I feel like this film was one of the most anticipated releases of 2026. And in my opinion, it was worth all of the anticipation and hype. I know there was a little bit of hate towards the casting when the trailer came out, but I really do think a lot of the cast made sense for this film. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and if you’re a Christopher Nolan fan, you will as well.

It’s been a few years since I have read the book, but I will try my best to compare the two (to be honest I don’t remember a lot of the minute details from the book but let’s just pretend that I do.) I also feel like when I talk about what happens I won’t be spoiling because the book has been out for many, many, many years. But if you don’t know a single thing about the Odyssey and don’t want spoilers, maybe don’t read this.

First off, Tom Holland was an amazing choice to play Telemachus; he still looks very boy-ish and leans into that archetype very well. Anne Hathaway, however, was not my favorite choice for Penelope. I just really think she has too much botox. Like obviously Nolan wasn’t trying to be the most accurate with his character depictions, but I think having too many A-list actors brings you out of the moment. That being said, I really liked Matt Damon for Odysseus. He was the right age and the right build and I liked what he did with the character a lot. My one qualm, and probably my only qualm with the movie, was the absence of the pride of Odysseus. There’s a few clear instances where his pride really shines through, but it’s never the main focus of his journey. And from my memory, his pride is what really costs him those extra years while trying to get home.

The first instance I recall of his pride being shown in the film is when they escape the cyclops. He leads his men out of the cave, but as the cyclops takes one final look at them, he shoots an arrow in its eye. The cyclops has realized that the men have escaped and has acknowledged them and allowed them to continue on, but when Odysseus shoots his eye, he angers the cyclops and makes it chase them down the mountain, therefore causing many more of his men to die. The only reason Odysseus shot the final arrow was basically to say, “HA! You can’t trap me!” He let his pride get in the way. Another instance is when they are passing through the island with the sirens and Odysseus insists on being strapped to the boat without wax in his ears so that he can hear the song of the sirens. No one has ever heard the song and resisted the temptation of the sirens, so of course he has to be the first. As a result, he finds out that the song is just empty promises and basically causes him internal torment. The last moment I really remember that shows Odysseus’ pride is when he hears the prophecy from the doors of Hades. He is told that the gods are only allowing him to return home and that all of his men will die. Upon hearing the prophecy, he says time and again that he will not let them die and that he will change their actions. One, how prideful does he have to be to think that he can change the fate of the gods. And two, he was never successful in changing the actions of his men, proving that his pride was no match for the gods. In Homer’s retelling of the story, his pride is much more evident and it is clear that it is what prolongs his journey so much. But in Nolan’s retelling, his pride is overshadowed by his guilt of taking over the city of Troy. I don’t necessarily think that was a bad interpretation from Nolan, just a difference I wanted to point out.

Now I feel like I have to talk about the most heated debate on the internet regarding this movie, Helen of Troy. To be honest, I thought Lupita Nyong’o did a great job in that role, but I see why true fans of the novel might not like that casting choice. For instance, Homer wrote that Helen had fair skin and fair hair indicating that she was white skinned with blonde hair. Secondly, in Ancient Greek, people with darker skin were typically slaves. So, I see why people may have not liked Nolan’s choice, but my answer to them is this: what did you expect from a 2026 retelling of a very very old mythological tale. There are so many other parts of The Odyssey that are fantastical, because it is Greek Mythology, can’t you just let your imagination wander with his casting choices as well? Every single other part was played by a well known actor, why is that the one we’re getting caught up in? I think we should be more upset about how the botox took away any emotion in Anne Hathaway’s face rather than who played Helen of Troy, but just my opinion.

Let’s talk about Act 3 of the film. Odysseus’ homecoming, Telemachus’ finding out that Odysseus is the beggar, Penelope’s trial, and the final fight. I think the ending was so well done, I am literally getting chills thinking about it right now. When Odysseus returns home, he takes the form of a beggar in order to scope out the situation of Ithaca. He hears of how Telemachus is in trouble coming back from Sparta and goes to save him, and honestly that might be my favorite scene of the whole movie. The audience knows that Odysseus is the beggar, but Telemachus doesn’t and the fight scene they share is just so awesome. Then when Odysseus comes back to Ithaca and is waiting outside, his dog recognizes him and finally takes his last breath because he knows his owner has returned safely. And that is when Telemachus realizes that the beggar is Odysseus. UGH! I loved that scene so much. I also am just a really big Tom Holland fan, but I really think he played that part so well. Lastly, there’s the trial. Since I read the book, I knew how epic this scene was gonna be, but it was so cool to experience in theaters. My fiancé has also never read the book, so seeing his reaction to the trial and the final fight scene was awesome. Basically, Penelope kind of suspects that the beggar is her husband so she sets up a trial for all the suitors to compete in for her hand in marriage. And she makes the trial impossible for everyone, except Odysseus. Everything about that scene was so well done. The music, the fighting, the suspense of not knowing if Odysseus could even complete the trial. I really enjoyed how Nolan directed that scene. And even if you know nothing about the book, I feel like everyone can appreciate an awesome fight scene.

I could write so much about the interpretation of this book into film because it is such a long book, but I think I’ll stop here. It’s a really long movie, almost 3 hours long, but I do think it is worth seeing. I especially think it is worth seeing in theaters while you can. If you have an IMAX theater near you, you should definitely spend the money to see it there. Overall, I had a lot of fun watching this movie and sure, Nolan made some creative choices that differ from the book, but isn’t that the whole point of art? We know his work as a director is incredible and I think it’s worth trusting his interpretation of The Odyssey.

Rating: 8.7/10

Where to watch: Theaters/ IMAX