by Sophia Caneira ’29 on September 17, 2026
A&E - Film & TV
Let me tell you, I’m not a morning person. It takes a lot to get me out of bed in the morning, let alone to get up early. But when The Odyssey (2026) is in theaters, and the only showing I can get to is at 7:50 a.m., an exception must be made. I hope to be able to see The Odyssey here in Providence in 70mm film, but even in regular IMAX, this film was a sight to behold. Christopher Nolan has shot select sequences on IMAX cameras in past films, but The Odyssey is both his—and the—first movie to be shot
entirely in this format.
If there’s one thing people tend to know about Nolan, it’s his rejection of computer-generated technology. He much prefers to use practical effects, even going so far as to flip an 18-wheeler to achieve the realism he desired for the iconic chase sequence in The Dark Knight (2008). In The Odyssey, Nolan reaches another level. The Cyclops was a puppet. The horrifying scene in which Circe transforms Odysseus’s men into pigs was done with makeup, clay, and prosthetics. The whirlpool Charybdis (enhanced with CGI) was created with jet skis. The role of Argos was played by three different dogs. The dolphins that appear in the water beside Odysseus’s boat are real dolphins—the moment captured on camera was unscripted, but nevertheless adds to the magic of the movie.
One of the aspects of this film that I found most remarkable was its star-studded cast. Nolan is known for working with some of the biggest Hollywood stars and often casts the same actors in multiple projects (Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, and Christian Bale, to name a few). Ahead of The Odyssey’s release, I wasn’t fully convinced by some of the casting choices for a few of the main characters. Boy, was I wrong. Sitting in the theater, I forgot I was watching Matt Damon. I just saw Odysseus. I forgot Robert Pattinson was the sparkly guy from Twilight (2008). He played the villain Antinous so well, and honestly ran away with the movie. Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Zendaya all gave incredible performances. I was also particularly moved by John Leguizamo’s Eumaeus, Odysseus’s loyal friend.
In an interview, Nolan quoted the opening line of Emily Wilson’s The Odyssey translation: “Tell me about a complicated man,” which led audiences to believe that this translation influenced his film. Having read Wilson’s translation of Homer’s epic in DWC last year, I was particularly excited to see Nolan’s spin on the text. Wilson herself didn’t hold back in her review of the film, in which she criticized the acting, direction, dialogue, thematic elements, narrative structure, and props, among other aspects. She says, “I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script,” soon after arguing that “adaptations needn’t and shouldn’t follow the original with anything like the exactitude of a translation.” While I admit there were a few key plot points missing, namely, the iconic “nobody” exchange between Odysseus and the Cyclops, as well as Penelope’s final test involving the marriage bed built from a tree, I feel there is little to complain about. Both interpretations of Homer’s story are effective and entertaining,
even if they aren’t quite the same. As a writer and aspiring filmmaker myself, I find taking inspiration from another writer is simply that: taking inspiration, not making an exact copy. If you have the opportunity, watch the film and decide for yourself.
When asked about his thoughts concerning the rise of artificial intelligence, Nolan responded in the most Nolan-esque way possible: “[AI is] a Trojan horse that everybody knows the Greeks are inside.” We already know the dangers of AI. Even so, we welcome it inside the walls of our city: Teachers use it in their classrooms. Students use it to complete homework. But recognizing that AI is problematic, having that self-awareness, is usually a good sign. While AI may be faster and more efficient, it is often biased, vague, monotonous, and simply incorrect. Nolan’s aversion to CGI is a testament to the fact that the slower, more painstaking route has value and is often worth the extra effort. The staggering number of people who are flocking to the theaters to see this movie proves that. If nothing else, The Odyssey helps remind us what makes a good film and why we love going to the movies in the first place. Personally, though, I think Nolan’s take on the story of Odysseus has plenty of intrinsic value on its own.