The Odyssey
The Odyssey is undoubtedly the best movie of 2026 so far, and one of the greatest movies I have ever seen.
And a lot of that greatness has to come from the story; there is a reason Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey have stayed relevant after all these years, because they are so grand and epic in nature. And it’s these qualities that allow for this movie to be so incredible. The fact that you can show these Greek myths, the Trojan Horse, Circe, Sirens, Charybdis, Shades, and so much more, without any question or explanation needed for the audience to understand what is happening, allows Christopher Nolan to show the underlying story that he made. One of a guilty man, desperate to return home before his wife can remarry, and his son can be killed, facing mythical challenges along the way, defying the Gods in the process.
And the main narrative tool he uses to show this is Zeus’ Law: Treat others the way you want to be treated, as they could be God’s in disguise. This law sets the stage for one of the most gripping storytellings regarding morality I have ever seen. Who breaks the law? Is it Antinous and the Suitors, staying every night in the castle and taking the food of Ithaca, or is it Circe or Calypso, dragging people in and then betraying them? But then you realise, the true breakers of this law are Odysseus and his men. His men, the pigs who attack, pillage, and rape across towns, as we see in a short but important scene, where they ravage a particular town for supplies. And for Odysseus, his moment of breaking this law is coming up with the idea for the Trojan Horse and leading the attack on Troy, killing thousands of innocent civilians. And his guilt is shown masterfully through the fact that Athena, the God who appears and helps Odysseus throughout his Odyssey, takes the form of one of these civilians, showing how his actions defy the Gods. And that is the underlying story of the Odyssey that Christopher Nolan wanted to tell.
How could I not mention the brilliant acting in this movie? Everyone does incredibly well in this huge ensemble cast. Of course, Matt Damon does amazing as Odysseus, showing the flaws as well as the greatness and nobleness of his character, perfectly balancing the angry and emotional scenes. Anne Hathaway also did incredibly as Penelope, with her calm demeanour, which can occasionally turn into an aggressive and sad performance when she talks about Odysseus. There is one scene that is simply brilliant, where Telemachus confronts her about him needing to take the throne, given that the throne of Ithaca has been empty for 20 years, and she lashes out, saying that she has been the one sitting on that throne. Speaking of Telemachus, Tom Holland is the only one of the ‘main characters’ who was underwhelming, in a film full of outstanding performances; he just seemed dull and normal. Robert Pattinson also does incredibly as Antinous. He makes that character and the suitors with him so threatening, and makes that eventual payoff where Odysseus returns to kill him and the suitors so much more rewarding and triumphant from a viewer’s perspective. Other than those 4 main characters, the rest of the cast also do phenomenal. Zendaya as Athena, Elliot Page as Sinon, Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, Charlize Theron as Calypso, and Samantha Morton as Circe, who dominates every scene she is in, even if it is only a small amount. I would especially like to point out Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, Odysseus’ right-hand man, as he is the only one of Odysseus men who is in a lot of the movie, and perfectly represents them as this impulsive, distrustful and antagonistic group of people. John Leguizamo as Eumaeus will also most likely be up for a supporting actor nomination at the Oscars next year, as he does an incredible job as Odysseus’ loyal friend and servant back at Ithaca, having a wide range of moments in the film, defiant against the suitors, angry at the possibility of Odysseus not returning, wise in teaching Telemachus and many more. I feel like I have to mention the fact that many people deem all these castings as ‘inaccurate’, especially the casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, but all I have to say is that these complaints are simply absurd. In an adaptation, you are allowed to make changes; this film would not be nearly as good as it is if it were a one-to-one copy of Homer’s original story. And that’s why they decided to cast the best actors they could for that role, not the ones who looked the most accurate.
The visuals in The Odyssey are simply magnificent. Most of it was done practically, too, which I always believe makes a film better nowadays, compared to the CGI ‘slop’ that is so common. From having the Cyclops be a puppet, to filming on open water, building a life sized trojan horse, to filming in and on real-life islands and palaces. It is truly exceptional. These great visuals are also strengthened by the editing, which frequently uses jump cuts to huge sequences and scenes to show the magnitude of them. One of my favourite moments in the entire film is a cut where they are about to board their boat, cutting straight to them on the open sea, fighting against the waters of Poseidon and the Lightning of Zeus, destroying the boat. It goes from quiet to loud in less than a second, showing the might of the Gods. Outstanding sounds just like that thunder in the boat scene can be found all across the film. The screams of the people in Troy, the ocean waves, and especially the Cyclops’ scream. It was the loudest thing I had ever heard in a cinema, and it probably didn’t help that I was sitting right next to a speaker, perfectly showing the Cyclops’ endless torture after he is blinded.
The one critique that many people say is that the film, particularly with the slower first 30 minutes of it, is poorly paced. And I can understand that, but you could say that about any Nolan film; it’s a storytelling style. He uses non-linear storytelling, a tool where pieces of the story are given over time, allowing the audience to piece together the story. This usually means that the first part of his films is confusing and slower paced, but it also means that the climax is more thrilling, which I personally think makes the films better, which is why I love the pacing in The Odyssey and in all Nolan films.
The Odyssey is without a doubt one of Nolan’s best movies, and continues to put him into talks as one of the best directors of all time. We give it a 94%.
