The Odyssey

Monty Python couldn't improve on this. Suffice to say, someone doesn't know their classical Greek history/mythology too well. They have excavated remains from the site of Troy and undertaken facial recreations. Would it surprise anyone to know they look Greek? Would it surprise anyone, too, to know the main figures of Homer's work, are described clearly, as Greek? Upsides include reasonable if at times miscast acting, great sets, okay action and top locations. In summary, I wonder what actual Greeks make of this re imagining of their proud heritage? For me, what I can say the past is what it is, not what revisionists want it to be. Enough said.

Check out my full review @ https://www.manuelsbento.com/the-odyssey-2026-christopher-nolans-most-faithful-epic-is-also-his-most-ambitious-one/ Rating: A+ (updated after second viewing) THE ODYSSEY is a maximalist, deeply faithful adaptation of Homer's poem that somehow ends on a quiet, contemplative note despite everything it throws at you along the way. Completely unafraid of its own scale and scope, it's ten years of war, myth, and horror (!) woven into the story so tightly that the whole thing paradoxically feels more grounded, not less. An astonishingly stacked ensemble led by a phenomenal Matt Damon, deceptively convincing practical effects, and filmmaking craft firing on every level. Ludwig Göransson's score alone is worth the ticket. Easily one of the best theatrical experiences of the year. This is Christopher Nolan at his most alive. SECOND VIEWING: Just rewatched THE ODYSSEY and somehow loved it even more the second time around. Knowing the whole story only made certain scenes hit harder, especially the moment Odysseus finally opens up to Penelope about what the Battle of Troy really cost him. Cried through most of it. The film moves with even more confidence once you already know where it's headed, and I can't find a single scene I'd cut. This is my first A+ since Dune: Part Two.

The hype was massive, the crowd was packed, but the boredom in the theatre at the end credits said it all. A 172-minute film felt like it was a 6+ hour watch. This isn’t a respectful adaptation of Homer’s epic; it’s a bloated, self-important disaster that butchers the source material, erases Greek identity, and rams woke DEI nonsense down your throat while delivering some of the worst big-name acting I’ve seen in years. Right from the opener, it was clear Nolan had zero interest in Homer’s actual text. Instead of going back to the original Greek or a faithful classic translation, he based the whole thing on Emily Wilson’s modern, feminist-slanted version, that crappy, agenda-driven reinterpretation that twists the poem’s language, downplays traditional heroism, and injects contemporary gender politics. No wonder the soul is missing. _The Odyssey_ is the foundational poem of Western civilisation, cunning, nostos, divine meddling, human endurance, told in sweeping oral poetry. Nolan reduces it to mere nothingness. Matt Damon as Odysseus is the biggest miscast of all; he sleepwalks through it like a tired Jason Bourne in a chiton, delivering flat quips with zero charisma or bronze-age king energy. No wit, no depth, just brooding stares. Zendaya’s Athena is wooden and out of place, Tom Holland’s Telemachus is hyperactive but empty, Anne Hathaway’s Penelope feels phoned in, and Robert Pattinson’s turn is lost in the gloom. Charlize Theron as Calypso, Jon Bernthal, walked and looking like he's out of a Robin-Hood film, and John Leguizamo all feel awkwardly shoehorned in with zero chemistry or gravitas. Worst of all is Elliot Page as Sinon (replacing Achilles after backlash); he runs around like a marionette doll with stiff, unnatural movements that kill every action beat. Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy (and Clytemnestra) is completely out of place and entirely misrepresents the characters. The entire main cast is miscast to hell. Bad acting across the board sinks what little soul remains. The zero Greekness is unforgivable. This is the profoundly Greek cornerstone of Western literature, the first great literary piece of our civilisation, and Hollywood turned it into a generic fantasy IP. Greece helped fund this thing with taxpayer money, yet there’s not a single Greek actor in a major role. No olive-skinned warriors, no Mediterranean fire, no authentic Mycenaean aesthetics, let alone authentic period costumes. In fact, the landscapes and costumes look like leftover Nolan dark fantasy. Even worse, they loaded it with actors in roles that directly contradict the Homeric descriptions and classical imagery of ancient Greek heroes and gods... what the hell was Travis Scott doing in this film! It is a cultural erasure at its most blatant, profiting off Greece’s heritage while replacing the people it belongs to. The premiere didn’t even happen in Athens because they were scared of the backlash. Smart move, because Greeks are rightly outraged. The woke DEI casting is peak insult. Lupita as Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships, really? Homer's text depicted her with golden hair and fair beauty, but Nolan decided to 'modernise' the text to fit into today's woke-DEI agenda. Zendaya as Athena... with her usual dull facial expressions? Elliot Page’s tiny 'man-playing-woman-playing-man' Achilles stand-in? The rainbow ensemble screams committee quotas over truth. It’s not “inclusive”; it’s dishonest revisionism that strips the story of its European roots and historical context. On top of that, Nolan’s signature grim, dark tone, all brooding shadows and moral ambiguity, feels completely wrong for this story. The Odyssey belongs to bright Mediterranean sun, blue seas, blue skies, and passionate Hellenic vitality, even amid tragedy. Slapping his Batman/Dunkirk gloom over it makes everything feel oppressive and mismatched, like forcing a Nordic winter onto the Aegean; indeed, he even included Viking-style ships, of course completely unrelated to the period! The music doesn't fit in any scene, and the rap at the end credits was another WTF moment. Visually watching some scenes in IMAX is impressive, but it’s an empty spectacle. Feels like there was not even any climax to the point I thought by the middle of the film, when will it end? Save your money and don't bother. Reread the original Odyssey instead, Homer's Odyssey. In fact, go ahead and reread Homer's Iliad too while you're at it to see how much the actors and Nolan himself knew nothing of the actual original material. Nolan’s _The Odyssey_ is a one-star, two-star mess at best, with terrible acting, cultural disrespect, reliance on a politicised translation, 'modernised' like Nolan himself said, for the public, while in truth it was for the critics and Oscar voters, and it is also total proof of everything that is wrong with modern Hollywood, wrapped in expensive packaging.