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Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has started screening, and the first wave of reactions is predictably large, loud, and carved in IMAX stone. Early viewers are calling it monumental, staggering, clunky in spots, and very much built for the biggest screen available.

The first reactions are mostly huge

Los Angeles Times film editor Joshua Rothkopf called the film “staggering. Earthy, ghostly, weighty, touched by humor and grandeur alike. It’s pure cinema.” He also described it as “a return home to the robustly entertaining action movies that cinema was invented to tell.”

Time Out film critic Phil de Semlyen was similarly high on it, writing, “Believe the hype(rbole): The Odyssey is that film.” He also called it “dense but accessible.”

Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw framed Nolan’s take as something grander and darker, writing, “Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is a colossal origin-myth story of postwar disillusion and a loss of innocence.”

Indiewire’s Anne Thompson went straight to the awards angle, writing, “Matt Damon could win Best Actor and a bevy of supporting thesps and noms will follow. The BP to beat.”

Indiewire chief film critic David Erlich was more measured, calling the film “less despairing” than Oppenheimer, but adding that it is “too clunky to be S-tier Nolan, but the last act rewards the journey.”

Matt Damon, IMAX, and the usual Nolan scale

The reactions repeatedly point to scale, action, and Nolan’s use of IMAX as major selling points, which is not exactly a plot twist. This is the same movie that had 70mm IMAX tickets selling out absurdly early, because Nolan has somehow turned premium-format projection into event cinema’s final surviving religion.

Perri Nemiroff wrote, “Nolan does a remarkable job weaving the episodes of the story together, and does it all while never skipping a beat. He hits that magical balance of crafting a movie that flies but also leaves you feeling as though you’ve just experienced a significant portion of the characters’…”

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Jeremy Mathai added, “Breaking my Twitter hiatus to say that, yes, has the goods. Christopher Nolan's Ten Commandments, boasting a scope and scale that never intrudes on its intimacy. A grounded (but faithful) take on the epic myth, with some clever revisionist flair. Himesh Patel the MVP!”

David Crow called it “MONUMENTAL,” while also noting some limits to the sprawl: “Tis emotionally layered, but must admit not the masterpiece of Oppe. It crams so much, including overly cautious fantasy elements & curious real Greek history like the SEA PEOPLE (classic profs just gasped!), that it’s scope outpaces even 70mm IMAX. But is gorgeously outstretched”

Lou Thomas wrote, “The Odyssey truly delivers. Christopher Nolan’s film is a huge action-adventure spectacle full of blood and thunder. Matt Damon a worthy hero and big performances across the board with Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo, Robert Pattinson, Elliot Page and Samantha Morton my picks. Ace.”

The myth apparently gets weird

For all the talk about scale, several reactions also suggest that Nolan has not stripped Homer down into a prestige-drama spreadsheet. The fantasy elements, mythological sequences, and supernatural material are being singled out as part of the appeal.

Jordan Farley wrote, “ is monumental filmmaking, its interpretation of Greek mythology electrifyingly uncanny. Staggering scale, thrillingly staged action, rich emotional throughlines. The cyclops and Circe sequences are among the best of Nolan’s career.”

Simon Thompson called it “flawless filmmaking,” writing, “Christopher Nolan's is flawless filmmaking, every inch as epic as you'd expect. Leading a stellar cast, Matt Damon gives Odysseus everything in a career-best powerhouse performance. Robert Pattinson is outstanding as Antinous and John Leguizamo's Eumaeus is sublime.”

Erik Davis went even bigger, writing, “Christopher Nolan's is an absolute triumph and a crowning cinematic achievement from one of the great filmmakers of our time. It feels like everything Nolan has been working toward with IMAX has culminated here. The production design is incredible, the action is…”

Rachel Leishman wrote, “THE ODYSSEY is as epic as its source material with that level of Christopher Nolan spark that makes it something special. It's a story of love and loss and takes you on quite the journey in only the way Nolan knows how. Breathtaking, bold, and perfection.”

Steven Weintraub added, “Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is INCREDIBLE.

I'm really blown away by this film. Everything from the flawless performances to the way Nolan embraces the supernatural is just perfect.

If you can, SEE IT IN 70mm. It’s a jaw dropping experience.

It'll be great…”

The voyage starts in July

The Odyssey opens on July 17. Initial projections had the film’s domestic debut in the $80 million to $100 million range, though a reaction cycle this loud could push the conversation even further into event-movie territory.

The usual caveat applies: first reactions are not reviews, and first reactions to a Nolan movie tend to arrive pre-loaded with a fog machine. Still, this is exactly the kind of noise studios pray for when they build a movie around scale, myth, and the promise that cinema is not dead yet.

Tags: Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey, Matt Damon, IMAX, first reactions, Robert Pattinson, Samantha Morton, Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Greek mythology, Homer, Oppenheimer, 70mm IMAX, summer movies, movie news

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