Film REVIEW: The Odyssey (2026) - ★★★★
Grab your sword, sandals and popcorn for Christopher Nolan's fantasy blockbuster. From The Odyssey release date, cast and age rating to the all-IMAX shoot, here’s our quickfire guide to the event movie that redefines the word ‘epic’.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
based on Homer's Odyssey
Stars: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, Charlize Theron.
Genre: Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Themes: Return from War, Sea Adventure, Trojan Horse
After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Calypso along the way.
The film received critical acclaim, with particular praise for Nolan's direction, the performances of the cast, and the set pieces but received some criticism for its deviations from the source material and Nolan's writing.
MIX UP REVIEWS:
Myles (Age 15) - ★★★★
"The Oddessy is a one of a kind cinematic experience. A spectacular spectacle filled with great acting and a fantastic landscape, the world being extremely developed and layered. This film balances elements of horror as well as action and adventure and mythology elements. I do think that the ending drags on a bit too long though, and, although this is not really my type of movie, I can still say without a doubt that it is incredible."
Have you seen it?
The Odyssey buzz - Why is everybody talking about the new Christopher Nolan movie?
There has never been a feeding frenzy like The Odyssey pre-sale. Back in July 2025 – a full year before Christopher Nolan’s sword ‘n’ sandals epic opens to mortals – the first IMAX tickets were snapped up faster than a minotaur at a finger buffet. Soon, scalpers were charging up to £400 a pop.
Why the hysteria? Where do we start? As the visionary behind Oppenheimer, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy, a new Christopher Nolan movie is always an event. Add to that, an all-star cast including Matt Damon (Interstellar) , Tom Holland (Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame), Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson (The Batman, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Lupita Nyong'o (Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Black Panther) – and countless more from Hollywood’s Mount Olympus.
But The Odyssey is more than a long list of famous names. This is arguably the greatest adventure story ever told: a grandiose tale of romance, tragedy, temptation, revenge, giants, witches and one-eyed monsters, so exciting it squeezes the air from your lungs. As Nolan told Empire: “The Odyssey truly contains all stories.”
1
2
The Odyssey backstory - What is Christopher Nolan's new movie based on?
Quick history lesson (pay attention at the back). Written by Homer (not that one) in the 8th century BC, the Odyssey is one of humanity’s oldest surviving literary works. Back then, most of the population couldn’t read – let alone kick back in a state-of-the-art IMAX cinema – so the Odyssey was initially handed down as an oral tradition. But just wait until you experience it as an audio-visual one on 17 July.
The Odyssey plot - What happens in The Odyssey 2026?
As a textbook Ancient Greek overachiever, Homer not only wrote the Odyssey but also the Iliad (basically a prequel covering the Trojan War). As the noble king of Ithaca, Odysseus fights alongside his Greek countrymen, and conceives the Trojan Horse that catches the enemy in their pyjamas.
You’d think, with the Trojans routed, our hero could cool his heels on the voyage home to his wife, Penelope. But that’s when The Odyssey film begins – and the adventure gets properly hairy. During a journey mildly described as ‘eventful’, Odysseus and his crew will be hunted by a hungry cyclops, turned into pigs by a sorceress, snapped at by sea monsters, sucked by whirlpools and seduced by the ghoulish girl-band known as the sirens. Meanwhile, back home, Penelope struggles to fend off a horde of slathering suitors.
Who is the main actor in The Odyssey?
Odysseus is played by Matt Damon who, at 55, is right in the sweet spot of his career to play a grizzled warrior-king. The Bourne star got ripped for real, while shooing away the makeup artists to grow a 100% natural beard.
“Chris wanted me lean but strong,” Damon told EW. “I stopped eating gluten. I used to walk around at between 185 and 200, and I did that whole movie at 167. And I haven’t been that light since high school. So it was a lot of training and a really strict diet.”
Supporting cast of The Odyssey - Who else will appear in The Odyssey 2026?
The Odyssey cast is huge. Spider-Man star Tom Holland plays Odysseus’s son Telemachus, with The Devil Wears Prada’s Anne Hathaway as the hero’s wife Penelope. Also on Ithaca, Robert Pattinson appears as Antinous – the ringleader of the odious suitors – with Mia Goth’s (Everest, Emma.) slippery maid Melantho rapidly shifting loyalties.
Odysseus has allies, including Good Time’s Benny Safdie as leader of the Greek army, Agamemnon, and Jon Bernthal (Le Mans 66, Daredevil) as his brother Menelaus. John Leguizamo (John Wick, Chapter 2) plays loyal servant Eumaeus, with Himesh Patel (Yesterday, Tenet) as second-in-command Eurylochus, plus Will Yun Lee (The Wolverine, San Andreas) and Jimmy Gonzales (Logan, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) as shipmates.
As for immortals, look out for Dune's Zendaya as the benevolent goddess Athena and Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) as the dangerous and seductive Circe.
Add to that, a ton of stars in undisclosed roles. 12 Years A Slave Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o will surely have a big part, while other notables include Samantha Morton (Minority Report, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) Elliot Page (X-Men: Days of Future Past), Bill Irwin (How the Grinch Stole Christmas), Jesse Garcia (The Avengers,), Corey Hawkins, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Nick E. Tarabay, Maurice Compte, Josh Stewart, Michael Vlamis, Iddo Goldberg, Ryan Hurst, Anthony Molinari, Jovan Adepo, James Remar, Logan Marshall-Green – oh, and Texan rapper Travis Scott.
The Oddyssey age rating - Who can watch The Oddyssey at cinemas?
Like fairy tales, Greek mythology can be dark, violent and scary, full of bloodshed and monsters. If you know The Odyssey legend, you’ll be braced for nasties including the six-headed Scylla, the seductive-but-deadly sirens, the cannibal giants known as Laestrygonians and Polyphemus the cyclops. No wonder The Odyssey has a ‘15’ age rating in the UK.
The Oddyssey IMAX - Will the new Christopher Nolan movie be screened in premium format?
While he’s favoured the IMAX format since The Dark Knight, The Odyssey is Nolan's first movie to be filmed entirely with IMAX cameras. To get the full effect, book premium IMAX screenings, where eye-widening visuals meet headspinning immersive audio (settle for a smartphone, meanwhile, and you’ll have a worse view than the cyclops).
The Oddyssey movie trivia - What's a fun fact about The Odyssey 2026?
The Odyssey used over two million feet of film. Let’s do the maths: IMAX cameras use approximately 337ft of 65mm film per minute, so that implies the director shot roughly 100 hours of raw footage. That’s a long day in the editing suite…
The Oddyssey 70mm - Is The Odyssey in 70mm showing in cinemas?
Experience The Odyssey in 70mm. With exceptional clarity, rich color, natural texture, and an unmatched sense of scale, 70mm film delivers a more immersive and cinematic presentation than conventional digital screenings - making every frame feel larger, richer, and more alive.
So whether you’ve already seen Christopher Nolan’s movie in standard and want to raise the stakes – or you’re here for cinema’s hottest ticket – The Odyssey in 70mm is the one.
The Odyssey is in cinemas now – and with a giant-sized screen and spatial audio that no home setup can match, IMAX will drop you into the heart of this event movie. “All of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with,” Nolan told Empire. “I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do.” Until now…
Make sure you have booked in for the latest DRAMA CLASSES at Mix Up Theatre...
Comments