Summary
Christopher Nolan paints The Odyssey on the biggest canvas he can find, and fills it with dark and thunderous horror.
Despite regular declarations from the choir about the death of cinema, Christopher Nolan has been largely held up as the poster child for keeping the flag flying. His commitment to shooting on film, creating original dramas on epic scale, and the use of large-format celluloid is often in stark contrast with the default factory settings of franchise-forward filmgoing.
With The Odyssey, all those tricks come to the fore. Well publicised as being the first blockbuster feature shot entirely on IMAX 70mm cameras, Nolan’s adaptation of Homer takes inspiration from Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation of The Odyssey. But the question remains: does Nolan do something with the material to necessitate another dip in the wink dark sea? It’s probably no surprise that the answer is far more complicated than a simple yes or no.
Whether you’ve read the source material or not, you know the story through countless retellings. Odysseus (played here by Matt Damon), the Greek king of Ithaca, attempts to make his long journey home from the Trojan War and be with his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland). Penelope fends off hundreds of suitors, including an incredibly slimy Antinous (Robert Pattinson).
Nolan wouldn’t be Nolan without a nonlinear narrative, and here he gets to use The Odyssey’s own devices for that purpose. Trapped on an island with the tricksy Calypso (Charlize Theron), Odysseus recounts his fragmented memories of his titular journey. If it feels episodic or repetitive, it’s because Nolan has tried to maintain fidelity to form if not language, strapping himself to the mast of cinema but forever drawn to the siren’s cyclical song.
It can be overwhelming too: the motion on the large-format screen and Nolan’s trademark use of cacophonous, discordant sounds combine to unnerve at times. Ludwig Göransson’s score often feels like it’s rending apart some intangible stuff, shaking the viewer asunder on some base level.
Which is where the film’s biggest surprises come, with Nolan leaning heavily into unexpected horror. It was there in the text, of course, but from the moment the giant cyclops appears at the mouth of the cave – the start of a truly terrifying sequence – knuckles will be whitening. Similarly, Samantha Morton’s phenomenal turn as the witch Circe opens the door to a kind of body horror that’s compellingly repugnant.
Even in the iconic and well-travelled depiction of the Trojan horse, Nolan, via Spartan king Menelaus’ (Jon Berenthal) retelling, shows it “from the inside”. It’s a sweaty, claustrophobic series of moments that make you hold your breath until it’s all released in violent blood and fury. From here, you could argue that Nolan has reframed the rest of the tale through the lens of a warrior’s PTSD.
While certain corners of the intertubes will continue to wring their hands over casting, mythology like this survives through infinite retellings. Damon may not be your mind’s eye version of Odysseus, but here he convincingly morphs as his character ages and wearies. Holland gives his most mature performance to date. Hathaway’s Penelope, often shrouded behind a screen, is commanding.
On a technical level, it’s all outstanding of course. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema uses every inch of the large screen to immerse us in this saga. There’s a lot of movie here though: I haven’t even had the time or space to consider Lupita Nyong’o’s excellent dual roles of Helen and Clytemnestra. John Leguizamo’s transformative turn as blind swineherd Eumaeus. Elliot Page in the brief but impactful part of Sinon. Zendaya’s mildly otherworldly series of glances as Athena. If it sounds like I need to see this again to absorb it all fully, I’m starting to think that was intentional.
You should see The Odyssey. You should probably see it in the largest format you can find. It is, without question, the very definition of a cinematic event. Just don’t get caught up in the notion that you have to see it on a particular screen. It’s an overwhelming piece, visually and sonically. In other words, it is The Odyssey.
2026 | USA/UK | DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan | WRITERS: Christopher Nolan (based on The Odyssey by Homer) | CAST: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, Charlize Theron | DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures | RUNNING TIME: 173 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 16 August 2026 (Australia), 17 August 2026 (USA/UK).