot entirely in IMAX, the film has carried enormous conversation and expectations for years. Few directors working today can generate this level of anticipation with a single title, and even fewer could convince audiences to flock to an almost three-hour adaptation of an ancient Greek epic. Does it live up to the hype?

The answer is: mostly.

The cast is pretty stacked across the board. For all the noise, Lupita Nyong’o is in the movie five minutes, and she is perfect as Helen of Troy. Her brief appearance leaves an impression and serves as a reminder of just how much talent Nolan has assembled here, as well as how little outside noise truly matters to a film such as this. As for the actors taking up the majority of screen time: Tom Holland has far more to do here than expected and rises to the occasion as Telemachus, the heir to the throne desperate to know of his father’s fate. Holland carries much of the emotional perspective of the story, and his evolution from uncertain son to determined young man on a quest for answers gives the film some of its strongest dramatic momentum.

Anne Hathaway’s Penelope – Odysseus’s wife, who spends her years waiting out suitors vying for the throne as she prays for her husband’s return – is astonishingly effective and genuinely impactful in her warranted frustration. Hathaway brings a quiet resilience to the role, conveying years of loneliness, doubt, and determination with remarkable precision. Every scene involving Penelope feels charged with emotion, even when the screenplay does not fully support it.

Matt Damon is more stoic and reserved than I expected, but there is never a false moment in his performance. Human is Damon’s sweet spot, this being no different. Damon understands that Odysseus is less a mythical hero and more a weary survivor desperately trying to reclaim a life that has slipped away, and perhaps he handed away to the spoils of war.

The highlights for me, though, are Robert Pattinson and Samantha Morton as Antinous and Circe. Pattinson is manipulative, plotting, and cowardly, while Morton is warm, inviting, and sadistic. Both were perfection. Pattinson sinks his teeth into every scene, creating a villain who is as frustrating as he is compelling, as cunning as he is unprepared. Morton, meanwhile, delivers a layered performance that balances innocence and menace beautifully. Then there is Elliot Page as Sinon, who was simply horribly miscast. The character just does not resonate as importantly as he should, and every appearance feels strangely disconnected from the rest of the film.

The production of The Odyssey is massive and sweeping, and you are completely sucked into this world. From raging seas and towering cliffs to sprawling palaces and battlefields, Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema create imagery that frequently demands the biggest screen possible. I will die on this hill though: Nolan cannot shoot action. It has been an issue his whole career, no different here. Too handheld, too unfocused, too sloppy for consistency. It is far too kinetic in spots when it is meant to be sweeping and jarring. There are moments where scale should be overwhelming, yet the visual language becomes chaotic rather than immersive. For a filmmaker who excels at spectacle, his action sequences continue to lack the clarity found in the work of many of his contemporaries.

Also, the dialogue here is very clunky and wooden. The heart of this movie does not work, through no fault of the actor. But simply because their dialogue sounds almost too orchestrated for effect, and they come off as ACTING in pivotal moments as such. I am along for the adventure, and I love this story, but these moments are meant to carry weight and agony, though little outside of Penelope was felt. Perhaps it is due to the modern lingo, weirdly placed American accents, or the complete lack of Greeks proclaiming to be Greek. The Odyssey is very Hamilton by Homer. I love a modern interpretation, but it does work against the film in several spots by taking you out of the experience. Instead of feeling timeless, portions of the screenplay feel oddly contemporary in ways that clash with the mythology.

I would also argue the score is underwhelming, especially for a Nolan film. Not “bad,” just ineffective. Ludwig Göransson is a masterful composer, yet for whatever reason the score here simply falls away from any impact. Which might be my largest surprise for a Nolan film. Considering how integral music has been to the emotional and narrative propulsion of Nolan’s previous work, the relative absence of memorable themes here is difficult to ignore.

That said, there are numerous highlights within: Cyclops and their inevitable crossing of paths is both haunting and vicious, Circe and her dinner feast is handled in gorgeous brutality, and of course Odysseus’s final battle is taut and almost fist-pumping with thrills. These sequences showcase the film operating at its highest level, blending mythology, tension, and spectacle into something truly memorable. There is greatness here in doses.

All told, The Odyssey is a journey you need to take in a theater, despite any misgivings I might have. Christopher Nolan treasures the theatrical experience, and it is absolutely worth the admission. The sheer scale of the production, the commitment to practical filmmaking, and the communal excitement of experiencing such an ambitious work with a packed audience make it an event movie in the truest sense.

Just do not take a decade to finally get home afterwards.