The Odyssey

As one of the 2026 summer movie season’s most anticipated releases, writer-director Christopher Nolan’s screen adaptation of Homer’s literary epic, The Odyssey, has generated more than its share of reactions and for a variety of reasons. So I’ll come right to the point on my view of this release: I liked it, but I didn’t love it. This retelling of the diverse experiences of Greek warrior Odysseus (Matt Damon) on returning to his Grecian home of Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War explores the many adventures and profound soul-searching of his 10-year journey, the second half of a 20-year-long absence. Waiting for him back home are his devoted wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), who has long been courted by a band of would-be suitors like Antinous (Robert Pattinson) who believe her husband is dead, and Telemachus (Tom Holland), the son who’s never met his father and stands to succeed him...

The hype was massive, the crowd was packed, but the boredom in the theatre at the end credits said it all. A 172-minute film felt like it was a 6+ hour watch. This isn’t a respectful adaptation of Homer’s epic; it’s a bloated, self-important disaster that butchers the source material, erases Greek identity, and rams woke DEI nonsense down your throat while delivering some of the worst big-name acting I’ve seen in years. Right from the opener, it was clear Nolan had zero interest in Homer’s actual text. Instead of going back to the original Greek or a faithful classic translation, he based the whole thing on Emily Wilson’s modern, feminist-slanted version, that crappy, agenda-driven reinterpretation that twists the poem’s language, downplays traditional heroism, and injects contemporary gender politics. No wonder the soul is missing. The Odyssey is the foundational poem of Western...

Check out my full review @ https://www.manuelsbento.com/the-odyssey-2026-christopher-nolans-most-faithful-epic-is-also-his-most-ambitious-one/ Rating: A+ (updated after second viewing) THE ODYSSEY is a maximalist, deeply faithful adaptation of Homer's poem that somehow ends on a quiet, contemplative note despite everything it throws at you along the way. Completely unafraid of its own scale and scope, it's ten years of war, myth, and horror (!) woven into the story so tightly that the whole thing paradoxically feels more grounded, not less. An astonishingly stacked ensemble led by a phenomenal Matt Damon, deceptively convincing practical effects, and filmmaking craft firing on every level. Ludwig Göransson's score alone is worth the ticket. Easily one of the best theatrical experiences of the year. This is Christopher Nolan at his most alive. SECOND VIEWING: Just rewatched THE...

Monty Python couldn't improve on this. Suffice to say, someone doesn't know their classical Greek history/mythology too well. They have excavated remains from the site of Troy and undertaken facial recreations. Would it surprise anyone to know they look Greek? Would it surprise anyone, too, to know the main figures of Homer's work, are described clearly, as Greek? Upsides include reasonable if at times miscast acting, great sets, okay action and top locations. In summary, I wonder what actual Greeks make of this re imagining of their proud heritage? For me, what I can say the past is what it is, not what revisionists want it to be. Enough said.