Nolan’s latest ‘Odyssey’ is epic film-making
Published 4:24 pm Friday, July 17, 2026
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Matt Damon as Odysseus in a scene from “The Odyssey.” (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures via AP)
How do you follow up an Oscar-winning film?
If you are Christopher Nolan you tackle one of the most famous works of literature of all time with “The Odyssey.” This cinematic adaptation of “Homer’s epic poem” is an absolute spectacle — with Nolan and a mostly superb cast bringing the story to life in epic fashion.
Nolan’s adaptation tells the story in a fractured manner (a time structure that takes some getting used to early in the film, but once it gets rolling it flows seamlessly). Matt Damon plays Odysseus, a soldier who is guilt ridden for helping to orchestrate the attack on Troy.
On his quest home with a small group of soldiers, Odysseus and his crew encounter everything from the Cyclops to a witch named Circe (Samantha Morton) to a forest of fierce giants. Each sequence is expertly crafted by Nolan, with the kind of action sequences that have made him one of the top directors working today.
Meanwhile in Itheca, Penelope (Anne Hathaway) holds out hope her husband will return one day while overwrought with a house full of potential suitors (including Robert Pattinson in full slime mode as Antinous.)
As Penelope becomes more and more overwhelmed by the suitors, her son Telemachus (Tom Holland) sets out on a quest to find his father and bring him home.
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The film is at its best when it focuses on the Odysseus story with the action sequences and set pieces really popping off the screen.
Damon is wonderful as the conflicted soldier, his mental struggles resonating in a way that seems rather timely considering the current world climate.
There is plenty of support in the stellar cast — not just from Hathaway and Pattinson. John Leguizamo as Odysseus’s loyal servant gives some of the best work of his career, with Charlize Theron and Zendaya also having memorable moments.
The biggest issue is Holland, who is severely miscast and out of place compared to the rest of the cast. It’s a performance that is so distracting that it brings down the entire story thread of Telemachus.
It’s a credit to Nolan that the film is still exceptional despite the near catastrophic choice of Holland in such a pivotal role.
Most films couldn’t survive that kind of misstep, but “The Odyssey” not only overcomes that it still comes pretty close to greatness. It’s still a must see epic event that needs to be experienced on the big screen.
Grade: B+
About Micheal Compton
I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.
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