The Odyssey

A Timely Story Of The Human Condition 

Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” presents a rather brutal account of “The Trojan War” in which the ancient Greek city of “Ithaca” takes the place of Camelot and the war was not so much won in victory than it was conquered in sweat, blood and rage taken out on not just the enemy but innocent lives unlucky to have been caught in the crossfire as is usually the case in war. But we’ve ignored that version for centuries. Idealized versions of our heroes and the universal sin of looking the other way simply comes with the territory in great epics. Yet as the raging fires of war continue to engulf 2026 across the world, The Odyssey hits hard right where it's supposed to and in all the right places, quite simply because it effortlessly tells a timely story of desperation, defeat, longing, and the human condition. 

For the version Nolan wanted to make, The Odyssey is the right film made and released at the right time: Here and now. Never have King Odysseus’s (Matt Damon) years-spanning voyage home with his army to his home kingdom of Ithaca, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and son and heir Telemachus (Tom Holland) felt more relatable. I think very few of the audiences that have and will keep on racing to see The Odyssey countless times feel truly at home within their own lives and how they see their place in the world. “At home” isn’t merely a place; it’s an entire state of mind, and with every passing day of 2026, it becomes all-consuming. Odysseus’s quest ventures towards home, but he’s not psychologically ready to face it after all he’s seen and done. Home isn’t exactly the paradise he left behind either, as Penelope and Telemachus have no choice but to entertain a whole bundle of sleazy, greedy suitors in their own home. It’s been years,s and it’s now become more their home than that of their hosts. It doesn’t help matters that these suitors are all pining for Penelope’s hand in marriage and she has so little time left before she can no longer fend them off. Antinous (Robert Pattinson) is particularly dominant in his pursuit of her, leaving a desperate Telemachus with no choice but to flee to Sparta to meet with King Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and Queen Helen of Troy (Lupita Nyong’o), hoping to obtain information as to his father’s possible whereabouts. 

Meanwhile, Odysseus is struggling to recover his memories on the island of “Ogygia” with the goddess Calypso (Charlize Theron). He also has regular encounters with the goddess Athena (Zendaya), who guides him throughout his entire journey, yet her presence unnerves him for reasons smartly kept until the final act. Sensing his heart is truly elsewhere, a lonely Calypso withholds the edible Lotus flowers that have taken his memories. He slowly regains what he remembers from the epic voyage that led him from home across the world and all the way to Ogygia. 

This includes a devastating and inhumane battle that ends in victory at a brutal cost, a narrow escape from the poor innocent Cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin) who as the son of Poseidon finds himself most disrupted by the tiny intruders who have invaded his home and a transformative encounter with Circe (Samantha Morton), a witch whose lifelong experiences with barbaric men leaves her with no merciful feelings towards Odysseus’s army. 

The entire cast elevates an already brilliant script to heights so great that they expand beyond this world. Damon delivers a career-defining performance, and John Leguizamo’s role as Odysseus and Penelope’s blind and loyal servant Eumaeus is astoundingly beautiful. He, Hathaway, and Morton are the three currently in the talks for Oscar nominations for supporting performances. With a cast this big, who knows how it’ll all play out, but there’s definitely something satisfying about seeing a film over and over knowing where its success will lead. 

The racist and transphobic backlash to Nyong’o and Elliot Paige’s casting proves even more ridiculous upon seeing The Odyssey in whole, as I can’t imagine Nolan’s vision coming to fruition without them. Nyong’o’s glare in a banquet scene reminds me of a full bowl of water,r and that water is rage. Completely still but seething with a valid sense of rage and disappointment. Knowing that at any moment, that bowl will be knocked off the table and the water spills in slow motion. That’s the kind of physical rawness she brings to these two sisters who’ve lost everything in their name and not by choice. Paige is harrowing as warrior “Sinon” who travels alongside Odysseus to Troy and loses his life delivering the gift of the “Trojan Horse” to the Trojans, unaware his general and comrades are hiding in it. Sinon’s takedown of Odysseus from death on the island of “Hades” is chilling and laudable. One of the most jaw-dropping moments in the film. This scene should be at the forefront of every filmmaker's mind when they think of whom they’d ideally like to cast. Paige is just as mesmerizing an actor as he ever was, and I am greatly looking forward to seeing him in many more projects of this scale and depth. 

The same can be said for Hoyte van Hoytema’s history-making cinematography, Ludwig Goransson’s epic score, and Jennifer Lame’s maestro-level film editing. Every attention to detail lands sharply, and like Oppenheimer, The Odyssey has a nonlinear order of events. There is no specific order. Upon reflection, all of Nolan’s films have a beautiful and fascinating approach to time itself,f and all his works deal with the fall and rebirth of civilization. Every film Nolan makes is entirely his own masterpiece, but it’s fair to point out that the first film he made post-Oppenheimer was always going to be inspected very carefully, almost like a cinematic audit. The Odyssey has been a dream project for Nolan for years, and it has paid off completely. Oppenheimer marked the birth of a new wave of filmmaking for him. His films are getting angrier, and their timeliness is merely a sad coincidence, but it makes facing the truth easier to stomach with its validation and emptiness of easy answers. Nolan makes mainstream audiences challenge themselves in ways no one else has mastered. He’s truly the grand wizard of cinema, and audiences will find themselves spellbound every time.