After a second viewing, I can confirm the suspicions I had the first time around. This movie is overhyped, however, that doesn’t mean The Odyssey (2026) is not a cinematic event. It is easily one of the most entertaining, fast-paced big-screen experiences of the year. However, it’s not flawless, and it definitely does not sit at the top tier of Nolan’s filmography.
I need you to keep in mind that we live in a world where 300, Ben-Hur, Gladiator, Jason and the Argonauts(1963) , and Troy exist. We have a clear understanding of what an epic looks and feels like.
While Nolan clearly wanted to deliver his own definitive, grounded version of Homer’s classic poem, I think his own movie Interstellar remains a far superior modern adaptation of an odyssey than what he has given us with this movie.
Don’t get me wrong, this is an enjoyable, detailed blockbuster, but it lacks the spark that can inspire the next generation of filmmakers.
Because of the grounded approach, the film lacks the wonder that comes with an epic. But before we get ahead of ourselves
Story
The Odyssey is a 2026 epic fantasy action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan.
An adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, it chronicles his long and perilous journey home after the Trojan War and his encounters with mythical beings as he attempts to reunite with his wife, Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway.
The ensemble cast includes Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya and Charlise Theron amongs other familiar faces. Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas produced the film through their production company.
From a pure filmmaking perspective, the technical execution is obviously perfect and the results here are surprisingly realistic and effective. While the promotional material heavily marketed the towering Giants, the smaller, quieter choices display his directorial mastery.
The picture framing and composition throughout the film are beautiful. In the final act, when Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar, the deliberate use of deep shadows to obscure his face against a stark white cloth makes for a good-looking picture.
The sequence where the crew is transformed into animals is unsettling. The scene uses close-ups and good editing to make for a believably terrifying moulding ordeal.
Some moments are unsettling to the point of bordering on horror, some that feel lifted directly from a painting, when you see them, you will know.
There is a distinct tactility to the costumes. The standout is Agamemnon’s armour, which looks both cool and terrifying. The visual language of the costumes helps differentiate the groups, especially when they enter Troy.
Like in another Nolan movie, Tenet, the sound design single-handedly saves the film’s weaker moments. In his quest for realism, the choreography here is deliberately scrappy, rough and unflashy.
Real fights are messy and unpredictable, which unfortunately makes for dull action set pieces on screen.
However, the incredible soundscape and the booming musical score elevate these mediocre action sequences, injecting a sense of tension into scenes like the initial infiltration of Troy that would otherwise fall flat. There are also small sound details, like one in a cave, that prove the sheer amount of thought put into this story.
The final confrontation inside the palace is narratively satisfying because of the foundation set in place by the source material, and the chemistry between Damon and Holland is great, but the actual swordplay is too clumsy, we will get to that.
All I am saying is that the fundamental aspects of the original story are here and well put together using Nolan’s signature time-jump style.
The cost of star power
If you are wondering, Lupita is okay in this, but she doesn’t have a lot of screen time.
Where the film loses me is the casting. I completely understand this is how the filmmaking business is supposed to work, get big superstars, sell more tickets, and possibly win a few awards.
But Nolan is traditionally a film purist who strives for immersion, yet the ensemble cast picked for this film shatters the illusion.
Instead of casting unknown Greek actors with distinct Mediterranean features to ground and immerse us in the ancient world, the studio populated the film with the most recognisable superstars of our generation.
Every time the narrative starts to draw you in, a famous face yanks you right back out. It is impossible to stay immersed in ancient Greece when you are looking at Matt Damon playing Odysseus.
He is a fantastic actor, but he is fundamentally Jason Bourne. The same for Tom Holland as Telemachus, or Zendaya as Athena.
Everytime they pop up on screen you can help but think about Spider- Man: Brand new day which is coming out in the coming week.
Hathaway delivers a dramatic, emotionally charged performance as Penelope, she is great especially in the first act, which is a drama and performance-driven segment.
Pattinson is brilliant as a detestable bad guy, though just in terms of pure villainy, Hawkins steals the show.
The sheer volume of star power feels highly manufactured. The studio clearly constructed this diverse, star-studded lineup, which even features Travis Scott and Zendaya, in a move that feels like a simple play to draw young crowds, international markets, and specific demographics into theatres.
It feels like a corporate studio note forced onto a director who usually prioritises artistic purity. For the casual film fan, these performances are great and highly entertaining.
For a cinephile, the constant parade of A-listers creates a distracting sense of star fatigue. Oppenheimer was star studded too? I hear you ask. The Odyssey is explicit in it’s setting and time period that it locks it’s character to a particular time, race and region.
The trade-off of realism
My frustration extends to the character of Agamemnon, who looks spectacular in his promotional posters and trailers. His armour design is cool, yet his actual role in the film amounts to nothing more than “aura farming” (posing dramatically to look stoic and cool) without fighting. He is built up as a brutal, terrifying figure, but we never see him unleash that savagery in battle.
With a look like that, it felt like a wasted opportunity.
The action sequences as a whole suffer from this rigid commitment to realism. The sequence involving the Giants feels entirely unnecessary to the narrative, seemingly added solely to justify the studio’s marketing push for the 70mm IMAX format.
Nolan’s decision to downplay the mythological presence of the Greek gods is a double-edged sword. He provides logical, grounded explanations for most of the supernatural elements, framing the narrative around the conflicting, subjective recollections of the Trojan War participants.
While this psychological approach to the consequences of war is clever, the relentless pursuit of realism strips away the fantastical elements that make Homer’s story so entertaining.
The Odyssey is supposed to be a fantastical, highly imaginative journey. By muting the divine interventions and, for example, leaving the mythical sirens obscurred in the background or changing an important age-related trick in the third act, the film loses its whimsical chore. We are left with a technically well-put-together, dramatic shell of a grand story.
This is a good cinematic experience, but I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece. While the first watch is incredible, the rewatchability value here is low.