When I first saw the teaser trailer of The Odyssey (2026) directed by Christopher Nolan, I was immediately intrigued. I thoroughly enjoyed his movies in the past and I always find it exciting to see a director take on the challenge to adapt a true classic. After seeing more promotional footage and the negative online discourse surrounding the casting, I started to doubt if I should watch it at all.
Would the adaption lean too much on Odysseus wanting to return to Penelope, making it more of an epic romance? Was Christopher Nolan trying to push an agenda by his diverse star studded cast? Could I actually physically make it to the cinema to watch the movie? When my surgery got cancelled at the last minute, I couldn’t find a better way to cope with the delay than catch all the movies I would otherwise have missed on the big screen.
I watched The Odyssey in my local cinema about a week after it premiered on July 16 in The Netherlands. Did my fears get confirmed or was it actually a decent adaptation? Let’s dive in!
WARNING: This post contains spoilers !
Plot
After the Trojan War, Odysseus and his men finally set sail to return home. We soon learn that the journey back to Ithaca is not without danger. It’s a journey filled with peril, sacrifice and above all much suffering. As Odysseus struggles to find his way home, his wife and son refuse to believe he is dead. But will Penelope and Telemachus be able to keep the suitors in check and delay Penelope choosing a new king for Ithaca by marrying one of the suitors?
Thoughts
I went into The Odyssey expecting I would not enjoy the experience, but as the movie began I could not deny the cinematography was superb. The soundtrack by Ludwig Göransson really added to the tense and haunting ambience. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded and wasn’t even bothered by the casting choices. Overall the movie was well made and quite enjoyable. But for those who have (recently) read Homer’s work or even remember tidbits of the TV Mini Series from 1997 starring Armand Assante, it may feel the movie did not capture important core themes of the original work.
In Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey we do see nostos, the yearning to return home. Not just the physical place, but also reclaiming one’s rightful place, identity, and social status. We also see xenia, the sacred code of hospitality that dictates how hosts treat their guests. But it failed to show Odysseus biggest flaw that actually got him and his crew into trouble, his hubris. Odysseus survived his journey because of his intelligence, deceit, and adaptability. Yet in Nolan’s movie Odysseus is a man traumatized by war and ashamed of his actions, the lie of the gift (the horse) they left behind which made it possible for Troy to be sacked.
I felt Odysseus was heavily stripped of his complexity. I admit, I have a weak spot for grey characters. I love to find myself rooting for a character one moment, while also wishing for their demise in another moment. A character like Jimmy from Better Call Saul (2015 – 2022), morally grey.. not always good, but also not fully evil. Human in every way. I wish Nolan had kept Odysseus’ hubris in the movie. I wonder if Nolan didn’t want people to dislike Odysseus and kept him brooding and yearning for home. I think the box Nolan put Odysseus in became more and more clear when we see him spend time with Calypso in the movie. She helps him slowly remember what has happened and he finally gets on his way home back to Ithaca.
In the classic tale, he spent seven years on her island.. trapped, but also being intimate with her. Don’t even get me started on the one year he spent with Circe. So that’s hanging with other women during eight of the ten years it took him to get home? I understand it might make the modern audience root for him less if they added all that in. But, I still believe adding a bit complexity back to Odysseus would have worked. Wolfgang Peterson’s Troy (2004) was also more grounded, but it portrayed Achilles as the arrogant and flawed man that he is. It didn’t make him less attractive to the audience.
I bought a copy of The Odyssey before watching the movie, but I made a conscious decision to not read it in advance. I was familiar with the adventures of Odysseus and have watched the TV Mini Series decades ago. I think that choice helped to create a buffer, so that I could still get swept away by Nolan’s movie. However as I contemplated his creative choices and direction of the story, it started to leave a sour taste in my mouth. Odysseus was not humbled during his journey home, but he was already carrying humiliation and shame when he embarked on his trip home to Ithaca. When we learn that Athena has the face of the temple maiden, it all locks in. It felt like Nolan was more interested in framing The Odyssey as an anti-war movie. That final line about the Bronze Age collapsing, was also quite jarring.
Although Homer did not ignore the brutality of war in his Iliad and one could say Nolan would therefore be free to add it to his movie, I felt that Nolan’s portrayal of Odysseus took away an important theme from the Odyssey. Ultimately making it a great movie to watch, but not necessarily a great adaption. I understand the movie has inspired people to actually go pick up Homer’s classics and dive into it, so I can only celebrate that outcome.
Verdict
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) is a beautifully crafted movie. I have no regrets watching the movie in the cinema and would definitely recommend it to anyone. If you are looking for an adaptation of the classic by Homer, I would warn viewers to not expect too much. It follows the story beats, but it does not fully hold the essence of the original work.
The Odyssey (2026)
A beautifully crafted movie and definitely worth watching on the big screen. The movie follows the story beats, but it does not fully hold the essence of original work by Homer.
The Good
- Great Cinematography
- Non Linear Shifts Kept Story Engaging
- Soundtrack
The Bad
- War Veteran Oddyseus
- Made For The Modern Audience
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Story
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Visuals
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Sound