One Movie Later: The Odyssey is an Objectively Good Movie—That I Didn’t Like!
by James Coulter
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has remained the center of controversy ever since its announcement. Some folks complained that the armor isn’t “historically accurate.” Others bemoaned that the dialogue sounded “too modern” for a classical epic. And many more voiced their outrage over certain casting choices for…reasons!
And yet, despite the discourse, not only did the movie gross $931 million worldwide (rapidly approaching $1 billion), but it has also become the fifth-highest-grossing film of the year and helped Universal become the first studio to cross $4 billion in 2026. (Then again, Nolan could film a three-hour movie about paint drying, and it would still make bank because he’s Christopher Nolan!)
But does this tale of a man fighting to get home earn a triumphant theatrical homecoming? Or did it drift so far off course that even Odysseus would struggle to spot Ithaca on the horizon?
The Odyssey is an all-too-familiar classic tale. Most of us read it in high school, and it’s been performed by everyone from cartoon aardvarks to talking dogs. A man gets lost at sea on his way home from the Trojan War. Along the way, he and his crew must brave many perils, including a man-eating cyclops, a boat-destroying whirlpool, sirens who lure men to their doom, and a witch who turns men into pigs. Will Odysseus return home safe…is a question no one needs to ask because everyone already knows the story at this point.
The Odyssey is a well-made film. The cinematography offers an audiovisual spectacle, especially since it is the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX film. The movie features a star-studded cast of A-list actors whose performances prove they earned their roles. And Christopher Nolan, as always, proves himself to be a masterful director. By all accounts, this movie is objectively good.
And yet, I don’t like it!
To be sure, the film delivers several standout moments, especially when it reimagines familiar myth with fresh artistic flair. The cyclops encounter unfolds in near-total darkness, rendering the creature a hulking silhouette that stalks the shadows. Circe’s transformations play as full-on body horror, twisting men into beasts with grotesque physicality, like a potter molding clay. And the sirens’ sequence uses muffled audio to mimic wax-stuffed ears, leaving only Odysseus’s frantic screams barely audible as he begs to be freed from his restraints.
And then there’s the third act, when Odysseus finally returns home and unleashes vengeance on the suitors freeloading in his home. After watching them act like cartoonishly awful human beings for the first two-thirds of the movie, including attacking a blind man and a dog, seeing them mowed down by Odysseus and his allies in the final third is undeniably cathartic.
Yet even with these undeniably interesting moments, the rest of the film feels surprisingly bland. Like so many modern productions, it leans heavily on muted, almost grayish tones that drain the color from what should be a lush, colorful world. And its insistence on gritty realism flattens the mythic grandeur of gods and monsters, making a story built on the fantastic feel oddly ordinary. All of this makes every passing second of this nearly three-hour movie drag on.
And then there’s the acting. As I mentioned earlier, these are A‑list performers who turn in solid work…at least mostly. But if this were your first time seeing Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, or Zendaya on screen, you’d be forgiven for wondering how they ever earned their reputations. Because their performances here are as dry and lifeless as the film’s washed‑out aesthetic. In other words, not their best work.
If you’re a fan of Christopher Nolan or Greek mythology, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this movie. But if you’re looking for a better adaptation of The Odyssey, I’d highly recommend watching the 1997 mini-series. Not only is it a more entertaining watch, but it’s also streaming for free on Tubi. And while I haven’t seen Epic: The Musical, I’ll take everyone else’s word that it’s a better take on The Odyssey than this film.
See this movie if you want…to be sure, it’s a great movie!…but as for me, I might consider eating some lotus to forget the three hours I wasted watching it in theaters.
