The internet had nearly buried The Odyssey before Christopher Nolan’s epic even reached the shore. From its trailer visuals to Matt Damon’s Odysseus, the backlash came with no mercy. But now that the first reactions are in, The Odyssey has returned with rave reviews, and suddenly, the internet’s premature funeral is looking painfully awkward. Well, it seems Nolan did not need to fight the backlash; he let The Odyssey answer for itself.

Following the film’s first press screenings, critics wasted no time showering Christopher Nolan’s Greek epic with the kind of praise that could make months of trailer discourse suddenly feel very awkward. Collider’s Perri Nemiroff called The Odyssey a “filmmaking feast,” while Discussing Film’s Andrew J. Salazar hailed it as a “staggering achievement” packed with spectacular and terrifying set pieces.

Variety’s Jazz Tangcay joined the chorus by calling the film an “astonishing achievement” and a “triumphant, spectacular epic,” while other early reactions praised its enormous IMAX scale, emotional weight, and unexpectedly frightening dive into Greek mythology.

And apparently, Nolan is not the only one walking away with the crown. Matt Damon has earned glowing praise for his commanding performance as Odysseus, while Robert Pattinson’s manipulative and villainous Antinous has emerged as another early favorite. Tom Holland has also drawn applause for bringing heart and sensitivity to Telemachus. So, after the internet spent months dissecting costumes, dialogue, and every frame of the trailer, the full film has finally entered the conversation, and it appears to have brought an entire army of glowing witnesses with it.

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And while Nolan’s massive canvas has critics throwing around words like “astonishing” and “flawless,” the actors sailing through his Greek nightmare are apparently causing some chaos of their own.

Fandango’s Erik Davis had particular praise for Robert Pattinson’s Antinous, calling the character “conniving, manipulative and endlessly entertaining to watch,” while naming the performance one of his favorites from the actor. Davis also declared The Odyssey an “absolute triumph” and a “crowning cinematic achievement,” adding yet another glowing verdict to a first-reaction wave that has been anything but subtle. 

At the center of all that spectacle is Matt Damon’s Odysseus, a warrior fighting his way through a brutal, years-long journey back to his wife, Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway, and his son Telemachus, played by Tom Holland, after the Trojan War. And Nolan has hardly sent him into the mythological madness alone, with Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel, and Robert Pattinson rounding out the sprawling ensemble.

The filmmaker shot more than two million feet of film across 91 days, turning The Odyssey into the first narrative feature filmed entirely with IMAX cameras. Built to give Greek mythology the full weight of a Hollywood spectacle, Nolan’s colossal gamble is finally set to storm into theaters on July 17, 2026.

The trailer may have given the internet plenty to complain about, but if these explosive first reactions are anything to go by, The Odyssey could be preparing to turn its loudest critics into its quietest audience.

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What are your thoughts on The Odyssey’s rave first reactions? Let us know in the comments.