The Odyssey – Review
What Remains of Heroism? ‘The Odyssey‘: Nolan’s Anti-War Epic
Spoilers for Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ ahead.
When Universal announced that Christopher Nolan would adapt Homer’s once-unadaptable Odyssey (725 BCE), I was admittedly sceptical. In fact, the conversation surrounding Homer’s work felt similar to that of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925). Because these works feel so deeply literate, a screen adaptation seemed simply impossible to get right, regardless of who stepped behind the camera.
However, Nolan’s take on the once unadaptable has resulted in one of the greatest cinematic achievements of the century. Watching The Odyssey (2026) felt like witnessing a culmination of all his previous works. Specifically, it adopts the spectacle of Inception (2010) and the tension of Dunkirk (2017). Most importantly, it carries over the war politics and moral ambiguities of Oppenheimer (2023).
Statue of Athena – ‘The Odyssey’
70mm IMAX vs. 35mm: The Viewing Experience
The film opens with The Bard (Travis Scott) reciting the story of Odysseus (Matt Damon) and the Trojan War. These first twenty minutes serve as essential exposition. From the opening frame, the spectator clearly witnesses a phenomenal spectacle, as this film is undeniably technically flawless.
I attended my first viewing at the UK Multimedia screening at the BFI IMAX in 70mm. Ultimately, the experience was even more beautiful than I could have ever expected. The immersion felt unbeatable as I swept myself up in cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema’s visuals. Furthermore, Ludwig Göransson’s hypnotic score completely enchanted me.
Later, I attended an opening day 35mm screening at the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle upon Tyne. Initially, like most cinephiles, I wondered how the smaller frame would impact my experience after enjoying the extra height of 70mm. Fortunately, the grain of 35mm film enhanced the story’s timelessness, particularly in dimly lit scenes. Whilst the 35mm looked gorgeous, losing some height and technical spectacle actually helped me focus more on the story itself, which Nolan beautifully translated.
Circe as the Film’s Moral Conscience
Across both viewings, Circe’s (Samantha Morton) sequence undeniably stood out as the highlight of the film. In Nolan’s adaptation, Circe appears sympathetic, which contrasts sharply with Odysseus’s moral ambiguity. She immediately challenges his behaviour and that of his men, questioning why they arrived at her residence and making their violent reputation clear.
Consequently, she challenges their greed for power by turning them into swine, using imagery reminiscent of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. She justifies this because these men “raped and pillaged across the world”, marking these pigs as their true form. Unlike the book, where Circe simply withholds Odysseus’ journey, Nolan reframes her to hold Odysseus and his men to account. Meanwhile, Morton commands the situation with quiet authority amidst the grand spectacle.
Ultimately, the sequence slows the narrative to interrogate the consequences of Odysseus’ pursuit of glory. This offers a compelling moral counterweight that lingers throughout the film. Eventually, it becomes unignorable as Odysseus and his men face their fallen in the underworld.
In this light, Circe acts as the film’s moral conscience, voicing concerns that Nolan repeatedly signals throughout the narrative. Specifically, she asks us, “what remains of heroism once victory in war has been achieved”? Therefore, this sequence challenges spectators to reframe Odysseus’ status, since he achieved it through the suffering and collateral damage of others. As a result, Nolan’s Odyssey stands as a timely study on the human cost of war, placing it in direct conversation with its predecessor, Oppenheimer.
Matt Damon as Odysseus – ‘The Odyssey’
Grounded Performances and the Weight of War
Yet, for all its visual grandeur, the film succeeds because of its grounded, human performances. This holds particularly true for leading man Matt Damon. He plays Odysseus as a morally ambiguous, contradictory man who still remains charismatic enough to conjure unwavering loyalty from his men.
Furthermore, Nolan refuses to sanitise the brutality and violence of Odysseus’ journey, which emphasises the moral weight within every decision Odysseus makes. This invites comparison between both The Odyssey and Oppenheimer’s anti-war narratives. In both films, the opposition haunts the protagonists less than the weight of their own actions.
Although Nolan choreographs the violence in The Odyssey to a spectacle, he never allows it to feel celebratory. Instead, every death reinforces the central question of whether war can ever truly justify violence. Athena’s (Zendaya) physical manifestation as a girl violently killed in the Trojan War reinforces this theme even further.
Ultimately, Nolan’s decision to interrogate his subjects rather than blindly celebrate them makes his adaptation so remarkable as he reimagines the story through a contemporary lens. He keeps the story grounded, not just in his character depictions, but in his depictions (or lack thereof) of the mythological elements. Consequently, this focuses the story on guilt. Both Oppenheimer and The Odyssey functionally converse to ask whether humanity can live with the guilt of its destruction. By deliberately leaving this unresolved, Nolan leaves spectators with a lingering emotional ambiguity.
Odysseus and his crew – ‘The Odyssey’
The Culmination of Nolan’s Career
With The Odyssey, Nolan has achieved the impossible task of adapting the unadaptable whilst delivering the thematic culmination of his career. Indeed, the film displays astonishing technical craftsmanship and profound moral complexity alongside phenomenal performances across the board. Furthermore, it proves that centuries-old stories can hold contemporary value and significance, as The Odyssey asks urgent questions about war and power.
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