Review: Yes, we're still arguing about Nolan's The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has reignited debate even after release, drawing arguments from classicists and general audiences alike over the film’s adaptation of an epic poem dating to around the 8th century BCE. The movie has earned accolades and box-office attention in its first weeks, and the review highlights Nolan’s IMAX-scale storytelling while emphasizing an intimate tone that helps the nearly three-hour runtime feel engrossing. The piece follows the familiar Odyssey arc: Odysseus (Matt Damon) seeking a way home after 10 years of fighting the Trojan War, facing obstacles like the cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin), the Sirens and Circe (Samantha Morton), while Penelope (Anne Hathaway) holds off suitors and Telemachus (Tom Holland) searches for his father. The review frames Nolan’s approach around Odysseus’s fractured memories and a personal reckoning represented by Athena, played by Zendaya.