NEED TO KNOW
Movie fans are getting critics’ and journalists’ first reactions to The Odyssey ahead of its July 17 release date
Several critics who saw the movie on Monday, July 6 praised Matt Damon’s performance, as well as Tom Holland, Samantha Morton, Robert Pattinson and Himesh Patel
Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, John Leguizamo, Jon Bernthal, Charlize Theron, Zendaya and more also star in The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s first movie since 2023’s Oppenheimer
Movie critics are praising Matt Damon and several of his costars in The Odysseyafter the movie’s first screenings.
Initial reactions to writer-director Christopher Nolan‘s new movie appeared on social media on Monday, July 6, after film critics and journalists screened the ancient Greece-set epic, which Damon, 55, costars in with Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and more.
“Christopher Nolan’s #TheOdyssey 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,” journalist Simon Thompson wrote of the movie on X. Thompson also praised Pattinson, 40, as “outstanding” in his role as the antagonist Antinous and John Leguizamo as “sublime” in portraying Eumaeus, a friend and ally to Damon’s lead character Odysseus.
“I have seen Christopher Nolan’s #TheOdyssey, and it is an astonishing achievement. A triumphant, spectacular epic,” Variety editor Jazz Tangcay wrote in her own X post. “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!”
Collider’s Perri Nemiroff spotlighted Holland’s performance in the movie as Odysseus’ son Telemachus when she shared her first thoughts on X. “I’m often wowed by his work, but there’s something about seeing him jump from scene partner to scene partner in The Odyssey that had me in awe of his screen presence, his chemistry with his co-stars, and how clearly he’s able to elevate scenes in a unique way with each and every one of them,” she wrote of the actor.
Matt Damon as Odysseus and Himesh Patel as Eurloychus in The OdysseyCredit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango’s Erik Davis wrote on X that “somehow everyone still gets a chance to shine” in the movie’s large ensemble cast, which also includes performances from Zendaya, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Himesh Patel, Elliot Page and Samantha Morton. “Anne Hathaway is incredible, Matt Damon is excellent, and Tom Holland continues to prove he can do just about anything,” Davis wrote. “But Robert Pattinson absolutely stole the show for me. He’s so conniving, manipulative and endlessly entertaining to watch. Pattinson leans all the way into the character’s villainy, and it results in one of my favorite performances of his.”
Morton, 49, in particular is receiving significant praise for her performance as the goddess Circe, whom Damon’s Odysseus encounters on his years-long journey to return home after the Trojan War. “I also can’t quite remember a film having such a stacked cast where everyone delivers,” Jacob Stolworthy, the chief film correspondent for The Independent, said in a short video the outlet shared to X. “Special shoutouts to Tom Holland in his best role to date as Telemachus; Himesh Patel, who is a breath of fresh air as Odysseus second-in-command, and Samantha Morton, who damn near steals the show in the few scenes she’s in as Circe.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Matt Damon as Odysseus in The OdysseyCredit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
“Believe the hype(rbole): The Odyssey is that film. Dense but accessible, packed with career-best work from the stacked cast – Samantha Morton is extraordinary – it’s a dizzying mix of craft and spectacle that’s built to last,” Phil de Semlyen, a London-based film critic, wrote on X. “Seen it twice, took so much away both times: a chilling vision of brutalised men seeing themselves in the eyes of women, a study of leadership and an old-school sweeping adventure tale. Even the cyclops got me in the feels. There’s even a few laughs, too. Go see. Twice.”
The Odyssey is in theaters July 17.
Read the original article on People
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.aol.com ’
