The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan
BERLIN, JULY 2026
Burcu Beaufort
Like many of Christopher Nolan's films, The Odyssey has been one of the most anticipated films of the year, not only because of its ensemble cast, which includes Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron, but also because of the director's technical ambitions. Shot entirely on IMAX film cameras, The Odyssey is worth the buzz, considering that IMAX built special equipment, including a so-called blimp for Nolan, to silence the notoriously loud IMAX cameras so that dialogue could be recorded on set, eliminating the need for ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement). The whole thing is a soundproof box so big that the crew had to use mirrors to keep the eyelines consistent during filming, as they couldn't see each other when standing close. Through this mirror trick, they could maintain eye contact through each other's reflections. With its mechanism, the tricks required to film with it, and its impact on contemporary filmmaking, its significance already feels monumental. I can already see that giant rig standing in the Academy Museum in Los Angeles as part of its permanent exhibition.
Homer's Odyssey is from a time of apparent magic, a homecoming journey full of obstacles and many side stories, a ballad of roughly 12,000 verses that follows the events of the Iliad, another epic attributed to Homer. Its lost and troubled hero, Odysseus (Matt Damon), longing for his home and beloved wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway), is nothing less than perfect for a Nolan film.
There are many moments throughout this almost three-hour film where it feels as though Nolan is referring to his own films, including Memento (2000), or perhaps he has been referring to Homer's Odyssey throughout his filmmaking career. Told through flashbacks, The Odyssey by Nolan centers around the Trojan War, the guilt Odysseus carries, the sacrifices made for victory, and the silent power and perseverance of its female figures. All of these elements are layered gently in his screenplay and shot in an astonishing fashion by Hoyte van Hoytema. The film's impact lingers for at least a few days, and you can still mentally dive deep and explore its rich texture, not only how beautiful it looks, but also its film score by Ludwig Göransson and incredibly powerful figures like the goddess Athene, played silently yet with such intensity by Zendaya, or Odysseus' loyal friend Eumaeus, brought to life in a heartfelt performance by John Leguizamo.
There is little point in recounting the plot of a nearly three-thousand-year-old Homeric epic, but what makes Nolan's adaptation remarkable is how relevant it remains in today's landscape of war and its enduring impact across generations. Contrary to what might be apparent at first glance, Nolan's The Odyssey also has a feminist side to it. The women are not merely companions to Odysseus' journey, but key figures within it: Athene, Calypso and, of course, Penelope, whose strength and resilience become just as important as the hero's own voyage.
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