The Odyssey Hits Cinemas: A First Look at Nolan's Epic

The probably most anticipated movie of 2026 is about to be released in cinemas worldwide. Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey brings the classic Greek tale to the big screen, recounting the hero Odysseus's ten-year journey home after the Trojan War. Believed dead during his long absence, his wife Penelope and son Telemachus are left to endure a house full of unruly suitors waiting for Penelope's hand in marriage. The film is the first movie to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras and features a cast that has every film geek buzzing: Matt Damon as Odysseus, Zendaya as Athena, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, and many more of Hollywood's best-known names.

I want to preface this by stating that these opinions are my own, offered without professional expertise and with no claim to being correct.

As someone who had a special interest in Greek Mythology as a child and even wrote her Bachelor's Thesis on Homer’s Odyssey, I had very specific expectations. At the same time, the cast was enough to get me, and everyone else, excited, but it also raised the question of whether one can separate the actors from the characters they're playing, especially when every face on screen is instantly recognizable. This is something that happened to me in Wuthering Heights, with Margot Robbie, and it did indeed influence the experience. To be honest, judging by what I’ve seen on social media beforehand, I doubted Nolan could do justice to such an ancient story. Knowing his previous work, I expected the film to lean into his signature muted greys and blues; a palette that does not align with Odysseus’ own description of “sunny Ithaca is my home,” in the poem, which I associate with rich, vibrant colors, drenched in a golden hue.

So, did Nolan meet my expectations fully? No, not at all. Yet, despite these concerns, I left the cinema completely in awe. Nolan did turn this epic poem into an epic movie.

The derivative work The Odyssey is one of two major epic poems in Greek literature, composed around the 8th century BC. Divided into twenty-four books, it carries the hallmarks of oral poetry, meant to be performed for an audience, and tells Odysseus's adventures largely through flashback and storytelling. Nolan captures this structure beautifully. In the movie, each of Odysseus's tales unfolds only after a character is asked to recall it, pulling the audience into a flashback of that exact memory. It's a device that not only makes the storytelling more dynamic but also stays true to how these stories were originally sung and passed down.

The cinematography is stunning. Shooting on IMAX makes the Ionian Sea feel genuinely immersive. Nolan blends his familiar grey-and-blue grading with scenes of vivid, breathtaking landscapes exactly when the story calls for them. When paired with the score, it becomes one of the most powerful cinematic experiences I have ever had. Despite a nearly three-hour runtime, the film never drags; by the second half, I was fully absorbed, almost in a flow state, absorbing every image and impulse the movie provided.

Here’s where my expectations diverged from Nolan’s movie the most.

To me, Greek mythology has always been about the gods, fantastic creatures, and their interventions in mortal affairs, and much of that seems to be missing here. In the movie (spoiler ahead), for instance, Odysseus escapes Calypso through his own memory and longing; while in the poem, it's Hermes who intervenes directly. Zendaya's Athena, too, felt more grounded than the divine goddess I'd always imagined. But it's worth remembering that Greek mythology wasn't just storytelling; it was religious practice, a way for the Greeks to explain the world around them. Through that lens, it makes sense that in the movie, a storm at sea is attributed to Poseidon's wrath without Poseidon himself needing to appear on screen. In the end, this adaptation is less a tale of gods and more a tale of people. It shows their relationships, their humanity, and their faith in forces beyond their control. Given that the source material spans twenty-four books, some episodes were inevitably cut or merged, but the adaptation handles those choices quite well.

Matt Damon delivers a compelling Odysseus. He convincingly embodies the archetypal epic hero and great leader, capturing both the “quick-witted” and “steadfast-minded” qualities Homer describes in the poems, as well as his pride and stubbornness. But it's Tom Holland who impressed me most. Known primarily for his quirky role as Peter Parker in the Marvel movies, Holland steps into something entirely different here. And the shift is refreshing to say the least.

Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey isn’t the mythological epic filled with divinity that I expected, but it is arguably much richer: a deeply human story, about longing and homecoming. It is a film worth the wait, and I am definitely going to watch it again.

And last thing.