Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' movie stuns in first reactions

Christopher Nolan’s new epic, "The Odyssey," starring Matt Damon and a star‑studded cast, has drawn rave early reviews praising its scale, set pieces and surprising horror sequence, and is set to open in theaters on July 17.

Christopher Nolan has done it again.

The first reactions to the Oscar-winning director's latest movie "The Odyssey," a star-studded adaptation of the epic poem by Homer, have arrived, and they're through the roof.

On X, Next Best Picture Editor-In-Chief Matt Neglia said the highly anticipated film is "as epic as movies get," adding that it has "some of the most breathtaking set pieces" Nolan has ever attempted and is a "colossal achievement of scale."

IndieWire Editor at Large Anne Thompson wrote that her "high expectations were met" with the "stunningly mounted" film, which she declared is the movie "to beat" for best picture at the 2027 Oscars. "Matt Damon could win best actor and a bevy of supporting thesps and noms will follow."

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Los Angeles Times film editor Joshua Rothkopf praised the movie as "staggering" and "pure cinema," writing, "Obviously the story is about returning home, but in a larger sense, this is also a return home to the robustly entertaining action movies that cinema was invented to tell."

Polygon Deputy Editor Jake Kleinman wrote on X that while "The Odyssey" is Nolan's "most straightforward movie ever," it's "also maybe his most impressive," noting that "both the epic scale and attention to detail are absolutely stunning. The closest comparison I can think of is Peter Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy."

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Variety Senior Artisans Editor Jazz Tangcay hailed the movie as an "astonishing achievement," and a "triumphant, spectacular epic," adding that the cast delivers some of "the best performances of their career."

"The Big Picture" host Sean Fennessey kept it simple: "I liked THE ODYSSEY."

Several of the early reactions also highlighted the film's surprising horror influences. The Hollywood Reporter Film Editor Aaron Couch observed thatthe film "gives us a first: a fleshed out horror sequence directed by Christopher Nolan."

Matt Damon stars in the lead role of Odysseus in "The Odyssey" alongside a stacked cast of costars including Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.

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The film has been highly anticipated ever since it was announced as Nolan's follow-up to "Oppenheimer," one of the biggest success stories of the "Inception" director's career. The 2023 biopic about the "father of the atomic bomb" was a surprisingly huge hit for an adult drama driven largely by dialogue. Thanks in part to fans pairing it in a double feature with "Barbie," "Oppenheimer" grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide, and it became Nolan's first movie to win the Oscar for best picture. Nolan also won best director.

Anticipation for "The Odyssey" has been so high, in fact, that screenings began selling out a full year in advance: Tickets for select IMAX showings went on sale, and were quickly snatched up, in July 2025, before filming on the movie had even been completed.

"The Odyssey" hits theaters on July 17.