99% on Rotten Tomatoes, glowing reviews: Nolan's The Odyssey lives up to the hype
The first reviews for director Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey have praised its scale, emotion and ensemble cast. The early response points to strong expectations for its theatrical release despite some reservations about uneven stretches and dialogue.
Director Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has begun drawing strong first reactions after the review embargo was lifted, with critics broadly praising the film's scale, ambition and emotional pull. Led by actor Matt Damon, and featuring actors Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland and Zendaya in key roles, the film has been described by several reviewers as another major achievement for Nolan.
According to the first wave of reactions, the film currently holds a 99% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, while its Tomatometer rating was listed at 96%. The reviews praised the film for its grand vision, visuals and storytelling.
The Odyssey is an epic fantasy action film inspired by Homer's classic Greek poem. Damon plays Odysseus, Holland appears as his son Telemachus, and actor Robert Pattinson plays Antinous. Anne Hathaway portrays Penelope, while Charlize Theron plays Calypso. The cast also includes actors Lupita Nyong'o, Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo and Mia Goth.
Among the early reviews, Variety wrote, "A genuinely grand, gutsy vision, The Odyssey thrills generously for the bulk of its near three-hour running time: Every few minutes, it seems, it throws at its audience another mighty setpiece that, in almost any other summer studio spectacle, would be a climactic standout (sic)."
The Telegraph described the film as the "film of the year", while Metro said it would "change cinema forever". The Times called it a "masterpiece in every way", and The Standard praised it as a "colossal piece of cinema".
Not every review was without reservation. The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney said the film was somewhat "uneven", though he praised the ensemble cast. Amy Nicholson of the LA Times called the film "satisfying", but said it departs from the source material and "skimps on the character's ego and lust".
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that the film has "thrilling ambition, boldness, seriousness, generosity and flair", while Empire awarded it five stars and wrote, "The Odyssey is the definition of epic (sic)."
The BBC said, "Oppenheimer, with its singular focus, is still Nolan's most perfectly wrought film. But even with its flaws, The Odyssey is so rich, so full of magic and humanity, that I'm eager to see this epic again (sic)."
The New York Times wrote, "It is an anomalous big-studio entertainment that Nolan has filled with stars and polished to a high gleam, turning a 3,000-year-old poem into a smart, thoughtful film with Old Hollywood allure (sic)."
USA Today said there were "delights in every aspect of The Odyssey, from production design to costumes."
In another Los Angeles Times review, Amy Nicholson wrote, "Nolan refuses to tremble before the canon. Grabbing mighty scissors, he cuts and rejiggers Homer and a bit of Virgil to transform the classical texts into his type of tale: one fixated on memory, self-identity, destructive genius and the slippage of time (sic)."
Screen Rant described the film as "gripping, fascinating, sometimes horrifying, and, just when it needs to be, quite moving".
TheWrap wrote, "The Odyssey is a personal studio blockbuster about self-loathing and shame. Watching a story this intimate and judgmental unfold on such Titanic scale is a rare, almost perverse experience. You can't say Hollywood doesn't make them like this anymore. Nobody ever did (sic)."
The Odyssey is set for a worldwide theatrical release on July 17.
Director Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has begun drawing strong first reactions after the review embargo was lifted, with critics broadly praising the film's scale, ambition and emotional pull. Led by actor Matt Damon, and featuring actors Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland and Zendaya in key roles, the film has been described by several reviewers as another major achievement for Nolan.
According to the first wave of reactions, the film currently holds a 99% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, while its Tomatometer rating was listed at 96%. The reviews praised the film for its grand vision, visuals and storytelling.
The Odyssey is an epic fantasy action film inspired by Homer's classic Greek poem. Damon plays Odysseus, Holland appears as his son Telemachus, and actor Robert Pattinson plays Antinous. Anne Hathaway portrays Penelope, while Charlize Theron plays Calypso. The cast also includes actors Lupita Nyong'o, Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo and Mia Goth.
Among the early reviews, Variety wrote, "A genuinely grand, gutsy vision, The Odyssey thrills generously for the bulk of its near three-hour running time: Every few minutes, it seems, it throws at its audience another mighty setpiece that, in almost any other summer studio spectacle, would be a climactic standout (sic)."
The Telegraph described the film as the "film of the year", while Metro said it would "change cinema forever". The Times called it a "masterpiece in every way", and The Standard praised it as a "colossal piece of cinema".
