Sometimes, a film presents me with what feels like an impossibly enormous question: where do I even start when writing about this? Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is one of those times. That question, however, is definitively the smallest, most infinitesimal question this particular movie presents. Adapting Homer’s ancient Greek epic, Nolan finds a way to combine everything which makes him successful as a filmmaker, and even go to whole new places (for him). Although it obviously isn’t in a contemporary setting, The Odyssey has the kind of smart and epic action fans of The Dark Knight, Tenet, and Inception are looking for, the political musings of Oppenheimer and Dark Knight, the high emotion of Interstellar, and his consistently innovative exploration of the passage of time, all while he challenges himself with definite tinges of horror throughout. Inception is my favorite movie of the 21st century so far, if not my favorite movie of all time, so for The Odyssey to immediately feel not all that far behind it in my rankings of his films is the highest praise I can possibly give.
Matt Damon leads an insanely loaded cast as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca. Stubborn but calculating, complex yet unwavering, Odysseus gets much more than he bargained for when returning home from the Trojan War. The horror tinges here are very appropriate, as Damon and Nolan pitch the character at his most haunted; haunted by the spoils of war, haunted by what he and his men have unleashed upon the world, and haunted by the trials and tribulations of leadership amidst total chaos. Along with his remaining men and his second-in-command Eurylochus (Himesh Patel), Odysseus encounters all the famous mythical creatures from the source material in their impossible quest homeward. Each new creature and/or setting presents new opportunities for the film to up the action and horror stakes, and Nolan seizes on every single one. For hardcore fans of the source material, some elements may feel like they’ve been given short shrift, but unless you’re just a spoilsport from the outset, I think it’s pretty hard to argue with the overall pacing and effect of the film.
Anne Hathaway continues her remarkable 2026 hot streak as Penelope, Odysseus’ wife and Queen of Ithaca, who must fend off several suitors while Odysseus is presumed dead for many years. One of these suitors, Antinous (Robert Pattinson), is more anxious to wed her than anyone else, and to take the throne and potentially harm Odysseus’ son Telemachus (Tom Holland) in the process. Especially towards the beginning of the film, these three get some great palace-intrigue moments that set the tone and establish our desire as an audience to see these jealousies and anxieties resolved. If I have anything negative to say about the film at all, it’s that especially in this beginning section, Nolan’s editing choices are slightly choppier than the rest of the film ends up being. I actually think that’s intentional for emotional and thematic reasons, but there are several dialogue-heavy sequences which I wish were allowed to breathe just a hair more.
In any case, it’s such a jam-packed film (without ever really feeling overstuffed) that I definitely won’t be able to praise every actor within the confines of this review, but suffice it to say that everyone does a remarkable job. Two supporting performances really stand out to me. One is Samantha Morton as Circe, a witch and goddess through whom Nolan channels his most outright horror abilities, some of which I didn’t even know he had. She threatens to steal the entire film during her section of it, along with the seamless blend of practical and computer-generated effects work emanating from Circe’s powers. The other standout for me is Elliot Page as Sinon, Odysseus’ cousin who fights alongside him. Page also steals a horror-like scene, opposite a haunted Odysseus crushed by the weight of his own decisions.
I would be remiss in not discussing how incredible The Odyssey looks. The first film to be entirely shot on IMAX 70MM cameras, the sweep of the movie benefits heavily from the use of said technology, and Nolan’s ability to find the perfect middle ground between wide shots of the gorgeous locations and medium and close-up shots of the fighting and dialogue is second to none. In fact, I can’t think of a filmmaker in history better equipped to tackle this material so perfectly, with so much verve for the atavistically satisfying and the blessedly unexpected. This is Nolan’s work through and through, and if you go in expecting something dry and by-the-book, you may walk out disappointed. I could not have had a more opposite reaction. Although I don’t think anything could beat Inception, The Odyssey is the culmination of all the talents of a cinematic giant. | George Napper
