The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan is an award-winning, ceiling-breaking classic that just surpassed $1.5 billion in theaters. Nolan took one of the oldest stories and chose to adapt it in a new light, and I think it worked perfectly. The Odyssey was shot in both IMAX and Film (35mm and 70mm), and was released on July 6th, 2026. The hype around the release was so anticipated when the tickets were first released for 70mm showings; tickets sold out within an hour of going up. The cast list is also stacked with very well-known actresses and actors, including Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, and even Travis Scott.  No normal director could take this talent and put it into this large of a story. So they asked Christopher Nolan. 

When I walked out of the theater after watching The Odyssey, I genuinely had to sit and think about what I had just watched. Nolan is an amazing director. He’s directed The Dark Knight trilogy, Memento, The Prestige, Interstellar, and Oppenheimer. This was a beautiful film. Each frame was full of emotion, taking the audience for a ride throughout the film. In the scenes between Odysseus and Athena (played by Zendaya), the dialogue and acting were perfect. Damon and Zendaya portrayed so much emotion, both emotionally and physically, that it drags you into the scene. Along with this, Nolan's genius use of aspect really struck a chord within me. When shooting the scene with the sirens, Odysseus decides he is going to be the only one to hear them. So his men tie him to the mast and put wax in their ears. The siren call is supposed to be everything you could ever want but can’t have. But Nolan makes a decision that really sets the tone for this scene. He blocked out the sounds from the audience too. All we can see is Odysseus screaming in anguish and pain, and all you can hear is muffled nonsense. This scene is kind of terrifying. Damon puts on one of his best performances yet, and looks so terrified in this scene that it really stuck with me. The fact that you have to sit through a man screaming and writhing in pain, and you can barely hear him. It’s one dark, but two an amazing choice. This sets the tone for the end of the story; as after that, you watch Odysseus change completely because of what he heard. 

Nolan handles adapting the epic poem pretty well, with some minor differences. Nolan first starts off with the Trojan horse and the battle of Troy. The journey that Odysseus takes is the same in the book: we meet the cyclops, they sail around, go to Ithaca, get turned into pigs, pass the sirens,  then we pass the sea monsters, Zeus becomes really angry, and then Odysseus sits on an island for a few years, then finally goes home. Nolan doesn't just get the actual storyline correct, but he nails the emotional timeline as well. At the beginning of the movie, we can clearly feel the anger and desire for war that Odysseus has. He makes small mistakes that put his men in danger. As Odysseus travels, he slowly loses his men and himself. By the end of the movie, Odysseus just wants to be peaceful. He wants to be home with his wife and to see his son, who will soon take his throne. The entire movie is built on this emotional growth. Overall, Nolan is able to not just tell the story of The Odyssey but perfect it. Nolan is the only director I would have chosen to make The Odyssey into a movie. I hope the academies acknowledge the effort Nolan put into this piece. 

The Odyssey, along with Nolan and the cast and crew, is sure to win many awards. This movie is a groundbreaking experience. The hype that surrounded it was well worth it. Nolan proves again why he is one of the best in the business; his manipulation of not just the camera but his cast is sensational. Nolan should feel very good about the work he has done for the classic story that originally influenced it all.