Review - The Odyssey (2026)

Image credit: Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pic/Melinda Sue Gordon - © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

From a film buff's perspective, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is a triumph. A feat of cinema. We're not here to analyse the faithfulness to Homer's text, we'll let the rest of the internet do that, but all we know is we enjoyed every second of it and the 173 minutes running time whipped by for us. We also feel a little seasick.

Hench Matt Damon is a triumph as Odysseus, and the star power of the film busts out from the start. Tom Holland! Robert Pattinson! Anne Hathaway! Travis Scott! Elliot Page! John Leguizamo! Zendaya! Charlize Theron looking amaze on an island! It's a bit choppy following multiple strands of the story at the beginning, but goes hard when Odysseus and his men encounter the Cyclops Polyphemus. His arrival and all that happens in that cave are truly jaw-dropping moments, with horror that is akin to the Pale Man from Pan's Labyrinth. His howling and screams will enter your soul.

And we have many more adventures of Greek island hopping from these (rapidly decreasing) men, as Odysseus tries to get home to his wife Penelope (Hathaway), whose palace is like Casa Amor with unwanted suitors waiting for her to choose who to marry. Main panto villain Antinous (Pattinson) is plotting, and is especially unkind to Odysseus's faithful old dog Argos who is waiting for his master to come back.

Himesh Patel as Odysseus's second in command, Eurylochus, steals the show and Hathaway is also brilliant. A special mention to the beast mode that is Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) as every time that dude is on screen, it's just incredible.

See it on the big screen and take your Kwells.

10 Greek islands out of 10

Platform We Watched It On: In the cinema - Odeon, UK

Highlights: The Cyclops gets hungry

Watch Out For: Agamemnon's metal af helmet