Given all the hype, this one was the must-see Film for us in 2026. I like the majority of Christopher Nolan‘s work; he has a knack for producing movies with a BIG ‘feel’ about them – and this one promised to be more of the same.
Christopher Nolan Filmography 2000 –>
Memento (2000)
Insomnia (2002)
Batman Begins (2005)
The Prestige (2006)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Inception (2010)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Man of Steel (2013)
Interstellar (2014)
Dunkirk (2017)
Tenet (2020) –Yikes! That was a struggle! 🤯
Oppenheimer (2023)
The Odyssey (2026)
For Christopher Nolan’s latest venture, all the familiar film critics seemed to love it, whilst online, youngsters were revolting! 🤔
I’d seen a large backlash by these ‘enlightened yoofs’ citing historical inaccuracies including: (“their armour wouldn’t have looked like that“), colour-blind casting (“Helen of Troy wasn’t a woman of colour”/“Why are there no real Greeks in it?”) and also, unrealistic modernised dialogue (“Let’s go!” / “OK Dad” etc).
I guess they were hoping to grow their online followers by being controversial! 🥱🥱🥱🥱😴. Err, it’s entertainment, kids, NOT a history lesson! 🤐
Tech Alert!
Technically speaking, what makes this one special is that it’s the first ever to be shot entirely using IMAX cameras, meaning, amongst other things, a bigger, more detailed picture – ideal for this sort of epic production. If you want the precise details of why IMAX is so special, have a look here at this very informative video, but be warned it gets nerdy, very quickly! (lovely!!) 👍😉
Official Synopsis
Based on the poem attributed to Homer, ‘The Odyssey’ follows the legendary King of Ithaca, Odysseus (Matt Damon), who is trapped on a gruelling ten-year journey home after winning the Trojan War. While he braves mythical creatures and perilous seas, his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland) fight to protect their home from greedy suitors vying for the throne.
Official Trailer
Main Cast
For more details on each cast member, click HERE to visit IMDB.com
See the creative team behind this one HERE at IMDB.com
After a super lunch at nearby Sondes Arms in celebration of Janet’s Birthday, we four headed for The Savoy in Corby – and our favourite seats – to see what all the fuss was about.
OK, it did fill up about 10 minutes later! 😉
Any Good?
SPOILER FREE!
My first comment would be to say: it’s a long one, coming in at just under three hours (2 hours 53 minutes). Mind you, we all recently survived Avatar – Fire and Ash totalling a mighty 3 hours, 17 minutes, so we were already ‘battle-hardened’ 😮
There are blockbusters, and then there are Christopher Nolan blockbusters. Consequently, this was a great piece of storytelling that moved along at some pace (except for the opening 45 minutes that ‘plodded’ somewhat, whilst the storyline was established, and the scene was set for what was to come). Personally, I was expecting more action to grab my attention in those early scenes. My advice? Stick with it, and you won’t be disappointed! 👍
If you’re familiar with Homer’s Odyssey, then you’ll appreciate that to cram as much as they did in less than three hours was a miracle in itself! Ten years of ‘odysseying’ in under 180 minutes is a feat in itself! Did it feel long? Hmm, not really, as we spent most of the time on the edge of our seats (and that’s not easy here at the Savoy because the seats recline!!! 😂). Yes, an energetic movie (once it got going) with Matt Damon in pretty much ALL of the scenes, acting his socks off. The rest of the cast gave it their all and must have been exhausted when the film finally wrapped on August 5, 2025, ahead of schedule.
Director Christopher Nolan is well known for minimising the amount of CGI he employs. If you want to put a load of soldiers in a boat and ask them to cope with rough seas and row like their lives depended on it – then why not do exactly that? This made every action scene really impressive (and believable too) 😮😮
Was this absence of excessive CGI noticeable? Yes, it was (but in a good way!), and we all commented independently on how gritty the production felt.
Throughout, it was packed with ‘wow!’ moments and maybe just one scene where I simply thought ‘yuk!’ 😮. If you’re like me, you’ll never look at sausages in the same way again. Gross!! 😫😫. Sausages aside, overall, it was all very watchable.
Our screen presented the film in ‘Dolby 7.1‘ and this was really noticeable with sounds coming from behind, left, right and even above (I think?!). Despite some reports, the dialogue was crisp and clear throughout.
The final 30 minutes-or-so is where it all comes together and brings everything to a very satisfactory conclusion. In many ways, it’s also an exhausting experience for the audience (again, in a good way).
Go see! 👍👍👍👍
I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!
I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!
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