'The Odyssey' review: Christopher Nolan epic earns NY Post rave
Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' earns a glowing New York Post review on July 15, 2026, with critic Johnny Oleksinski calling the 173-minute Homer epic mammoth, magical, and fantastic—cementing Nolan's post-Oppenheimer comeback as a must-see theatrical event that movie fans won't want to miss. The 8216the odyssey8217 review christopher conversation is now centered on whether Nolan could go bigger than Batman and the bomb—and early verdicts say he did.
Key Takeaways
- The New York Post published a rave review of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey on July 15, 2026, praising it as mammoth, magical, and fantastic.
- Critic Johnny Oleksinski highlights a horseback gallop across an ivory beach as one of 2026's most awe-inspiring cinematic images.
- The R-rated film runs 173 minutes and stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and a large ensemble cast.
- Oleksinski compares Nolan's approach to a David Lean-era adventure, emphasizing psychology over basic action-movie treatment of Greek myth.
- Damon reportedly dropped to 167 pounds for the role, shaping a scrappy, layered Odysseus in a satisfying final fight.
What did the New York Post say about 'The Odyssey'?
Writing for The New York Post, Johnny Oleksinski calls Nolan's adaptation stunning and captivating—the director in his David Lean era. After scaling Batman and the atomic bomb in Oppenheimer, Nolan took on Homer's 2,800-year-old epic, a tale packed with gods, monsters, brutal battles, and a tangled cast that has intimidated filmmakers for generations.
Oleksinski writes that Nolan "took up Odysseus' weighty bow, shot an arrow and scored another hit." The result is a transportive, sprawling adventure with visuals that can reduce even jaded moviegoers to "a giddy child." For more breaking Hollywood coverage, see our Celebrity Breaking News hub.
Which scene stood out most in the review?
The critic singles out one deceptively simple image: "Nolan just having some dudes on horseback gallop across an ivory beach is a more awe-inspiring image than pretty much anything else you'll see all year." That moment encapsulates why fans are paying IMAX prices—the voyage home from Troy is "awash in majestic moments that boggle the mind," from the Trojan Horse looming like the Statue of Liberty in Planet of the Apes to an unnerving cyclops encounter and the tentacled Scylla.
Yet one of Odysseus' best scenes is intimate: Samantha Morton delivers a barnburner speech as the witch Circe, who turns warriors into pigs. Nolan finds poetry in psychology and moral thorniness rather than treating Greek myth as a generic action template.
Who stars in Nolan's 'The Odyssey' and how was it received?
Matt Damon plays a bearded, gravitas-heavy King Odysseus, wrestling with Trojan War trauma while held by Calypso (Charlize Theron). Anne Hathaway is a strong-willed Penelope fending off suitors in Ithaca, including Robert Pattinson's petulant rival. Tom Holland appears as Telemachus, John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, and brief but impactful turns come from Lupita Nyong'o and Zendaya.
The film runs 173 minutes, is rated R for violence and some language, and is in theaters now. Oleksinski notes Damon slimmed to 167 pounds, making Odysseus command by personality rather than size—a layered leader whose loyalties to crew and family collide. The finale, set to Ludwig Göransson's ferocious ritual drums, delivers what the review calls a remarkably satisfying finish. Once again, Oleksinski concludes, it is easy to be seduced by Christopher Nolan's siren song.