The Early Reactions To The Odyssey Have Made Us Even More Excited To See It
The Early Reactions To The Odyssey Have Made Us Even More Excited To See It
Daniel WelshFri, July 10, 2026 at 7:31 AM UTC
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Universal
With just over a week to go until Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey completes its epic journey into cinemas, the film held its star-studded premiere on Monday night.
A-list cast members including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron and Elliot Page were all present and correct as they joined the Oscar-winning director in London’s Leicester Square for the official first screening of his much-hyped movie.
For now, full reviews are still under embargo, but those critics who have seen the film have now begun sharing their abridged thoughts on social media.
And we’re happy to report that they’re almost unanimously glowing, with terms like “staggering”, “colossal” and “spectacular” being thrown around.
There’s already some debate about where it falls in the echelon of Nolan’s work – one critic has claimed it’s too “clunky” to be considered his best, while others have said it’s a likely contender to match Oppenheimer by winning Best Picture at the Oscars – but the British filmmaker’s latest offering sounds like another must-watch.
Oh, and while much has been made of the film’s stacked cast, something perhaps worth noting is just how much love there already is out there for Samantha Morton’s performance in the film.
Check out a round-up of early reactions so far below…
Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is a colossal origin-myth story of postwar disillusion and a loss of innocence witnessed by the dead. Review later
— Peter Bradshaw (@PeterBradshaw1) July 6, 2026
as someone who has always been obsessed with the ancient world but has never had particularly strong feelings about christopher nolan… i am genuinely gobsmacked at how good THE ODYSSEY is
— Clarisse Loughrey (@clarisselou) July 6, 2026
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Believe the hype(rbole): The Odyssey is that film. Dense but accessible, packed with career-best work from the stacked cast – Samantha Morton is extraordinary – it's a dizzying mix of craft and spectacle that's built to last. pic.twitter.com/cwpN4HvG73
— Phil de Semlyen (@PhildeSemlyen) July 6, 2026
Seen it twice, took so much away both times: a chilling vision of brutalised men seeing themselves in the eyes of women, a study of leadership and an old-school sweeping adventure tale. Even the cyclops got me in the feels. There's even a few laughs, too. Go see. Twice.
— Phil de Semlyen (@PhildeSemlyen) July 6, 2026
The Odyssey: a surprisingly natural (and less despairing) Oppenheimer follow-up about a man haunted by defying the gods & dooming civilization - this one fights to avenge his own hubris. IMAX obviously immense. too clunky to be S-tier Nolan, but the last act rewards the journey.
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) July 6, 2026
THE ODYSSEY is a staggering achievement. It boasts spectacular & even terrifying set pieces that feel like Christopher Nolan fully embracing the horrors of Greek mythology. Yet, how he tastefully recontextualizes the story for the modern day is what has kept my head buzzing (1/2) pic.twitter.com/x1GJbwSOEK
— Andrew J. Salazar (@AndrewJ626) July 6, 2026
In a world where pride, ego, & entitlement continue to fuel wars & endless bloodshed, Nolan uses Odysseus’ ancient tale as a channel to question what it would take for us to truly forgive our past sins. Epic and meditative in equal measure, the ending left me soaring with hope.
— Andrew J. Salazar (@AndrewJ626) July 6, 2026
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Breaking my Twitter hiatus to say that, yes, #TheOdyssey has the goods. Christopher Nolan's Ten Commandments, boasting a scope and scale that never intrudes on its intimacy. A grounded (but faithful) take on the epic myth, with some clever revisionist flair. Himesh Patel the MVP! pic.twitter.com/NyZbVYGcyn
— Jeremy Mathai (@Somthin_Tookish) July 6, 2026
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is MONUMENTAL on so many levels. Yes, it really does attempt to condense nearly all of Homer inside of 3 hours. But it also tackles with more heart than any Nolan film since Interstellar his greatest muse... 1/3
— David Crow (@DCrowsNest) July 6, 2026
At heart, beneath the majesty, Nolan reveals himself to be a homebody whose great fear (shame?) is leaving home to do "important" things. Like Oppenheimer, though, Odyssey fixates on consequence--like, this time, leaving and being unable to regain that domesticity bliss… 2/3
— David Crow (@DCrowsNest) July 6, 2026
Tis emotionally layered, but must admit not the masterpiece of Oppe. It crams so much, including overly cautious fantasy elements & curious real Greek history like the SEA PEOPLE (classic profs just gasped!), that it’s scope outpaces even 70mm IMAX. But is gorgeously outstretched
— David Crow (@DCrowsNest) July 6, 2026
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Must save more for the review, but short version: Anne Hathaway is the sincere anchor of the film and is phenomenal. My faves though are Samantha Morton as Circe and Rob Pattinson chewing scenery. Lupita Nyong'o is great but only briefly in it. Charize/Calypso not in it enough.
— David Crow (@DCrowsNest) July 6, 2026
THE ODYSSEY is a filmmaking feast. A grand and gripping rendition of Homer’s epic, and one that feels uniquely Christopher Nolan. It’s sincerely hard to imagine any other filmmaker on the planet being able to bring that source material to screen with this much scale, scope and… pic.twitter.com/7jOO5Ch9ZZ
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) July 6, 2026
Nolan does a remarkable job weaving the episodes of the story together, and does it all while never skipping a beat. He hits that magical balance of crafting a movie that flies but also leaves you feeling as though you’ve just experienced a significant portion of the characters’…
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) July 6, 2026
THE ODYSSEY is staggering. Earthy, ghostly, weighty, touched by humor and grandeur alike. It's pure cinema. Obviously the story is about returning home, but in a larger sense, this is also a return home to the robustly entertaining action movies that cinema was invented to tell.
— Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf) July 6, 2026
Also, people are not ready for how much Samantha Morton owns THE ODYSSEY — her scenes are simply incredible, witchy and wonderful.
— Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf) July 6, 2026
My high expectations were met at Chris Nolan's stunningly mounted The Odyssey in IMAX 70 mm. Matt Damon could win Best Actor and a bevy of supporting thesps and noms will follow. The BP to beat.
— Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) July 6, 2026
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Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of THE ODYSSEY is as epic as movies get with some of the most breathtaking set pieces he’s ever attempted. A colossal achievement of scale, even by Nolan’s standards, its commitment to capturing as much as possible in-camera using new IMAX cameras… pic.twitter.com/UOOHd6lkbT
— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) July 6, 2026
The entire film is brutal, epic, and cinematic, but when you boil it down, The Odyssey is for men who yearn and women who love to read about them.And sadly, the yearning in 2026 is mostly in novels and screenplays.
— 🍅Jacqueline🍅 (@THATJacqueline) July 6, 2026
You are not ready for Samantha Morton in The Odyssey 🐦⬛ pic.twitter.com/KDgUsTEXXD
— Nick de Semlyen (@NickdeSemlyen) July 6, 2026
Anne Hathaway and Samantha Morton are the absolute stand-outs of THE ODYSSEY by the way
— erin (@erinonfilm) July 7, 2026
The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan’s first film since the success of his historical biopic Oppenheimer, which pulled in hundreds of millions at the box office and scooped seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and acting nods for Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.
Adapted from Homer’s Ancient Greek tome, the film centres around Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, as he makes an epic journey home to his family at the end of the Trojan war, enduring perilous conditions and supernatural encounters along the way.
The Odyssey hits cinemas on Friday 17 July. Check out our quick guide to everything you about what promises to be the year’s most talked-about film here.
Additional thumbnail credits: Universal.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
