Early reactions to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey are flooding in after last night’s screening. As expected, they are breathlessly positive, and contrary to Universal’s claim from a couple of weeks ago, they aren’t all from critics. Some are, but many are not; they’re just enthusiastic journos effectively acting as influencers. It is what it is. Most of the reviewing press will see the film next Monday, and I can’t wait.
I’ll just note a few of them here from critics I know and respect, many of them singing the film’s praises. Perri Nemiroff of Collider called The Odyssey a “filmmaking feast” and “a grand and gripping rendition of Homer’s epic.”
Steve Weintraub, also of Collider, called it “incredible” with “flawless performances.” He also recommends seeing it in IMAX as Nolan always intended.
Jazz Tangcay of Variety calls Nolan a “visionary” and says he has “outdone himself.”
Rachel Leishman of The Mary Sue says The Odyssey is “Breathtaking”, “bold”, and “perfection.”
David Ehrlich of Indiewire was a bit more reserved, calling it “too clunky” but says it recovers in the last act.
Erik Davis says the film is a “crowning cinematic achievement” and “an absolute triumph.”
I was surprised by the lack of praise for the A-list cast, but that’s not saying much with snap reactions like this. I expect that will change when the longer form reviews come out. Based on these reactions, The Odyssey seems like a sure-fire Oscar contender, even though it’s a far cry from Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a biopic that won seven Oscars and earned over $1B. There’s every reason to think The Odyssey will match or surpass that.
Christopher Nolan is a visionary, and #TheOdyssey is a work of art. Adapting a Homer classic is not easy, but he has done an incredible job of bringing this to the big screen and telling Odysseus’s journey. He has outdone himself. You could feel the passion in his storytelling.… pic.twitter.com/Lkn0F7jYMH
— Jazz Tangcay (@jazzt) July 6, 2026
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… pic.twitter.com/7jOO5Ch9ZZ
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) July 6, 2026
Christopher Nolan’s #TheOdyssey is an absolute triumph and a crowning cinematic achievement from one of the great filmmakers of our time. It feels like everything Nolan has been working toward with IMAX has culminated here. The production design is incredible, the action is… pic.twitter.com/yLxocUEEdn
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) July 6, 2026
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is INCREDIBLE.
I’m really blown away by this film. Everything from the flawless performances to the way Nolan embraces the supernatural is just perfect.
If you can, SEE IT IN @IMAX 70mm. It’s a jaw dropping experience.
It’ll be great… pic.twitter.com/UXEAjF8cKk
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) July 6, 2026
THE ODYSSEY is as epic as its source material with that level of Christopher Nolan spark that makes it something special. It’s a story of love and loss and takes you on quite the journey in only the way Nolan knows how. Breathtaking, bold, and perfection. pic.twitter.com/ycJ2zHEDsQ
— Rachel Leishman (@RachelLeishman) July 6, 2026
The Odyssey hits theaters on July 17th.
