Christopher Nolan doesn’t believe in half measures.
The industry’s most bankable director swings for any fence he can find. That means for every creative misstep in his films, there’s a sequence that will blind you with greatness.
It’s the best way to describe “The Odyssey,” Nolan’s retelling of Homer’s epic poem. It’s masterful and maddening, a triumph that occasionally can’t get out of its own way.
It’s a must-see experience, in a theater, of course. And, with a few tweaks, it might have lived up to every molecule of the pre-release hype.
Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, the Greek leader aching to return to his family and homeland. He spearheaded the military attack on Troy, a battle won courtesy of an overstuffed Trojan Horse.
He’s had enough war and death, but the journey home may be his most perilous assignment.
His loyal wife (Anne Hathaway) is considering any number of suitors to replace Odysseus in his absence, but she clings to hope that he’ll come back unharmed. Young Telemachus (Tom Holland, miscast) also pines for a father he barely knew.
Other souls hope he’ll stay gone forever, including Antinous (Robert Pattinson), a soldier with murky allegiances.
The massive cast includes Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, but her modest screen time belies the pre-release frenzy surrounding her casting. Elliot Page, another casting news kerfuffle, falls into a similar bucket, but the screenplay plays up the character’s bravery in ways that confirm some critics’ fears.
It’s a distraction. The miscue is also a microscopic part of a three-hour production. It should be processed as such.
Nolan’s films often demand multiple viewings to unlock their narrative tangles. “The Odyssey” may deserve that treatment for spectacle alone, but even with his penchant for nonlinear plots, this tale is deceptively simple.
So, too, are the set pieces, which feel as raw and magnificent as anything we’ve seen over the past few years. A fascinating encounter with a hungry cyclops rushes to mind.
Stunning. Jaw-dropping. Add your favorite superlative here, and it’ll fit like a glove.
Could anyone, be it Spielberg, Tarantino or Scott, render what we see with such spectacle? It’s not online activism to shout, “not a chance.”
Yet flaws abound, and they magnify during a chaotic third act. A film like “The Odyssey” shouldn’t ape a “John Wick” installment in its visceral overkill, yet one battle does just that.
And a strategy laid out by a key character feels as uninspired as it is absurd. That third-act wrinkle upends the film’s otherwise solid pacing.
So do the presence of supporting players (Zendaya, Charlize Theron), who should impact the story but don’t. John Leguizamo is somewhat better as a blind man with strong ties to Odysseus. He, too, suffers from a previous plot device that can’t be shared here.
And, yes, it all matters. The greatest directors of our age could use a neutral soul to advise them against such obvious miscues.
Nolan is working on a different level than every other filmmaker today. His grasp of technology, his eagerness to wow with every shot, is unrivaled. Some of his recent projects have reflected his cool, almost detached approach to character, but Damon’s performance flicks away such concerns.
The actor has never been so invested in a character’s humanity. The film’s anti-war bona fides will grab plenty of attention, but it’s only a small part of his performance.
This is the film that may make us stop taking Damon for granted.
The Nolan factor: From Batman to Oppenheimer, The Odyssey’s director’s greatest hits https://t.co/l7dSneMOi7
— Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) July 15, 2026
Nolan’s mastery has never been in doubt. So why are the film’s first few moments burdened by sound issues that make deciphering the dialogue a chore? Why tease out the film’s modern anachronisms with a rap-like bard (Travis Scott) and use current profanity to break the movie’s spell?
Geniuses like Tarantino, Cameron and Nolan need someone to rein in their self-destructive impulses. Yet we rarely see that partnership bloom.
At least, the evidence on screen suggests as much.
No matter. A flawed, frustrating epic from Nolan is better than two dozen generic features. Long may he noodle with perfection, even if he never quite gets there.
HiT or Miss: “The Odyssey” finds Christopher Nolan lunging for greatness, and succeeding more often than many of his peers.