‘The Odyssey’ Movie Review: Is Nolan’s 3-Hour Epic Worth Full Price?
This movie review is of the 2026 summer blockbuster “The Odyssey.” The short story is that this movie is entertaining, but maybe not worth the full price. Christopher Nolan is a master, and the story of Odysseus’s journey home from the Trojan War with his army. Along the way, he loses all of his soldiers as his ship gets blown off course.
The movie is the retelling of Homer’s “Odyssey.” On his way home, Odysseus encounters all manner of challenges as he and his crew search for food. They include a giant cyclops, giant soldiers, a witch, sirens, and a whirlpool conjured by the Gods themselves. Have you read Greek mythology?
“The Odyssey” Movie QUICK VERDICT
Score: 7/10
“The Odyssey” is a summer 2026 movie that retells the famous story of Odysseus’s journey home from the Trojan War. We soon see the terrible battles of the Trojan War, replete with the Trojan Horse and the Ithican soldiers in it. The soldiers sneak out of the horse, open the gate of the city to the waiting Greek troops, and participate in a sacking of the city. The brutality of the sack haunts Odysseus and shocks viewers.
The sacking of Troy violates a law of Zeus (essentially, treat your neighbor as yourself). Odysseus and his remaining soldiers are blown off course on their journey home. In a journey that takes 10 years, following the 10-year war, the movie takes us through the trials and tribulations of the soldiers as they try to get home.
The main story of the long movie is their searching for land, food, and water, and at each way point, they encounter one fantastic beast after another. Their first stop is a cave where they get trapped with a giant cyclops. Then they encounter giant soldiers who rout them. Then they see a witch, who feeds the starving soldiers and turns them into pigs. They descend into Hades, encounter a giant whirlpool, battle giants who eat them, and get tortured by sirens.
All the while, the kingdom of Ithica descends into chaos as Queen Penelope pines for her estranged husband. Their son, Telemachus, is not old enough to rule. The movie spends about 75% of its time telling the story of Odysseus and switching back to the troubles in the kingdom.
“The Odyssey” Pros
The big pro to “The Odyssey” is its fantastic and entertaining story. Weaved together and drawing upon Greek myths, the movie is a tour de force with great images. This story is epic and is told expertly by Christopher Nolan. “The Odyssey” benefits from a strong cast, including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya, among others.
This movie is highly entertaining. Another pro to the show is the sweeping visuals. There is a strong argument to be made to see this movie in IMAX, as it was filmed for that. When you combine a great story with a great cast and sweeping visuals, you get a great movie. It is a safe bet that it will win several Academy Awards.
Is This Story Believable?
The biggest con to “The Odyssey” is the story itself. While highly entertaining, it is a bit far-fetched to see a cyclops, giant soldiers, other giants, a witch, and the like. We are led to believe that these encounters are normal for a challenged army. However, there is something fantastic going on here, and what it is might not exactly be clear.
Another con is that this movie is extremely long—two hours and 52 minutes long. When one takes into account that there are at least 20 minutes of commercials and previews before “The Odyssey,” it is a commitment of over 3 hours. This is a challenging length, and most adults will have to hold their bladders. The viewer definitely becomes uncomfortable in their seat for so long.
These factors, particularly the last, make for an uncomfortable viewing experience. They combine to mean that paying full price to see “The Odyssey” in a movie theater may not be worth it. At the very least, use the bathroom before and limit your drink consumption during.
