The Odyssey, 2026
Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, Will Yun Lee, Jimmy Gonzáles, Elliot Page, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse García, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Corey Hawkins, Nick E. Tarabay, Maurice Compte, Michael Vlamis, Iddo Goldberg, Josh Stewart, Ryan Hurst, Anthony Molinari, Jovan Adepo, Logan Marshall-Green, James Remar, Travis Scott, Douglas Rouillard, Jorge Leon, Andrei Lenart, Kamden Riley, Ryan de Quintal, Jarreth J. Merz, Markie Farnsley, Stephen Murphy, Matt Lasky, Adam Croasdell, Jamie Harris, Niko Nicotera, Elyes Gabel, Sean Avery, Andrew Howard, Ian Casselberry, John Ales, Raimy Lang, Mason Cufari, Kate Fuglei, Mickey Shilowich, and Katerina Antemel.
SYNOPSIS:
After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Calypso along the way.
Some movies build to epic moments; some contain a handful throughout. Then there are rare films like Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Greek poet Homer’s The Odyssey, where each image leaves one in a state of dazzled disbelief. It is filmmaking at its most ambitious and absorbing. Perhaps that was inevitable given the extraordinary resume of the Oscar-winning filmmaker thus far, meaning the real surprise is how he threads the revered text into explorations of commonly explored themes across his filmography, whether it be the bonds between parents and children, immeasurable sacrifices, repressed guilt bubbling to the surface (this time quite literally by the undead), amnesia, extended journeys away from home and the toll it takes on families and civilization back home, or the consequences of actions that ripple across future generations while defining an era.
The boldest move might be giving Travis Scott (a popular rapper who had a WWE guest appearance run as legendarily bad as The Odyssey is heralded, redeeming that stint with a solid debut acting turn here) the first lines as a bard (one of many throughlines demonstrating that this isn’t stunt casting, as Christopher Nolan himself has already spoken about the similarities between artistic crafts) passing down stories of Matt Damon’s Odysseus, a strategically clever and imposing Greek general who led the sacking of Troy in the Trojan War.
For those unfamiliar with the narrative’s premise, the Ithaca palace where these tales are being spun is filled with eager suitors looking to elevate their status (the most prominent among them played by Robert Pattinson as the slimy and deceitfully conniving chief antagonist, Antinous), practically licking their chops, vying to wed Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway, expertly encompassing a wide range of emotions, rejecting the men as long as possible and conflicted about the future of Ithaca), as despite the successful conquest, Odysseus has yet to return home. The rest of these suitors are also a particularly vile and selfish bunch, even cruel to Odysseus’ elderly dog, who is touchingly fighting to stay alive to greet him one last time.
Twenty years have now passed with Odysseus’ son Telemachus (Tom Holland, who has one of the more rewarding character arcs and, by the end, gets to show a fiery side of his acting abilities) having grown up while mentored by blind farmer Eumaeus (John Leguizamo, wise and noble, also delivering a rich performance in a film full of them), now with understandable questions about what kind of man his father was, let alone whether he is alive or dead, not to mention whether anyone can truly know their father.
This is also the first of a couple of ways into Christopher Nolan’s traditional nonlinear storytelling technique, as Telemachus soon rebels against orders to take a voyage of his own to Sparta, conversing with King Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and his queen, hailed as the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Troy (Lupita Nyong’o), with her abduction being one reason for the Trojan War. The inner workings behind this and the complicated Spartan family (which also features Lupita Nyong’o as her twin sister, Clytemnestra) come to light here, while King Menelaus speaks of his time fighting alongside Odysseus and whether he has any information about his whereabouts following the battle at Troy.
Then there is the titular Odyssey itself, which begins in medias res with Odysseus washed up on a beach, with no recollection of what happened or his current purpose, nurtured and healed by the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron), yet seemingly held there for ulterior motives (one of a few dynamics that could have benefited from more time, even accounting for how long the film already is). Nevertheless, the film traces back to the infamous Trojan horse gift ruse- which, if you’re somehow not familiar with through cultural osmosis, involved Ithacan soldiers piling inside this oversized wooden horse on top of one another, hiding there for days as a ploy to sneak past the gates (complete with scenes from inside the horse and soldiers assembled like an unorthodox human monument of bodies, simply making for unreal shots courtesy of regular Christopher Nolan collaborator cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema) while also deploying deception and using one of their soldiers, Sinon (Elliot Page) as an out-of-the-loop sacrifice – offering up glimpses of the sacking, but mostly settling in on the voyage home.
