r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • 10h ago

Official Discussion Official Discussion - The Odyssey (2026) [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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The Odyssey (2026)

Summary

After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Calypso along the way.

Director Christopher Nolan

Writer Christopher Nolan

Cast

  • Matt Damon as Odysseus
  • Tom Holland as Telemachus
  • Anne Hathaway
  • Zendaya
  • Lupita Nyong'o
  • Robert Pattinson
  • Charlize Theron
  • Benny Safdie
  • Jon Bernthal
  • John Leguizamo
  • Elliot Page
  • Himesh Patel
  • Samantha Morton

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

Metacritic: 88

VOD / Release Theatrical release

Trailer Official Trailer

1.8k Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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1.6k

u/HRJafael 10h ago edited 10h ago

The pig transformation scene had me squirming in my seat. It was horrific just watching the men being forced to continue eating and not being able to stop with the body horror shots. Circe didn’t fuck around.

Also the way the giant (or Polyphemus) started screaming after having his eye impaled. I’m not sure who designed that scream but it was chilling.

343

u/Morgan-Moonscar 10h ago

who were the giants in the armor?

The Laestrygonians (man-eating giants). I suppose making them armored giants helped to seperate them from the Cyclopses... Cyclopsi

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u/HRJafael 9h ago

I realized after looking back. I really need to reread the book. The one thing I was kind of hoping was seeing Aeolus and the bag of winds but maybe that was too “fantastical”.

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u/InstructionDeep5445 8h ago

They skipped the lotus eaters, aeolus wind bag, the Phaecians. What else? Even then the movie is almost 3 hours

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u/Adorable_Ad_3478 8h ago

They skipped Athena having a conversation with Zeus in the present to convince him to help Odysseus go home. And Zeus tasking Hermes with helping Odysseus.

Telemachus's journey is condensed, Melenaus is his 2nd or 3rd visit, not his 1st. They also changed the ending, originally Odysseus visits his dad and then the families of the dead suitors arrive and Athena defuses the situation.

Originally, Odysseus and Penelope don't sail west.

40

u/InstructionDeep5445 7h ago

I remember now. They also skipped Athena making Odyssey look old, they just give him the hoodie as disguise

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u/Abr97115 10m ago

The one thing I didn't like about that, because it's easy enough for him to hide himself with a disguise, but would his blind servant really not recognize his voice? 

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u/kanyelights 7h ago

They cut a lot of parts with the gods.

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u/Adorable_Ad_3478 6h ago

Yeah and honestly I like how even Athena could be interpreted as Ody's PTSD.

Maybe he's been hallucinating the priestess all along. The "real" Athena was never in the film.

Considering Odysseus is the sole survivor of his crew (so no witnesses), the entire fantastical journey COULD be interpreted as Odysseus having a mental breakdown.

The moment he arrives in Ithaca, the fantasy stops cold.

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u/zykovertigo 6h ago

The part where he’s remembering Troy and how he cut Athena’s head. That back and forth between the sculpture, Zendaya’s character and Odysseus is so guilt ridden. It was beautiful

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u/shitpostsuperpac 3h ago

There is a potential reading of the Odyssey in which Odysseus is simply telling a “tall tale”.

The entire thing would be performed somewhat ironically, a combination of an ancient veteran laughably embellishing his story while also lying to his wife about why he has been gone so long.

One can imagine the almost sitcom-esque laughs in the ancient crowds when Odysseus is talking about how these beautiful women seduced him because they were really goddesses in disguise. That sort of thing.

We don’t know and it probably isn’t true, I like it because it gives the whole thing an interesting complexity — almost like a Shakespeare play. To find that in such an ancient work of art fills my heart with pride for humanity.

We can really make some incredible art.

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u/willmcavoy 45m ago

Good take, I'd also tell my wife that Charlize Theron was Calypso in disguise and holding me against my will.

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u/Whoop-Sees 5h ago

Except he sees Athena in Ithaca

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u/karateema 1h ago

He's saying that maybe he's just hallucinating the girl who gets beheaded

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u/zykovertigo 1h ago

Gods are immortal

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u/Tartan_Samurai 6h ago

Does Odysseus still hang all the servant girls who were raped by the suitors?

9

u/Adorable_Ad_3478 6h ago

Nope.

In the film, Mia Goth is the only named servant and she's evil.

She's left to die by Penelope during Odysseus' rage but I don't remember if we see her die.

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u/Tartan_Samurai 5h ago

Probably a good move on Nolans part, tough to be sympathetic to a bunch of characters who murder a bunch of raped slaves for the crime of being raped...

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u/Techwield 3h ago

No one's portrayed as raped IIRC. Mia Goth's character was willingly with Pattinson's character

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u/karateema 1h ago

I think we see her kneeling at the end

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u/Morgan-Moonscar 2h ago

I distinctly remember that bit from the Hallmark miniseries version. With Armand Assante.

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u/ItsGotThatBang 9h ago

The word you’re looking for is Cyclopes.

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u/chrisandy007 9h ago

But we don't see them actually eat anyone in the film, right? They basically just take everyone out with their weapons? What was the deal with the trees randomly caving in?

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u/middlebird 9h ago

They threw a lot of big boulders at the soldiers. Was hoping to see some of that.

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u/MrBrownCat 6h ago

Yeah I know some people have complained about that but I honestly think it made a lot of sense to differentiate them from the Cyclops and add to the string of misfortune they kept finding themselves in.

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u/KawiZed 9h ago

*Cyclopes

1

u/sleeplessaddict 7h ago

This guy played Runescape

3

u/aspiring_scientist97 6h ago

I thought they were the sea people

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u/teflon_soap 9h ago

Cyclop?

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u/patkgreen 1h ago

Cyclopses... Cyclopsi

Cyclopes, I believe

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u/xdjeddiejx 1h ago

It’s been awhile since I read the original text but it looked like they landed in Ancient Germania or Gaul or something like that . Still cool and thanks for the Laestrygonian recall

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u/Fluugaluu 32m ago

Cyclopes is correct, you say it different though. Cy-clo-pees

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u/Crunchy-Leaf 16m ago

Cyclopsi

Cyclops eye

Absolute cinema

1

u/chrisrayn 6h ago

*Cyclops’ Eye