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Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey first reactions are in as it's hailed as a "staggering achievement"
The highly anticipated film is released on 17 July – and already has people talking.
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- Tilly Pearce
Published: Tuesday, 7 July 2026 at 10:55 am
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Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey held its premiere in London's Leicester Square on Monday night – and initial reactions have declared the film an "epic masterpiece".
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The highly anticipated film, which stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway and Lupita Nyong'o in its all-star cast, is not officially released in cinemas until 17 July.
Thankfully, the ambitious project seems to be worth the wait, and while full reviews are yet to be released, initial reactions from the critics invited to Nolan's adaptation of the Greek mythology epic have declared The Odyssey one of the best films of the year.
Collider's Perri Nemiroff wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "THE ODYSSEY is a filmmaking feast. A grand and gripping rendition of Homer’s epic, and one that feels uniquely Christopher Nolan.
"It’s sincerely hard to imagine any other filmmaker on the planet being able to bring that source material to screen with this much scale, scope and heart."
Matt Damon as Odysseus and Zendaya as Athena in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Universal Studios
Time Out's Global film editor Phil de Semlyen added: "Believe the hype(rbole): The Odyssey is that film. Dense but accessible, packed with career-best work from the stacked cast – Samantha Morton is extraordinary – it's a dizzying mix of craft and spectacle that's built to last."
He also recommended seeing the film twice, noting: "This is rich, propulsive, deeply emotional filmmaking, which in its exceptional third act proves to have a lot in common with Oppenheimer."
Meanwhile David Ehrlich, chief film critic for IndieWire, noted: "The Odyssey: a surprisingly natural (and less despairing) Oppenheimer follow-up about a man haunted by defying the gods & dooming civilisation - this one fights to avenge his own hubris. IMAX obviously immense."
He added it was "too clunky to be S-tier Nolan, but the last act rewards the journey".
The Independent film critic Clarisse Loughrey wrote: "as someone who has always been obsessed with the ancient world but has never had particularly strong feelings about christopher nolan… i am genuinely gobsmacked at how good THE ODYSSEY is."
Jordan Farley of GamesRadar also said: "#TheOdyssey is monumental filmmaking, its interpretation of Greek mythology electrifyingly uncanny. Staggering scale, thrillingly staged action, rich emotional throughlines. The cyclops and Circe sequences are among the best of Nolan’s career."
Matt Damon as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Universal Studios
The Odyssey, made for an estimated $250 million, is Nolan's biggest budget film to date. First announced at the end of 2024, the film is his first since his widely praised (and seven-times Oscar winning) 2023 film, Oppenheimer.
Based on the 3,000-year-old works of Greek poet Homer, the story follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), King of Ithaca, as he makes his epic journey home after the siege of Troy – encountering mythical creatures, friends and foes along the way in a journey that spans 10 years.
At the same time, his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) eagerly await his return, before Telemachus heads off on a journey of his own to locate his father.
Penelope is left to fight off the affections of men around her keen to make her their wife, most notably Antinous (Robert Pattinson).
The film will run for 172 minutes in total (just shy of three hours).
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The Odyssey will be released in UK cinemas on Friday 17 July.
Book your £10 seat for the first ever Radio Times Film Night and watch Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey with fellow film fans at Odeon Luxe Islington on Thursday 23 July 2026.
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Authors
Tilly PearceFreelance Writer
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
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