The Odyssey first reactions: Critics hail Christopher Nolan’s ‘crowning achievement’

4 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 7, 2026 09:48 AM IST

The Odyssey first reactions: Critics hail Christopher Nolan's film after its London world premiere.

The Odyssey first reactions: Christopher Nolan’s action fantasy epic The Odyssey had its world premiere on Monday in London. The entire cast — Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Himesh Patel, Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page, and Robert Pattinson among others — walked the red carpet. After the premiere, critics couldn’t help but hail Nolan’s new “crowning achievement”.

What critics are saying about The Odyssey

Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes critic Erik Davis took to his X handle on Monday and shared, “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.”

Ben Rolph from Discussing Film posted on X, “#TheOdyssey is an epic tale of unmeasurable scope, grounded by Odysseus’ quest for meaning on his arduous journey. Got chills multiple times, the sound literally shook the cinema. The music rocks, it’s exhilarating and looks STUNNING & Robert Pattinson KILLS IT. The ending tho (mind-blown emoji).”

The Odyssey cast joins Christopher Nolan at the World Premiere in London. Get tickets now to experience The Odyssey in cinemas July 17. https://t.co/sk8jwTBi7P pic.twitter.com/GOACyc0rEG

— The Odyssey Movie (@odysseymovie) July 6, 2026

“THE ODYSSEY is as epic as its source material with that level of Christopher Nolan spark that makes it something special. It’s a story of love and loss and takes you on quite the journey in only the way Nolan knows how. Breathtaking, bold, and perfection,” wrote Collider critic Rachel Leishman. “Christopher Nolan’s #TheOdyssey is flawless filmmaking, every inch as epic as you’d expect. Leading a stellar cast, Matt Damon gives Odysseus everything in a career-best powerhouse performance. Robert Pattinson is outstanding as Antinous and John Leguizamo’s Eumaeus is sublime,” chimed in critic Simon Thompson.

Matt Neglia from the Next Big Picture shared on X, “A colossal achievement of scale, even by Nolan’s standards, its commitment to capturing as much as possible in-camera using new IMAX cameras is a staggering technical feat worthy of this sprawling yet intimate story of one man’s journey to return home, the burden and consequences of leadership, and the eternal struggle between mortals and gods.”

“Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is a colossal origin-myth story of postwar disillusion and a loss of innocence witnessed by the dead,” wrote film critic Peter Bradshaw. The unanimous points of appreciation seem to be the scale and immersive experience of IMAX, Damon and Patterson’s performances, the surprising horror elements in the film, and its final 20-minute stretch.

The Odyssey global tour

Following its world premiere in London, the team of The Odyssey will now travel to other cities for their respective premieres as part of its almost month-long global tour. Its next stop is on Wednesday, July 8, in Paris. Post that, it’ll take a pitstop in Mumbai for the India premiere on Saturday, July 11. It’ll then head to New York City for the premiere on July 14, followed by its theatrical release on July 18.

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A couple of weeks after its theatrical release, The Odyssey team will return to Asia and visit Beijing, China on July 30 and Seoul, South Korea on August 4. The first film to be shot completely on IMAX cameras, The Odyssey is an adaptation of ancient Greek poet Homer’s book. It’s co-produced by Universal Pictures and Nolan and his wife Emma Thompson’s Syncopy Inc.