The world premiere of Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey took place in London on Monday. The cast and crew walked the red carpet alongside a select group of film critics and reviewers from the US and the UK. The first reactions have now emerged, and they are overwhelmingly positive.
Many reviewers have described The Odyssey as Nolan’s masterpiece, while several praised the cast for delivering some of the best performances of their careers.
The Odyssey first reactions
Critics who attended the premiere shared their thoughts on social media soon after the screening. One of the most common points of praise was Nolan’s ambitious vision and the sheer scale on which he has brought Homer’s epic to life.
Steve Weintraub of Collider wrote on X, ‘The Odyssey is INCREDIBLE. This movie has totally blown me away. From the incredible performances to Nolan going full supernatural here, everything about this movie is just amazing.’
Senior film critic and host Perri Nemiroff wrote, ‘The Odyssey is a filmmaker’s delight. This huge and exciting version of Homer’s epic, which is decidedly a Nolan take on the material, is sincerely impossible to believe any other filmmaker in the world could have brought this source material to the big screen with such scale, scope, and heart.’
Critics also commended Nolan’s ability to capture the grandeur of the original epic. Film journalist Rachel Leishman wrote, ‘This Odyssey is an epic, just like its source material, with that touch of Christopher Nolan that gives it its unique identity. This is a tale of love and loss and takes you through a great journey like only Christopher Nolan knows how. Breathtaking and perfection.’
Cast delivers career-defining performances
The film’s star-studded cast also received widespread praise. The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, John Leguizamo and Lupita Nyong’o. Jazz Tangcay of Variety wrote, ‘The performances from Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, John Leguizamo, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o are genuinely grand. And for some, truly, the best performances of their career.’
Film critic Simon Thompson echoed the sentiment, saying, ‘Leading a stellar cast, Matt Damon brings out all of Odysseus in a career-defining powerful performance. Robert Pattinson is exceptional as Antinous and John Leguizamo’s Eumaeus is sublime.’
See some other reactions here:
The Odyssey is scheduled to release in theatres worldwide on July 17.
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