Not every review was without reservation. The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney said the film was somewhat "uneven", though he praised the ensemble cast. Amy Nicholson of the LA Times called the film "satisfying", but said it departs from the source material and "skimps on the character's ego and lust".
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that the film has "thrilling ambition, boldness, seriousness, generosity and flair", while Empire awarded it five stars and wrote, "The Odyssey is the definition of epic (sic)."
The BBC said, "Oppenheimer, with its singular focus, is still Nolan's most perfectly wrought film. But even with its flaws, The Odyssey is so rich, so full of magic and humanity, that I'm eager to see this epic again (sic)."
The New York Times wrote, "It is an anomalous big-studio entertainment that Nolan has filled with stars and polished to a high gleam, turning a 3,000-year-old poem into a smart, thoughtful film with Old Hollywood allure (sic)."
USA Today said there were "delights in every aspect of The Odyssey, from production design to costumes."
In another Los Angeles Times review, Amy Nicholson wrote, "Nolan refuses to tremble before the canon. Grabbing mighty scissors, he cuts and rejiggers Homer and a bit of Virgil to transform the classical texts into his type of tale: one fixated on memory, self-identity, destructive genius and the slippage of time (sic)."
Screen Rant described the film as "gripping, fascinating, sometimes horrifying, and, just when it needs to be, quite moving".
TheWrap wrote, "The Odyssey is a personal studio blockbuster about self-loathing and shame. Watching a story this intimate and judgmental unfold on such Titanic scale is a rare, almost perverse experience. You can't say Hollywood doesn't make them like this anymore. Nobody ever did (sic)."
The Odyssey is set for a worldwide theatrical release on July 17.
Director Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has begun drawing strong first reactions after the review embargo was lifted, with critics broadly praising the film's scale, ambition and emotional pull. Led by actor Matt Damon, and featuring actors Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland and Zendaya in key roles, the film has been described by several reviewers as another major achievement for Nolan.
According to the first wave of reactions, the film currently holds a 99% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, while its Tomatometer rating was listed at 96%. The reviews praised the film for its grand vision, visuals and storytelling.
The Odyssey is an epic fantasy action film inspired by Homer's classic Greek poem. Damon plays Odysseus, Holland appears as his son Telemachus, and actor Robert Pattinson plays Antinous. Anne Hathaway portrays Penelope, while Charlize Theron plays Calypso. The cast also includes actors Lupita Nyong'o, Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo and Mia Goth.
Among the early reviews, Variety wrote, "A genuinely grand, gutsy vision, The Odyssey thrills generously for the bulk of its near three-hour running time: Every few minutes, it seems, it throws at its audience another mighty setpiece that, in almost any other summer studio spectacle, would be a climactic standout (sic)."
The Telegraph described the film as the "film of the year", while Metro said it would "change cinema forever". The Times called it a "masterpiece in every way", and The Standard praised it as a "colossal piece of cinema".
Not every review was without reservation. The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney said the film was somewhat "uneven", though he praised the ensemble cast. Amy Nicholson of the LA Times called the film "satisfying", but said it departs from the source material and "skimps on the character's ego and lust".
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that the film has "thrilling ambition, boldness, seriousness, generosity and flair", while Empire awarded it five stars and wrote, "The Odyssey is the definition of epic (sic)."
The BBC said, "Oppenheimer, with its singular focus, is still Nolan's most perfectly wrought film. But even with its flaws, The Odyssey is so rich, so full of magic and humanity, that I'm eager to see this epic again (sic)."
The New York Times wrote, "It is an anomalous big-studio entertainment that Nolan has filled with stars and polished to a high gleam, turning a 3,000-year-old poem into a smart, thoughtful film with Old Hollywood allure (sic)."
USA Today said there were "delights in every aspect of The Odyssey, from production design to costumes."
In another Los Angeles Times review, Amy Nicholson wrote, "Nolan refuses to tremble before the canon. Grabbing mighty scissors, he cuts and rejiggers Homer and a bit of Virgil to transform the classical texts into his type of tale: one fixated on memory, self-identity, destructive genius and the slippage of time (sic)."
Screen Rant described the film as "gripping, fascinating, sometimes horrifying, and, just when it needs to be, quite moving".
TheWrap wrote, "The Odyssey is a personal studio blockbuster about self-loathing and shame. Watching a story this intimate and judgmental unfold on such Titanic scale is a rare, almost perverse experience. You can't say Hollywood doesn't make them like this anymore. Nobody ever did (sic)."
The Odyssey is set for a worldwide theatrical release on July 17.
