By: Cameron Tyo
July 19th, 2026
Note: This review contains minor spoilers for The Odyssey, a movie adaptation of an ancient poem.
We’re halfway through the year 2026, and despite all the movies being released, The Odyssey, directed by Christopher Nolan, has been the first one I’ve seen at a movie theater this year, and boy, it didn’t disappoint. I don’t go to theaters often to watch movies unless I’m really interested in seeing them. I’ve read the Odyssey by Homer numerous times and have fallen in love with the themes of triumph, forgetfulness, and sorrow that frequently drive the plot forward, as well as the sense of embarking on a strenuous journey. So when the movie’s trailer was released, I knew I had to go see it.
The movie, just like the book, chronicles Odysseus’s (Matt Damon) raid on Troy, which marked the end of the Trojan War, to his return home to Ithaca. The movie revels in its cinematography during the action scenes, such as escaping the cyclops, Polyphemus’s wrath, fleeing from the land of the cannibal-eating Lastrogynians, harrowing the stormy sea and the monsters that reside there, etc., to show how much hell Odysseus and his men had to go through for years to attempt to get home.
Just like the book, the movie switches between different perspectives. It shows what Telemachus (Tom Holland) and Penelope (Anne Hathaway) are dealing with because of Odysseus’s absence. Penelope longs for Odysseus’s arrival home. She states that she will only remarry one of the many suitors staying in her castle once she is done weaving something for her father-in-law’s funeral, which she undoes to pass the time. Telemachus, on the other hand, has to suffer physical and verbal abuse from said suitors, who mock him for the ideas that he should be king and take the throne instead of waiting for his father to get back home, whom many people believe to be dead, rather than having a suitor be married off to his mother. This idea prompts him to embark on a journey to learn what has happened to his father and determine whether it is necessary to take that measure. Antinous (Robert Pattinson), the most arrogant of the suitors, hates Telemachus the most and decides to get rid of him in any way he can to become Penelope’s husband, which becomes a major conflict throughout the movie.
It then switches to show Odysseus on Ogylia island where he is living with the goddes Calypso (Charlize Theron) who gives him lotus flower so he doesn’t remember anything from after crashing on the island including his name, family, and journey until they all come back to him which he struggles to recollect remembering all the comrades that have died from his hands despite others sying otherwise such as Calypso herself or Athena (Zendaya), whom in this moviie is takes the apperance of a girl whom was beheaded during the raid of Troy next to a statue of Athena, an event Odysseus feels extermley guilty about throughout the movie which can be shown by him seeing Athena as such consistently throughout.
The acting is phenomenal, and the dialogue feels quick-paced but still cohesive for such a long journey to be covered in the span of only 3 hours. I loved the moments with Polyphemus and Circe (Samantha Morton) that showed Odysseus’ quick-wittedness and leadership to get out of sticky situations—as well as just the overall themes present in those scenes (won;t say instead for spoiler sake), and the end where Odysseus disguised himself to go into the banquet hall of his castle to slowly reveal himself to the suitors, servants, Penelope, and Telemachus. That whole third sequence mentioned was super suspenseful and entertaining to watch. Super satisfying to see too after seeing the torment Odysseus and his family have gone through at this point in the movie.
I liked that the movie didn’t rely much on CGI. Polyphemus, the cyclop, is actually puppeteered in the scenes, mostly rather than being fully CGI. The boats were filmed sailing in the Mediterranean Sea. Only bits of invisible CGI were used to enhance the movements of the whirlpool Charybdis and, probably, the heads of Scylla, but for the most part, the movie uses practical effects, making the journey feel more realistic and personal.
The Odyssey isn’t a one-to-one retelling of the story due to the movie’s only three-hour window. The whole Aeolus and windbag plot line is cut, which kind of sucks because it’s the first thing that shows rapid tension and distrust between Odysseus and his crew. Also, Odysseus tricking the Cyclops by telling him his name is “nobody” to escape and then brashly revealing his actual name while leaving the island are removed, which sucks, as it is the whole reason Poseidon starts to curse Odysseus and his men and shows his cunning. Poseidon and Zeus don’t make physical appearances in the movie, like they do very few times in the book, but are personified through storms and thunder respectively. A lot of people I’ve heard online have talked about the cast and how they don’t like some of the casting choices, but I don’t mind them at all. There are other nitpicky things that people might not like about the pacing and storytelling of the movie, but nothing bothered me too badly.
Without spoiling too much, despite the movie being based on a book written long ago, I think anyone, whether a fan of Greek mythology or not, should come see the movie. The three hours go by quickly, and sure, the movie isn’t a one-on-one with the poem as previously stated, but you still get a great understanding of Odysseus’s motivations, personality, and feelings he has through the long journey back home. With that being said, you should buy a ticket and watch this action-packed, beautifully acted movie. Bring a friend. You won’t be disappointed.
With that, I give The Odyssey a 9.2/10 (Amazing)