By Lynn Venhaus
A voyage for the ages. Writer-director Christopher Nolan has made the ultimate heroic action-adventure epic in “The Odyssey” — as bold, breathtaking and brilliant as only he could, aided by his virtuoso technical masters.
Nolan has thoughtfully adapted Homer’s epic poem to be both colossal in scope and intimate, mythical and human. This enthralling ancient Greek journey, from some 2,700 years ago, emphasized the cost of a barbaric war, the chaos that ensued, breaking Zeus’ law, bad decisions, and reconciling with your failures to move forward and get back home.
After ten years of the Trojan War, King Odysseus (Matt Damon) faces a dangerous voyage back home to Ithaca, including deadly monsters and vengeful gods. Along the way, he meets mythical creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Calypso (Charlize Theron). In the meantime, his loyal wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) waits at home, and his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) tries to find out if he’s still alive.
The way Nolan cinematically unfolded the story, in a non-linear style, in 2 hours and 52 minutes, feels just right, sweeping us away on the journey he wanted to tell. Basically, it’s a man trying to get home. The war took 10 years, and his way back took another 10.
In a career-best performance, Matt Damon leads an exceptional megawatt cast in the physically grueling, demanding portrayal of Odysseus. The bench is so deep that some familiar faces get minimal screen time, but their characters are part of this rich tapestry that Nolan has precisely threaded to convey one of western literature’s greatest sagas. They are part of a massive theatrical event that eventually will be considered a pinnacle.
Nolan has smartly showcased these grand themes – love, honor, war, greed, gods and monsters — and the cast immerses us in its emotional depth to make us care, particularly Tom Holland as Telemachus, heir to the throne, who is trying to find his way in the shadow of his father, and wants to honor him by not giving up. Holland’s heart shines through in his character’s nobility.
Meanwhile, Ithaca has become a cesspool of hangers-on and posers, as suitors crowd the palace to curry favor with Penelope. It’s exactly what Odysseus did not want to happen.
Four outstanding actresses, three Oscar winners and one two-time Emmy winner, are mesmerizing on screen in their iconic roles: Anne Hathaway is Penelope, Odysseus’ loyal queen and great love; Charlize Theron is Calypso, a sea nymph who falls in love with him, holding him hostage on the island of Ogygia; and Zendaya is Athena, the goddess of wisdom and his protector. In very brief roles, Lupita Nyong’o is Helen of Troy, and her twin sister, Clytemnestra.
Standouts include John Leguizamo as his faithful servant Eumaeus, now blind; Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, a Greek king who fights alongside Odysseus, and the husband of Helen; Elliot Page as loyal servant Sinon, who is sacrificed for the war victory; Samantha Morton as the witch Circe; Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, Odysseus’ right-hand man; and Robert Pattinson as the weaselly villain, arrogant Antinous, one of Penelope’s most manipulative and power-hungry suitors.
The sprawling cast also includes Benny Safdie as the imposing Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and commander of the Greek army, Travis Scott as a bard, Mia Goth as the queen’s servant Melantho, and both Corey Hawkins and Logan Marshall-Green are bad guys teaming up with Antinous.
The master filmmaker, Oscar winner for his magnum opus “Oppenheimer,” seems to be hitting his stride tailoring stunning vistas in six countries and composing visual spectacles on IMAX cameras, the first feature film to do so. His practical effects, rather than computer-generated images, are magnificent here. The man-eating Cyclops. a massive 60-foot puppet, is terrifying, and the underworld scene, where the dead rise out of the black sand, is stunning.
Along with visionary cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, the world-building by production designer Ruth DeJong and costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, is grand and splendid, impeccable in details.
Oscar winning editor Jennifer Lame (“Oppenheimer”) had a gargantuan task, and she made the film a lucid, thrilling watch. Swedish composer Ludwig Goransson, three-time Oscar winner (“Black Panther,” “Oppenheimer,” “Sinners”), has written an urgent, industrial score that heightens the action.
One must experience this tsunami of an epic in a theater, in full big screen glory. “The Odyssey” is to be savored and celebrated, for this is movie making at its absolute finest.
(NOTE: It doesn’t matter whether you’ve read The Odyssey — or like me, forgotten most of what you learned about it in high school, but it helps to get a refresher beforehand, and there are plenty of sources around to get you up to speed.)
“The Odyssey” is a 2026 action-adventure-fantasy epic written and directed by Christopher Nolan, and starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, John Leguizamo, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, Hamish Patel, Lupita Nyong’o, Samantha Morton, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth, Travis Scott, Corey Hawkins and Logan Marshall-Green. It is rated R for violence and some language and runtime is 2 hours, 52 minutes. It opens in theaters July 17. Lynn’s Grade: A+
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
