Christopher Nolan’s newest blockbuster film, The Odyssey, hit theaters on July 17th, 2026, to massive financial success and strongly positive ratings. The Odyssey marks the thirteenth film directed by Christopher Nolan and is set to be another cinema hit on his list, which includes Oppenheimer, Inception, and The Dark Knight Rises, as Nolan adapts Homer’s ancient Greek poem to the big screen.
One of the most interesting aspects of The Odyssey comes from the structure of the film and epic poem itself. Nolan opts to use a non-linear storytelling style like the ones seen in previous films of his, like Oppenheimer, where the story follows three different timelines throughout the film. It’s a restyling of Homer’s original poem without rewriting it.
Another strong aspect of the film is the use of pacing as a tool. The pacing through The Odyssey is phenomenal, especially in acts of the film where the pacing drastically slows down, allowing for the actor/actresses’ performances and the set pieces to really shine brightly; especially in moments of introduction or significant story arcs, primarily with Matt Damon’s Odysseus. The final act of the film serves as a perfect conclusion to the film from not just the acting but to the cinematography and choreography.
It’s impossible to give a review on this film without highlighting the fantastic acting performances and soul-moving musical score throughout. Ludwig Göransson continues his generational musician and composer journey in The Odyssey, choosing not to even use an orchestra for the film but instead using ancient Greek instruments and recreations of them to produce and compose one of his most haunting and chilling film scores yet filled with several musical transcendent moments.
The lead actor of the film, Matt Damon, is beyond amazing as Odysseus throughout the film. He conveys each part of Odysseus’s journey so strongly through not just his wit but his emotion, making the feelings of grief and other negative emotions Odysseus feels and goes through be felt past the screen. Another stellar performance comes from Anne Hathaway in the role of Queen Penelope; although she plays a reserved role within the film, in the moments she does get, Anne Hathaway steals every scene from every other person on the screen. But my absolute favorite performances in the film come from Tom Holland as Telemachus; Robert Pattinson as Antinous, the primary antagonist of the film; Corey Hawkins as Polybus, and Elliot Page as Sinon.
All in all, I believe that The Odyssey is an easy 4.9 stars out of five, serving as not just Christopher Nolan’s best directorial film but the best acting performances from several of the actor/actresses in the film, and even with its long run time of two hours and fifty-two minutes; is a film I would recommend to anyone regardless of their level of film interest.
