The Odyssey first reviews: After months of feverish anticipation, fan theories and sky-high expectations, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is ready to sail into the theatres, and the early reviews are nothing short of euphoric. Fronted by Matt Damon, with Tom Holland and Zendaya in key roles, the epic is being hailed as a visually staggering, emotionally stirring spectacle, with many critics calling it yet another cinematic triumph for Nolan.
The Odyssey first reviews
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey is an epic fantasy action film inspired by Homer’s classic Greek poem. The Odyssey boasts a star-studded ensemble led by Matt Damon as the legendary Odysseus. Tom Holland plays his son Telemachus, while Robert Pattinson steps into the role of Antinous. Anne Hathaway portrays Penelope, with Charlize Theron as the enchanting Calypso. The film also features Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo and Mia Goth.
With the review embargo finally lifted, critics have begun weighing in on Nolan’s epic. So, does The Odyssey live up to the towering expectations? Going by the first wave of reactions, the answer is a ‘yes’. At the moment, the film holds a 99% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. On the Tomatometer, the film 96% rating.
The review of Variety reads, “A genuinely grand, gutsy vision, The Odyssey thrills generously for the bulk of its near three-hour running time: Every few minutes, it seems, it throws at its audience another mighty setpiece that, in almost any other summer studio spectacle, would be a climactic standout.”
The Telegraph described The Odyssey as the “film of the year”, with Metro declaring that the film would “change cinema forever”. As per The Times, The Odyssey is a “masterpiece in every way”. The Standard praised the film as a “colossal piece of cinema”.
The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney mentioned that the film was somewhat “uneven”, but praised the ensemble cast.
Amy Nicholson of the LA Times said the film was “satisfying”, but added that it deviated somewhat from the source material and “skimps on the character’s ego and lust”.
Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw wrote that The Odyssey is a film with “thrilling ambition, boldness, seriousness, generosity and flair”, with Empire give it a five star rating, and writing, “The Odyssey is the definition of epic”.
As per BBC, “Oppenheimer, with its singular focus, is still Nolan’s most perfectly wrought film. But even with its flaws, The Odyssey is so rich, so full of magic and humanity, that I’m eager to see this epic again”.
The review by the New York Times read, “It is an anomalous big-studio entertainment that Nolan has filled with stars and polished to a high gleam, turning a 3,000-year-old poem into a smart, thoughtful film with Old Hollywood allure.”
According to USA Today, there are “delights in every aspect of The Odyssey, from production design to costumes”. Amy Nicholson from the Los Angeles Times said, “Nolan refuses to tremble before the canon. Grabbing mighty scissors, he cuts and rejiggers Homer and a bit of Virgil to transform the classical texts into his type of tale: one fixated on memory, self-identity, destructive genius and the slippage of time.”
The Screen Rant described The Odyssey as “gripping, fascinating, sometimes horrifying, and, just when it needs to be, quite moving”. TheWrap stated that “The Odyssey is a personal studio blockbuster about self-loathing and shame. Watching a story this intimate and judgmental unfold on such titanic scale is a rare, almost perverse experience. You can’t say Hollywood doesn’t make them like this anymore. Nobody ever did.” Although there were hardly any negative reviews, there were some who mentioned that they had difficulty hearing the film’s dialogue in places.
More about the film
The story follows King Odysseus (Matt Damon) as he battles monsters, mythical creatures and impossible odds during his ten-year journey back to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Alongside the grand adventure, the film also explores the emotional love story between Odysseus and his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway). Tom Holland essays the role of his son Telemachus.
The cast also includes Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron and several other notable actors. The Odyssey marks Nolan’s first feature film after Oppenheimer, which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The Odyssey is scheduled to release in theatres on July 17. The film will be available in multiple formats, including IMAX 2D and 4DX, and has also received clearance from the Indian censor board without any cuts but it has received ‘A’ rating.
