NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Movie fans are getting critics\u2019 and journalists\u2019 first reactions to The Odyssey<\/em> ahead of its July 17 release date<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n- \n\n
Several critics who saw the movie on Monday, July 6 praised Matt Damon\u2019s performance, as well as Tom Holland, Samantha Morton, Robert Pattinson and Himesh Patel<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong\u2019o, John Leguizamo, Jon Bernthal, Charlize Theron, Zendaya and more also star in The Odyssey<\/em>, Christopher Nolan\u2019s first movie since 2023\u2019s Oppenheimer<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nMovie critics are praising Matt Damon<\/a> and several of his costars in The Odyssey<\/em><\/a>after the movie\u2019s first screenings.<\/p>\nInitial reactions to writer-director Christopher Nolan<\/a>\u2018s 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<\/a>, Anne Hathaway<\/a>, Robert Pattinson<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n\u201cChristopher Nolan\u2019s #TheOdyssey is flawless filmmaking, every inch as epic as you\u2019d expect. Leading a stellar cast, Matt Damon gives Odysseus everything in a career-best powerhouse performance,\u201d journalist Simon Thompson wrote of the movie on X<\/a>. Thompson also praised Pattinson, 40, as \u201coutstanding\u201d in his role as the antagonist Antinous and John Leguizamo as \u201csublime\u201d in portraying Eumaeus, a friend and ally to Damon\u2019s lead character Odysseus.<\/p>\n\u201cI have seen Christopher Nolan\u2019s #TheOdyssey, and it is an astonishing achievement. A triumphant, spectacular epic,\u201d Variety<\/em> editor Jazz Tangcay wrote in her own X <\/a>post. \u201cThe performances from Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, John Leguizamo, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong\u2019o<\/a> are genuinely grand. And for some, truly, the best performances of their career!\u201d<\/p>\nCollider<\/em>\u2019s Perri Nemiroff spotlighted Holland\u2019s performance in the movie as Odysseus\u2019 son Telemachus when she shared her first thoughts on X<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m often wowed by his work, but there\u2019s something about seeing him jump from scene partner to scene partner in The Odyssey<\/em> that had me in awe of his screen presence, his chemistry with his co-stars, and how clearly he\u2019s able to elevate scenes in a unique way with each and every one of them,\u201d she wrote of the actor.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\nMatt Damon as Odysseus and Himesh Patel as Eurloychus in The OdysseyCredit: Melinda Sue Gordon\/Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango\u2019<\/em>s Erik Davis wrote on X<\/a> that \u201csomehow everyone still gets a chance to shine\u201d in the movie\u2019s large ensemble cast, which also includes performances from Zendaya<\/a>,\u00a0Elliot Page<\/a>, Jon Bernthal<\/a>,\u00a0Mia Goth<\/a>,\u00a0Charlize Theron<\/a>, Benny Safdie, Himesh Patel<\/a>, Elliot Page and Samantha Morton<\/a>. \u201cAnne Hathaway is incredible, Matt Damon is excellent, and Tom Holland continues to prove he can do just about anything,\u201d Davis wrote. \u201cBut Robert Pattinson absolutely stole the show for me. He\u2019s so conniving, manipulative and endlessly entertaining to watch. Pattinson leans all the way into the character\u2019s villainy, and it results in one of my favorite performances of his.\u201d<\/p>\nMorton, 49, in particular is receiving significant praise for her performance as the goddess Circe, whom Damon\u2019s Odysseus encounters on his years-long journey to return home after the Trojan War. \u201cI also can\u2019t quite remember a film having such a stacked cast where everyone delivers,\u201d Jacob Stolworthy, the chief film correspondent for The Independent<\/em>, said in a short video<\/a> the outlet shared to X. \u201cSpecial 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\u2019s in as Circe.\u201d<\/p>\nNever miss a story \u2014 sign up for <\/strong>PEOPLE\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\nNever miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/hermes.media.static.aol.com\/media\/2026\/07\/07\/082d29c9-8723-3896-9b37-72a70fddf0bf\/2e393d2d-b527-410b-ac79-41a389d25d4f.jpg\"\/)
<\/div>\nMatt Damon as Odysseus in The OdysseyCredit: Melinda Sue Gordon\/Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
