The Odyssey (2026)
Homer's The Odyssey is one of the foundational texts of world literature. It's been taught in schools for generations—this reviewer taught it to 9th graders for three years across two schools—but there hasn't been a definitive cinematic adaptation of the entire text. 2024's The Return starring Ralph Fiennes is good, but it focuses solely on Odysseus' return to Ithaca. It got the miniseries treatment in 1997, but the full story hasn't received its due in theaters until now with Christopher Nolan's excellent take on it.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Odysseus (Matt Damon) leaves his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and his newborn son Telemachus (played by Tom Holland as a young man) to fight in the Trojan War. After a 10-year stalemate, Odysseus' trojan horse trickery wins the war for the Greeks. However, the journey home is beset by bad weather, a cyclops, a whirlpool, giant knights, a six-headed monster, a witch, and more. Odysseus and his men often end up being their own worst enemies.
Meanwhile, suitors (led by Robert Pattinson) in Odysseus' home in Ithaca have essentially forced their way into his house and are eating his food every night in an attempt to pressure Penelope into marrying one of them.
For a movie that runs just shy of three hours, The Odyssey carries its runtime remarkably well. In an era where so many movies seem padded and overlong, The Odyssey feels justified in its length. The epic poem doesn't emphasize the psychological toll the journey takes on Odysseus, but the slaughter of the Trojans, the loss of his men, and the length of time away from his family all steadily eats away at him, and the film conveys that skillfully.
The Odyssey is also a very brutal story, and Nolan correctly made this an R-rated enterprise. It has to feel ugly at times. There may not be a single standout amongst the performances, but all the main players are very good.
In an era where some big-budget spectacles still somehow manage to look very cheesy, The Odyssey looks fantastic. It's meant to be seen on a big screen, preferably in 70mm or IMAX.
Christopher
Nolan continues to remind moviegoers that big-budget entertainment and artistic
merit can still go hand-in-hand.
