The Odyssey is looking to be one of the biggest movies of the year and its many people’s most predicted movie of 2026. We now have the first reactions to this film with critics now having seen the film. So, what are critics saying about the film? Here are some of the reactions!
The Reactions
- “Oscar-winner Christopher Nolan has another massive hit on his hands with The Odyssey, a stunning, exhilarating, fully immersive, and breathtaking epic in every sense of the word! Bravura filmmaking of the highest order. It is a whole lotta movie & ya gotta see it in IMAX!” - Scott Mantz
- “Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey is as epic as movies get with some of the most breathtaking set pieces; he has ever attempted. A colossal achievement of scale, even by Nolan’s standards its commitment to capturing as much as possible in-camera using new IMAX cameras…Matt Damon’s screen command and glimpse into Odysseus’ soul brings waves of enormous power to larger-than-life and complex role…and Tom Holland’s coming-of-age portrayal signals as exciting new era in this evolving career as a leading man. The cast is massive but the supporting turns of Robert Pattinson, Himesh Patel, Samantha Morton, and John Leguizamo impressed me the most…” - Matt Neglia
- “Christopher Nolan somehow keeps raising the bar. The Odyssey is one of the biggest, most epic, movies I have ever seen. It has massive battles, incredible IMAX insults, and feels like a true myth brought to life, but underneath all of that it is about one man trying to get back home. That is what hit me the most. Matt Damon absolutely owns the role of Odysseus. You feel every loss, every mistake, and every victory with him. Anne Hathaway is fantastic as Penelope, and Tom Holland surprised me in the best way. He is proving he can be much more than Spider-Man…” - Will-iam Smith
- “Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is a staggering achievement & a masterclass in exploring the guilt of survival. The performances are deeply human & emotionally devastating…A testament to why The Odyssey has endured & why Nolan remains one of the greatest filmmakers working.” - Sharonda Williams
- “I saw The Odyssey last week…It is Christopher Nolan’s most straightforward movie ever, and maybe his most impressive. Both the epic scale and attention to detail are stunning. The closest comparison I can think of is Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.” - Jacob Kleinman
My Thoughts:
This is one that I was interested to see what the reactions were going to be, because there has been so much controversy surrounding this film, specifically some casting choices on Nolan’s part. At the same time, it is Christopher Nolan who has had a great 25-year record of accomplishment of putting out great films. Based on these reviews, The Odyssey is another hit from Nolan. Sometimes these early reviews can be a bit misleading. There have been several times where the early buzz for a film has been fantastic but the actual reception for the film has been polarizing, Disclosure Day is a perfect example of this in recent years.
What do I think about The Odyssey’s early reviews? Honestly, the reviews do not change my excitement for the film. I expected the reviews to be great and positive because the trailers were great and Christopher Nolan’s track record is fantastic. A lot of the language used like “epic” and “stunning” is a lot of the language I expected to be used, but it’s reassuring to see that Nolan has not lost his touch after so many people claiming he did with this film. One of the reviews that I saw, but I could not find it to include it on this list was talking about how the film is a bit clunky starting out but has great payoff and the third act is fantastic. The other thing that I found interesting but also not interesting and not surprising is the performances were constantly being mentioned as fantastic and some of the best of the year. It should not be too surprising considering this film has an absolutely stacked cast filled with great actors. Some tweets were saying that this is the best performance of Matt Damon’s career. Anne Hathaway was also getting a good bit of mention here, and I have seen some people start to predict her to slip into the supporting actor category. As far as the supporting actors go, Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson have been getting a lot of chatter. Tom Holland was the one that I was the most curious about because this is his first big film outside of Spider-Man. All the reviews that mention him say that he is a standout and that this movie shows that he is more than just Spider-Man. Pattinson is our villain of the movie and people are saying that he is creepy and sinister in all the right ways. I would not be surprised if a couple of these actors end up getting Oscar nominations in January, and a couple of them will win.
Overall, it seems like Nolan has done it again. I am planning to see this film next Thursday and I am excited for it, and I hope Nolan delivers a fantastic movie to prove the haters wrong.
Comments