The Odyssey
July 14th, 2026
MOVIE: THE ODYSSEY
STARRING: MATT DAMON, ANNE HATHAWAY, TOM HOLLAND, CHARLIZE THERON
DIRECTED BY: CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 4 STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 180 MINUTES
It’s important to note that Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey arrives immediately after the massive success of Oppenheimer. To craft a film of this magnitude, a mere two years after delivering his Best Picture-winning achievement, is no coincidence. In fact, there may not be two films that complement one another better than the conflicted, brilliant life of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the journey of Odysseus in Homer’s Greek epic. Like all of Nolan’s films, this is a story about the flaws of men (The Prestige), the toll that time takes on a person (The Dark Knight), the lives lost in war (Dunkirk), the opportunities that slip away (Interstellar), and everything that must be sacrificed to find happiness again (The Dark Knight Rises). In grand fashion, The Odyssey lives up to every ounce of anticipation, filled with impeccable cinematography, breathtaking production design, and a spectacular ensemble delivering exceptional performances. The Odyssey is a gift from the gods of cinema.
The story is more than three thousand years old. It begins in Ithaca, after the heroics of the Trojan War. Odysseus (Matt Damon) has been gone for nearly ten years while his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), wonders if he will ever see his father again. Penelope (Anne Hathaway) mourns with little hope remaining for his return. Inside their palace, a multitude of suitors, led by Antinous (Robert Pattinson), feast endlessly, drinking wine and waiting for Penelope to choose her next king. On the other side of the world, Odysseus remains trapped under the spell of Calypso (Charlize Theron). As his memories slowly return, so too does his determination to fight his way back to the people he loves.
As anyone familiar with Homer’s epic knows, The Odyssey is about the journey, not the destination. At its core, Nolan presents the story as a metaphor for life and aging. Its themes resonate through the world left behind, the moments that shape us along the way, and the purpose that keeps us moving forward. Midway through the film, an intriguing question emerges: does Odysseus even want to return home? One begins to wonder if survival itself has become his true purpose, and whether reaching the finish line was ever the point. Every new chapter transforms the adventure- from battling a Cyclops and surviving a forest of towering giants to resisting the wicked enchantments of the witch Circe (Samantha Morton) and coming face-to-face with the ghosts of fallen soldiers. Each sequence feels like another milestone in Nolan’s career. Visually, everything is tangible, from the white-sand beaches and towering green cliffsides to a Trojan Horse sequence destined to become one of cinema’s great set pieces. It’s impossible to single out one crowning achievement when The Odyssey contains at least seven all-time moments for a filmmaker who already has so many.
Much of the acting praise belongs to Damon, who inhabits Odysseus with remarkable intensity. He carries the burden of protecting his men, surviving the unpredictable, and pressing forward into the unknown. Yet despite its enormous scale, The Odyssey remains surprisingly intimate, grounded in the relationships between people and the recurring idea of “Zeus’ law”- treat others as you would wish to be treated. No matter how vast the visual spectacle becomes, Nolan understands that this epic is rooted in humanity. The film condemns cruelty in all its forms: the mistreatment of animals, the disregard for women, and the dismissal of the beggar on the street. It is the slow collapse of civilization that pushes Odysseus to the brink. While he fights to avoid death at every turn, he is equally burdened by the growing knowledge of what mankind is capable of.
It is that interpretation- and that connection- that brings us back to Oppenheimer. Nolan previously crafted a film about a man who unleashed unimaginable destruction and spent the rest of his life grappling with the consequences of what he had helped create. The final act of The Odyssey powerfully links the two films as Odysseus reflects on the civilization he helped shape. Laws have been broken. Trust has eroded. Love has been divided by deception and violence hidden within a wooden horse. In many ways, Nolan seeks to restore that trust through filmmaking itself. He assembles The Odyssey with astonishing craftsmanship, reminding us of the extraordinary heights human creativity can reach. In doing so, he continues what Homer began thousands of years ago, using epic storytelling to remind us of both the greatness and the frailty of mankind. The Odyssey is, without question, a masterpiece.
4 STARS
THE ODYSSEY IS PLAYING IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE FRIDAY, JULY 17TH, 2026.
Written by: Leo Brady
