Review of 'The Odyssey'

In ancient Greece, king Odysseus (Matt Damon) is returning with his army to his home in Ithaca. They have successfully defeated the Trojan army in the heavily fortified, impenetrable walled city of Troy by hiding a group of soldiers hide inside a large wooden horse. The Trojans, believing the horse to be a gift from the Gods, take it inside the walls of the city where the Ithacans emerge and seize the city. The return journey takes many years so under pressure to find a new king Odysseus' wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) promises to choose a new husband from a large group of suitors who she has been hosting at their castle…but only after she completes weaving a tapestry. Every night she secretly unwinds her work of the day hoping that one day her beloved husband will return to her. Odysseus and his army, having angered the Gods with their defeat of Troy, face many challenges on their journey including hostile native peoples, starvation, giants, Cyclops, Sirens, and Calypso (Charlize Theron) who causes Odysseus to forget his journey entirely…

A much anticipated blockbuster from Hollywood legend, Christopher Nolan sees the Odyssey on the big screen notably filmed using awkward IMAX cameras. I was not so lucky to see it in IMAX but did see it on a reasonably sized screen and, more importantly, with comfortable seats as at just under three hours, this is an Odyssey for both the characters and the audience. Yes, it is long, but in the screening I saw the large audience was largely silent, spell-bound with what they were seeing. Though long, the film draws you in from the very start though despite the copious action it does get a bit tiresome after a while…“oh, another massive obstacle in the path of the army…<sigh>” It is worth sticking with it as the ending is quite satisfying if not the massive action sequence you might have expected and slightly less an emotional impact as you might have expected (though perhaps they were all so tired by this point they were just going through the numbers?).

This adaptation of Homer's epic fantasy story is based on a relatively new translation of the original that has been changed slightly for modern audiences including introducing guilt and “PTSD” into Odysseus (who suffers no such regrets in the original). The film also faced comments that it was almost TOO “woke” not only to it's modern social sensibilities but also in it's racially diverse cast. Does this all matter so much? I don't think so, it is an action-filled fun piece of epic fantasy.

The action pretty much starts from the first few minutes as we are thrown into the middle of things with no introduction, having to figure out what it going on as the story progresses. It looks amazing with incredible sets, beautiful Mediterranean scenery, stunning special effects, and impressive performances from the all-star cast. Nolan had a lot to say about the production including insisting on filming many of the sequences at full-scale and “for real” rather than relying so much on the special effects – It really does show in, for example, the visceral and confusing battle sequences which really draw you into the action.

Matt Damon is almost unrecognizable as Odysseus aged behind a beard but he wears it well and delivers a stunning performance as the tragic hero simply struggling against the wrath of the Gods to make his way home. Anne Hathaway as his wife delivers a calm, measured performance as she weighs the pressure of finding a new king with the love and hope she keeps for her husband's return. Tom Holland plays to type as Odysseus and Penelope's son Telemachus who wants to do best for his mother but also feels the pressure of the suitors to find a new king. His role is largely one of exposition than as any significant plot device but he is perfectly fine in this role if perhaps a bit under-utilized.

An incredible story of love and determination, “The Odyssey” is a modern epic that needs to be seen on the big screen but is certainly not for the faint of heart with an almost 3 hour running time and lots of bloody violence.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2026-08-02

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Studio: Universal Pictures

Year: 2026

Length: 173 minutes

Genre: Fantasy

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33764258/

• Batman Begins (2005)
• The Prestige (2006)
• The Dark Knight (2008)
• Inception (2010)
• The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
• Interstellar (2014)
• Dunkrk (2017)
• Tenet (2020)
• Oppenheimer (2023)