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First Reactions Following “The Odyssey” World Premiere: Christopher Nolan’s Most Staggering Film to Date

By The Credits  |  July 7, 2026

The first reactions to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey have set sail.

Following the world premiere for Nolan’s latest epic in London, critics in attendance were free to unleash their spoiler-free (though the story is quite old) reactions. Nolan’s film follows the deathless story of the Greek hero Odysseus (Matt Damon) on his torturous, decade-long journey home to Ithaca, to his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), after the Trojan War. Beset by vengeful Gods, monsters, goddess-seducers of the highest order (Charlize Theron’s Calypso), and warring men, Odysseus’s long-delayed homecoming is one of the great epics of global literature. And now, it’s a Christopher Nolan movie, one shot entirely in IMAX, no less.

Universal eschewed the usual word-of-mouth screenings traditionally held for influencers and fan bloggers, instead using the global premiere as the catalyst for initial reactions. The critics weighing in are deeply impressed not only by Nolan and his team’s unerring technical mastery but also by the heart and passion of the performances and the lengths Nolan and his team went to put the audience right in the action alongside Odysseus. Not only is this the first film ever shot entirely in IMAX, but The Hollywood Reporter film editor Aaron Couch writes that it’s also the first Nolan film to feature a “fleshed out horror sequence.” (One imagines it’s the sequence involving Polyphemus, the one-eyed giant who traps Odysseus and his men in a cave and eats six of Odysseus’s men.)

So the set pieces are staggering, the scale and scope of the vision are quite literally epic, but what about the cast? Our own Simon Thompson writes, “Flawless filmmaking, every inch as epic as you’d expect. Leading a stellar cast, Matt Damon gives Odysseus everything in a career-best powerhouse performance. Robert Pattinson is outstanding as Antinous and John Leguizamo’s Eumaeus is sublime.”

Fandango’s Erik Davis also writes about Robert Pattinson’s villainous Antinous, one of the suitors vying to take Odysseus’s place in Ithaca, who plots to take Penelope and all of Odysseus’s possessions for himself while doing away with Telemachus. “He’s so conniving, manipulative and endlessly entertaining to watch. Pattinson leans all the way into the character’s villainy, and it results in one of my favorite performances of his.” He also called the movie “an absolute triumph and a crowning cinematic achievement from one of the great filmmakers of our time.”

Time Out’s Phil de Semlyen gives a special shout-out to Samantha Morton as Circe. “Dense but accessible, packed with career-best work from the stacked cast – Samantha Morton is extraordinary – it’s a dizzying mix of craft and spectacle that’s built to last. Seen it twice, took so much away both times: a chilling vision of brutalized men seeing themselves in the eyes of women, a study of leadership, and an old-school sweeping adventure tale. Even the Cyclops got me in the feels. There are even a few laughs, too. Go see. Twice.”

IndieWire’s Anne Thompson writes, “My high expectations were met at Chris Nolan’s stunningly mounted The Odyssey in IMAX 70 mm. Matt Damon could win Best Actor, and a bevy of supporting thesps and noms will follow. The BP to beat.”

Let’s have a peek at some of the reactions. The Odyssey sails into theaters on July 17.

Featured image: Matt Damon (frame left, with bow) is Odysseus in THE ODYSSEY, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

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The Credits

The Credits is the Motion Picture Association's online platform that profiles below-the-line filmmakers and TV creators. Through in-depth interviews and coverage, we shine a spotlight on all the individuals who are indispensable to the entertainment industry and create the films and series we love.