Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is already being hailed as one of the biggest cinematic events of the year, days before its theatrical release. The filmmaker’s ambitious adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic, starring Matt Damon in lead, has screened for critics and the first reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. Reviewers have praised Nolan for delivering what many are calling one of his finest works.
Several critics have also singled out Robert Pattinson’s performance while others believe the film is best experienced on the biggest IMAX screen possible.
Critics Call The Odyssey Christopher Nolan’s Most Ambitious Film Yet
Many early viewers believe The Odyssey pushes Nolan’s filmmaking to a new level. Fandango’s Erik Davis described the film as “an absolute triumph and a crowning cinematic achievement from one of the great filmmakers of our time.”
He added that Nolan’s years of experimenting with IMAX filmmaking seem to have led to this moment.
“It feels like everything Nolan has been working toward with IMAX has culminated here. The production design is incredible, the action is breathtaking, and the scale is unlike anything he’s done before.”
Davis also pointed out an unexpected element in the film.
“What really surprised me is how much he embraces horror. Some of the film’s biggest moments are genuinely unsettling, adding a whole new dimension to his filmmaking while never losing sight of the humanity at the story’s core.”
Christopher Nolan’s #TheOdyssey is an absolute triumph and a crowning cinematic achievement from one of the great filmmakers of our time. It feels like everything Nolan has been working toward with IMAX has culminated here. The production design is incredible, the action is… pic.twitter.com/yLxocUEEdn
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) July 6, 2026
Robert Pattinson Wins Big Praise
While critics appreciated the performances across the cast, Robert Pattinson appears to have emerged as an early favourite.
Davis wrote that although Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon and Tom Holland all impressed him, Pattinson stood out the most.
“Robert Pattinson absolutely stole the show for me. He’s so conniving, manipulative and endlessly entertaining to watch. Pattinson leans all the way into the character’s villainy, and it results in one of my favorite performances of his.”
Ben Rolph, Senior Film Critic at Discussing Film, also had similar thoughts: “The Odyssey is an epic tale of unmeasurable scope, grounded by Odysseus’ quest for meaning on his arduous journey. Got chills multiple times, the sound literally shook the cinema. The music rocks, it’s exhilarating and looks stunning, and Robert Pattinson kills it.”
#TheOdyssey is an epic tale of unmeasurable scope, grounded by Odysseus’ quest for meaning on his arduous journey. Got chills multiple times, the sound literally shook the cinema. The music rocks, it’s exhilarating and looks STUNNING & Robert Pattinson KILLS IT. The ending tho 🤯 pic.twitter.com/YJlfArd32a
— Ben Rolph (@TheDCTVshow) July 6, 2026
Lou Thomas from BFI also praised Pattinson’s work while highlighting performances from Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page and Samantha Morton. Calling the film a “huge action adventure spectacle,” Thomas described Matt Damon as “a worthy hero.”
The Odyssey truly delivers. Christopher Nolan’s film is a huge action-adventure spectacle full of blood and thunder. Matt Damon a worthy hero and big performances across the board with Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo, Robert Pattinson, Elliot Page and Samantha Morton my picks. Ace. pic.twitter.com/U7fxdwwe4A
— Lou Thomas (@London_Lou) July 6, 2026
Greek Mythology Meets Modern Storytelling
Several critics said Nolan does much more than simply retell Homer’s famous tale. Andrew J. Salazar of Discussing Film called the movie “a staggering achievement” and praised the way it connects ancient mythology with today’s world.
He wrote that the film features “spectacular and even terrifying set pieces” while exploring themes of pride, war and forgiveness. According to Salazar, Nolan uses Odysseus’ journey to ask timely questions about human nature and the consequences of past actions. He added that the ending left him “soaring with hope.”
THE ODYSSEY is a staggering achievement. It boasts spectacular & even terrifying set pieces that feel like Christopher Nolan fully embracing the horrors of Greek mythology. Yet, how he tastefully recontextualizes the story for the modern day is what has kept my head buzzing (1/2) pic.twitter.com/x1GJbwSOEK
— Andrew J. Salazar (@AndrewJ626) July 6, 2026
David Crow of Den of Geek also highlighted the emotional side of the film. While he felt the movie packs a lot into its three hour runtime, he said it has more heart than most of Nolan’s recent work. Crow noted that beneath the large scale battles and mythology, the story focuses on family, home and the emotional cost of war.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is MONUMENTAL on so many levels. Yes, it really does attempt to condense nearly all of Homer inside of 3 hours. But it also tackles with more heart than any Nolan film since Interstellar his greatest muse… 1/3
— David Crow (@DCrowsNest) July 6, 2026
Perri Nemiroff of Collider called The Odyssey “a filmmaking feast.”
“A grand and gripping rendition of Homer’s epic, and one that feels uniquely Christopher Nolan,” she wrote, adding that it is difficult to imagine another filmmaker bringing the story to life with the same scale and emotion.
THE ODYSSEY is a filmmaking feast. A grand and gripping rendition of Homer’s epic, and one that feels uniquely Christopher Nolan. It’s sincerely hard to imagine any other filmmaker on the planet being able to bring that source material to screen with this much scale, scope and… pic.twitter.com/7jOO5Ch9ZZ
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) July 6, 2026
A Film Made For IMAX
Scott Mantz was among the many critics encouraging audiences to watch the film in IMAX.
“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,” he wrote and called it “bravura filmmaking” and further added “Ya gotta see it in IMAX.”
Oscar-winner CHRISTOPHER NOLAN has another massive hit on his hands with “THE ODYSSEY,” a stunning, exhilarating, fully-immersive & breathtaking epic in every sense of the word! Bravura filmmaking of the tallest order — It’s a whole lotta movie & ya gotta see it in @IMAX! pic.twitter.com/OTTc7H6WaY
— Scott Mantz 🖖 (@MovieMantz) July 6, 2026
The recommendation comes as no surprise. The Odyssey is the first narrative feature film to be shot entirely using IMAX cameras. Speaking to Empire magazine, Nolan revealed that the production used more than two million feet of film during its 91 day shoot.
Explaining why he wanted to adapt Homer’s epic, the filmmaker said, “As a filmmaker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before.”
“And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with – Ray Harryhausen movies and other things – I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do,” he added.
The Odyssey: Cast And Release Date
Matt Damon leads the film as Odysseus, the legendary Greek king trying to return home after the Trojan War. Anne Hathaway plays his wife Penelope while Tom Holland appears as their son, Telemachus. The ensemble cast also features Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal and several others.
The Odyssey is scheduled to release in theatres on July 17.
