Like Greeks pouring out of a giant horse in the city of Troy, the first reactions to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey have arrived. Yes, despite what you may have read about the film’s social media strategy, the embargo for reactions lifted Monday, timed to the film’s big London premiere. And those reactions are very, very good.
Full reviews for the film won’t be out until next week, mere days before it hits theaters, but below, we’ve got just a sample of what people who’ve seen Nolan’s star-studded epic thought of it.
I have seen Christopher Nolan’s #TheOdysseyMovie, and it is an astonishing achievement. A triumphant, spectacular epic. The performances from Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, John Leguizamo, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o are genuinely grand. And for some, truly, the… pic.twitter.com/KaUl9lwR7n
— Jazz Tangcay (@jazzt) July 6, 2026
Christopher Nolan’s #TheOdyssey is flawless filmmaking, every inch as epic as you’d expect. Leading a stellar cast, Matt Damon gives Odysseus everything in a career-best powerhouse performance. Robert Pattinson is outstanding as Antinous and John Leguizamo’s Eumaeus is sublime. pic.twitter.com/NDrr95vrnE
— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) 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 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
THE ODYSSEY is as epic as its source material with that level of Christopher Nolan spark that makes it something special. It’s a story of love and loss and takes you on quite the journey in only the way Nolan knows how. Breathtaking, bold, and perfection. pic.twitter.com/ycJ2zHEDsQ
— Rachel Leishman (@RachelLeishman) 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
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is *incredible*. I’ve been lucky enough to watch it twice and it gets better on the second viewing.
I’m really blown away by this film.
If you can, SEE IT IN @IMAX 70mm. It’s a jaw dropping experience. It’ll be great wherever you see it, but… pic.twitter.com/Gdiika6eCL
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) July 6, 2026
Christopher Nolan’s #TheOdyssey is an absolute triumph and a crowning cinematic achievement from one of the great filmmakers of our time. It feels like everything Nolan has been working toward with IMAX has culminated here. The production design is incredible, the action is… pic.twitter.com/yLxocUEEdn
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) July 6, 2026
Now, of course, those reactions are wildly positive, which is what most of us expect from a filmmaker such as Nolan taking on a tale such as this. But after all that talk of influencers not seeing the movie, we’re still struggling to see how these reactions are any different from any other major film that has been released in recent years. It’s a pretty standard pattern. The first reactions come out and are ecstatic, sending expectations and hype to peak levels. Then, more people see it with those thoughts in their heads, and, more often than not, the film doesn’t live up to them. Could The Odyssey buck that trend? It’s quite possible. We’ll all find out together next week.
Featuring a cast that includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron, The Odyssey opens in theaters on July 17. Do you have your tickets yet?
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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