Considering that on the first leg of the journey, Odysseus and his crew – with Himesh Patel’s Eurylochus as his right-hand soldier – end up trapped in a cave alongside the sea god Poseidon’s cyclops son Polyphemus (credited as portrayed by Bill Irwin, which is movie magic in itself given that this could have been a CGI-heavy creation, but is painstakingly realized through impeccably detailed makeup trickery and costuming, all while functioning as its own unsettling spin on what these mythological monsters look like), Christopher Nolan more than welcomes stepping into uncharted territory as a filmmaker and embracing multiple genres. Without giving too much away, what ensues could be his calling card for a future horror film, as the natural darkness of caves and shadows is used to the cinematography’s advantage, heightening the sense of dread. It’s also a gruesomely violent sequence that most likely single-handedly earned the film its R rating. Such spectacle isn’t restricted to the cave, though, as there is a sweeping chase across the surrounding areas, one of several moments significantly enhanced by shooting in 70mm.
As the film goes on, Christopher Nolan continues to lean heavily into fantastical mythology, including his take on siren songs, skirmishes against giants in metallic armor, the ancient Greek gods rigging the voyage against Odysseus and his soldiers, and a run-in with witch Circe (Samantha Morton) in a scene-stealing role, not only for its contents but also its justified rage against the nature of what these men have done) taking advantage of their starved stomachs.
There is a stunning, wondrous beauty to all of it that is somewhat juxtaposed by the more intense sequence of boats riding through storms, which is so frighteningly, practically accomplished that it’s a miracle no one died making it. On that note, if Leonardo DiCaprio can win an Oscar for the hell he put himself through shooting The Revenant, Matt Damon deserves similar flowers in the form of a nomination at the very least, but also because his performance is undeniably riveting and layered, challenging him emotionally as much as physically. Then again, nearly everyone with a significant role deserves awards consideration here.
Each leg of this troubled hero’s journey almost feels designed by the gods to break Odysseus down, further pushing him to reckon with his and his army’s actions. His only source of solace in that department generally comes from visions of Athena (Zendaya), pushing back on his accusations that the gods speak in mysterious ways. What could be clearer than speaking through thunder, fire, death, etc? Zeus’s law is also frequently referred to, essentially amounting to the biblical Golden Rule and a code of honor that Odysseus ponders as a cosmic balance to the universe, and if it has been broken. It could be debated that even today, similar notable lessons to live by are repeatedly broken.
As all of this pain and torment accumulates, it sets the stage for the much more emotionally forward third act (there is certainly room to acknowledge that some viewers will find the first two-thirds a bit too cold and distant) involving one last attempt at a return, humbleness (there is a line about a beggar having a much stronger perceptive of the world around them than those of a higher social stature, that lingers and is worth pondering), and Christopher Nolan’s take on an archery challenge (accompanied by Ludwig Göransson playing a Bronze Age instrument in tandem with the string plucking, blending all aspects of filmmaking). Expanding on that last point, it goes without saying that the multiple Oscar-winning composer has crafted another score that taps into cultural specificity and plays in the mind on repeat long after the credits roll. It culminates in a claustrophobically contained, violent battle indoors, once again making stunning use of the outdoor element, with lightning strikes reflected during combat; as noted up top, just about every image here is breathtaking in some fashion.
Beyond how utterly enveloping this take on The Odyssey is, there is also something topical about it, pointing toward repeated mistakes throughout history, which has also been a recent fixation in his work. It’s where the nonlinear structure benefits most, as it pushes the clearest picture of the Troy sacking, what it means, and what it ultimately represents near the end of the three-hour running time for maximum context and emotional epicness. Christopher Nolan seamlessly weaves his thematic fascinations as a filmmaker into a sprawling, staggeringly immersive interpretation of a Greek epic that consistently leaves one in awe of how it was accomplished. Put him on the Mount Olympus of filmmakers.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
