MOVIES AT LA PLAZA: THE ODYSSEY – A media sensation, but not memorable

Movie Review by Sergio Martinez

Great works of literature have always been an important source of material for cinema. Even the Bible had a film adaptation back in the 1960s! The great Homeric epic has also provided material for the big screen; without going any further, Uberto Pasolini had already given us a more specific take on the vicissitudes of Odysseus in The Return (2024), starring Ralph Fiennes in the lead role and Juliette Binoche as Penelope.

What sets Christopher Nolan’s version apart is the anticipation its release generated—to the point that, more than a week after its release, it’s difficult to find tickets for its IMAX screenings, the format that offers the most striking images of the journey undertaken by the men led by Odysseus after the Trojan War, as well as the battles and encounters with mythical beings. Undoubtedly, this is a great credit to the marketing team and to some interesting creative liberties Nolan took when casting the film. A certain dose of controversy always helps—one might say, with a touch of cynicism.

On the one hand, Nolan's use of colour blindness in casting Black actresses in prominent roles can be welcomed as a gesture of openness and recognition of talent beyond skin colour, but it can also be interpreted as an attempt at political correctness inconsistent with the desire to faithfully portray the historical period of the legend. Strictly speaking, Helen of Troy, played by Lupita Nyong'o, has little presence in the original text. She is, however, a central figure in The Iliad, since, according to legend, the war is triggered by her abduction. Nolan also chose another Black actress, Zendaya, for the role of the goddess Athena. 

Furthermore, many of the references to the battles in Troy, the subject of The Iliad, were not part of The Odyssey. All of this undoubtedly added to an audience eager for action scenes, but The Odyssey, while alluding to those episodes, is primarily a reflective work on the fate of the protagonist, brilliantly portrayed by Matt Damon, as well as the unwavering will of his wife, Penelope, played by the talented and beautiful Anne Hathaway, who imbues her character with unwavering dignity. Many of the scenes that capture the most mythical aspects of the story—the encounter with the Cyclops Polyphemus, the transformation of his men into pigs, and the song of the Sirens—probably fail to capture their full symbolic value because the film only touches upon them as disconnected episodes.

Nor is there any further development of the relationship between Odysseus and the beautiful Calypso (a role very well portrayed by the equally beautiful Charlize Theron).

Nolan lengthens the film with many action scenes, possibly aimed at a younger audience, but which do not occupy the same attention in Homer's text. The fight scene that breaks out when Odysseus enters the fray for Penelope's hand is extremely long and at times seems more like a fight scene from a Western film than the more circumscribed combat presented by Homer. In short, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has undoubtedly become the major cinematic phenomenon of summer 2026, and some may already be thinking about Oscar nominations. But if one looks beyond the special effects and stunning visuals, what remains is more the expression of good staging and cinematography, but there's no real contribution, much less a capture of Odysseus's reflective tone—the man who, after many years, must return to find that upon arrival, the only one who recognizes him is his dog (a symbolic moment in the original, barely touched by Nolan). More than a great cinematic event, this is a skillfully crafted media spectacle. And Homer isn't to blame.