'Breathtaking': Critics share their initial reactions to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey | indy100

The Odyssey official new trailer

Universal Pictures

Tipped to be one of the biggest films this year, there is much anticipation for the release date of Christopher Nolan's latest film The Odyssey.

It's clear to see why as the new adaptation of the Greek epic has a star-studded cast that includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as Telemachus.

The film also stars Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy, plus Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, Samantha Morton, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, and Bill Irwin.

The Odyssey is an ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer, recalling Odysseus's (King of Ithaca and the story's protagonist) decade-long journey home following the Trojan War.

The hype is certainly real as when select tickets at IMAX 70mm screens were put on sale a year in advance of the release, they quickly sold out.

Universal Pictures

While official review have not yet been released, initial reactions from critics have been coming in ahead of the film's release on July 17, and by the sounds of it they're all pretty blown away by the film.

The Independent’s chief film and TV correspondent Jacob Stolworthy described it as “Nolan’s biggest film to date”.

“This film has about triple the number of huge set pieces than any of Nolan’s previous films, and every single one of them is breathtaking in their own way,” he said. “In The Odyssey, Nolan showcases visual trickery in a way you’ve never seen before.”

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff said, "THE ODYSSEY is a filmmaking feast. A grand and gripping rendition of Homer’s epic, and one that feels uniquely Christopher Nolan. It’s sincerely hard to imagine any other filmmaker on the planet being able to bring that source material to screen with this much scale, scope and heart."

"The Odyssey is staggering," Digital Spy film editor Ian Sandwell wrote. "Packed with intense and spectacular set pieces, often backed by a soul-rattling score, it builds to a final act that's as good as anything Nolan's done. Purists might baulk at the adaptation changes, but as an experience, nobody is doing it like Nolan."

"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 [best picture] to beat," said IndieWire editor-at-large Anne Thompson.

Erik Davis of Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, commented: "Christopher Nolan's #TheOdyssey is an absolute triumph and a crowning cinematic achievement from one of the great filmmakers of our time. It feels like everything Nolan has been working toward with IMAX has culminated here. The production design is incredible, the action is breathtaking, and the scale is unlike anything he's done before."

He went on to praise the cast, "Anne Hathaway is incredible, Matt Damon is excellent, and Tom Holland continues to prove he can do just about anything. But Robert Pattinson absolutely stole the show for me. 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."

The Odyssey is out in cinemas from July 17.

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