\u201cBelieve the hype(rbole): The Odyssey is that film. Dense but accessible, packed with career-best work from the stacked cast \u2013 Samantha Morton is extraordinary \u2013 it\u2019s a dizzying mix of craft and spectacle that\u2019s built to last,\u201d Phil de Semlyen, a London-based film critic, wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cSeen 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\u2019s even a few laughs, too. Go see. Twice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Movie fans are getting critics\u2019 and journalists\u2019 first reactions to The Odyssey<\/em> ahead of its July 17 release date<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Several critics who saw the movie on Monday, July 6 praised Matt Damon\u2019s performance, as well as Tom Holland, Samantha Morton, Robert Pattinson and Himesh Patel<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong\u2019o, John Leguizamo, Jon Bernthal, Charlize Theron, Zendaya and more also star in The Odyssey<\/em>, Christopher Nolan\u2019s first movie since 2023\u2019s Oppenheimer<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Movie critics are praising Matt Damon<\/a> and several of his costars in The Odyssey<\/em><\/a>after the movie\u2019s first screenings.<\/p>\n Initial reactions to writer-director Christopher Nolan<\/a>\u2018s 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<\/a>, Anne Hathaway<\/a>, Robert Pattinson<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n \u201cChristopher Nolan\u2019s #TheOdyssey is flawless filmmaking, every inch as epic as you\u2019d expect. Leading a stellar cast, Matt Damon gives Odysseus everything in a career-best powerhouse performance,\u201d journalist Simon Thompson wrote of the movie on X<\/a>. Thompson also praised Pattinson, 40, as \u201coutstanding\u201d in his role as the antagonist Antinous and John Leguizamo as \u201csublime\u201d in portraying Eumaeus, a friend and ally to Damon\u2019s lead character Odysseus.<\/p>\n \u201cI have seen Christopher Nolan\u2019s #TheOdyssey, and it is an astonishing achievement. A triumphant, spectacular epic,\u201d Variety<\/em> editor Jazz Tangcay wrote in her own X <\/a>post. \u201cThe performances from Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, John Leguizamo, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong\u2019o<\/a> are genuinely grand. And for some, truly, the best performances of their career!\u201d<\/p>\n Collider<\/em>\u2019s Perri Nemiroff spotlighted Holland\u2019s performance in the movie as Odysseus\u2019 son Telemachus when she shared her first thoughts on X<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m often wowed by his work, but there\u2019s something about seeing him jump from scene partner to scene partner in The Odyssey<\/em> that had me in awe of his screen presence, his chemistry with his co-stars, and how clearly he\u2019s able to elevate scenes in a unique way with each and every one of them,\u201d she wrote of the actor.<\/p>\n Matt Damon as Odysseus and Himesh Patel as Eurloychus in The OdysseyCredit: Melinda Sue Gordon\/Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango\u2019<\/em>s Erik Davis wrote on X<\/a> that \u201csomehow everyone still gets a chance to shine\u201d in the movie\u2019s large ensemble cast, which also includes performances from Zendaya<\/a>,\u00a0Elliot Page<\/a>, Jon Bernthal<\/a>,\u00a0Mia Goth<\/a>,\u00a0Charlize Theron<\/a>, Benny Safdie, Himesh Patel<\/a>, Elliot Page and Samantha Morton<\/a>. \u201cAnne Hathaway is incredible, Matt Damon is excellent, and Tom Holland continues to prove he can do just about anything,\u201d Davis wrote. \u201cBut Robert Pattinson absolutely stole the show for me. He\u2019s so conniving, manipulative and endlessly entertaining to watch. Pattinson leans all the way into the character\u2019s villainy, and it results in one of my favorite performances of his.\u201d<\/p>\n Morton, 49, in particular is receiving significant praise for her performance as the goddess Circe, whom Damon\u2019s Odysseus encounters on his years-long journey to return home after the Trojan War. \u201cI also can\u2019t quite remember a film having such a stacked cast where everyone delivers,\u201d Jacob Stolworthy, the chief film correspondent for The Independent<\/em>, said in a short video<\/a> the outlet shared to X. \u201cSpecial 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\u2019s in as Circe.\u201d<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <\/strong>PEOPLE\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n Matt Damon as Odysseus in The OdysseyCredit: Melinda Sue Gordon\/Universal Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cBelieve the hype(rbole): The Odyssey is that film. Dense but accessible, packed with career-best work from the stacked cast \u2013 Samantha Morton is extraordinary \u2013 it\u2019s a dizzying mix of craft and spectacle that\u2019s built to last,\u201d Phil de Semlyen, a London-based film critic, wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cSeen 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\u2019s even a few laughs, too. Go see. Twice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>