Matt Damon in “The Odyssey.”
Universal Studios/Melinda Sue Gordon
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland and Zendaya, is being showered with praise by Rotten Tomatoes critics.
Written and directed by the Oppenheimer Oscar winner, The Odyssey plays in preview screenings starting Thursday afternoon before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday. Based on the epic poem by Homer, The Odyssey tracks Greek King of Ithaca Odysseus’ (Matt Damon) harrowing, years-long journey home after the Trojan War to reunite with his wife, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and their son, Prince Telemachus (Tom Holland).
The Odyssey — which has endured scrutiny over the past several months over such elements as the characters’ American accents and Nolan’s casting choices — also stars Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Himesh Patel, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, John Leguizamo, Mia Goth, Benny Safdie, Corey Hawkins and the voice of Bill Irwin.
Pre-release box office projections by Hollywood’s trade publications cast a wide net for the opening weekend of the film, with estimated North American ticket sales as low as $80 million and as high as $120 million. Online reactions by journalists posted last week were overwhelmingly positive, and it appears the first reviews for the film are following suit.
The review embargo for The Odyssey lifted on Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, and so far The Odyssey has earned a 98% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on 116 reviews. RT’s Critics Consensus, Audience Summary and Popcornmeter score based on verified user ratings are still pending.
Note: This review summary will be updated as more reviews are posted on RT.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘The Odyssey’?
Moira MacDonald of the Seattle Times is among the top critics on RT who gives The Odyssey a “fresh” score, writing, “If you lean back and surrender yourself to this Odyssey, it’s a remarkable journey, and Damon’s performance finds some welcome transcendence at the end.”
Anthony Breznican of Esquire Magazine is also high on The Odyssey, writing in his “fresh” RT review summary, “This film represents a team of masters, all working at the peak of their powers to breathe impressive new life into this 2,800-year-old tale.”
Radheyan Simonpillai of the Globe and Mail also deems the film “fresh,” writing on RT, “The Odyssey, which serves up awe-inspiring spectacle but is at its best when quietly contemplative, isn’t merely an opportunistic follow-up to Oppenheimer. It’s also a meaningful one.”
Amy Nicholson of the Los Angeles Times also sings the praises of The Odyssey, writing in her “fresh” RT review summary, “Nolan refuses to tremble before the canon. Grabbing mighty scissors, he cuts and rejiggers Homer and a bit of Virgil to transform the classical texts into his type of tale: one fixated on memory, self-identity, destructive genius and the slippage of time.”
Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian gives The Odyssey a perfect 5 of 5 critics’ score, writing in his “fresh” take on RT, “This is a film with thrilling ambition, boldness, seriousness, generosity and flair. There are some broad-brush moments in the dialogue, yes, but even these are applied with a muscular flourish.”
Guy Lodge of Variety is also high on The Odyssey. Lodge writes in his “fresh” RT review summary, “There’s so much to feel here at a sensory level that the film gets away with its slightly aloof, soul-skirting chill; we leave it feeling that we’ve been to hell and back, and exhilaratingly so.”
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter has some reservations about the film in his “fresh” RT review summary, writing, “While The Odyssey is uneven, and no match for the sure-footedness and intellectual complexity of Oppenheimer, it’s elevated by the blindingly charismatic ensemble.”
Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent also gives The Odyssey a perfect 5 out of 5 critics’ score. Loughrey writes in her RT review summary, “This is a blockbuster of literally unprecedented scale. It is also Nolan’s best work to date. It deserves to be the film that defines him.”
Rated R, The Odyssey plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday.