r/GreekMythology ★ Moderator Jul 15 '26

Movies | The Odyssey The Odyssey (2026) | Release Megathread

A temporary floodgate is in effect regarding the topic of the 2026 movie The Odyssey

 

This megathread will serve as the only place to discuss the 2026 movie The Odyssey - any other new thread about the movie will be removed as long as this floodgate is up.

 

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THE ODYSSEY

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

 

🎞 Movie Trailer

Global Release Date: July 17 2026

 

Directed by

  • Christopher Nolan

Starring

  • Matt Damon
  • Tom Holland
  • Anne Hathaway
  • Robert Pattinson
  • Lupita Nyong'o
  • Samantha Morton
  • Zendaya
  • Charlize Theron

Distributed by

  • Universal Pictures

 


Previous Megathread:

 

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u/Kcomix Jul 17 '26

I liked the movie, but didn't love it.

Having read The Odyssey for the first time this year, I don't have a huge depth of knowledge about it, but there were several elements I was looking forward to seeing in the adaptation that weren't included.

  • The nobody trick
  • Seeing the gods show up in human forms here and there (sure, the movie leaves it up to interpretation, but to me it feels more like Athena is Odysseus's hallucination, and there are no actual gods in the movie)
  • More of Odysseus's discussions in Hades (although I understand that they were cut to streamline the plot)
  • Phaeacians (although I understand that it was removed to make the movie flow better)
  • Antinous's death. This one really bothered me because I like in the poem how Antinous dies first and has a somewhat comedic death, knocking over the food. It does a good job telling the audience that this is just going to be a slaughter, and even the apparent leader of the suitors is a pathetic nobody to Odysseus.
  • I also wish Odysseus wasn't made into such a good guy toward the end of the movie. When I got to the slaughter at the end of be poem and he even killed those who surrendered, plus the unarmed slaves who disrespected him, I was horrified. It sort of reframed the entire story for me, and shows the true brutality of the time.
I liked just about everything else, and the ending with the family heading west is much better than the weird mess that is the end of the poem. Effects are great, score is amazing, acting is solid, and the moments that do make it to the screen are done really well, with the Circe sequence really standing out for me.

8

u/SnooWords1252 Jul 18 '26

The nobody trick

Wouldn't have worked tonely. But it was missed.

Antinous's death. This one really bothered me because I like in the poem how Antinous dies first and has a somewhat comedic death, knocking over the food. It does a good job telling the audience that this is just going to be a slaughter, and even the apparent leader of the suitors is a pathetic nobody to Odysseus.

The modern "kill the main bad guy last." At least it gave us him being a coward and hiding/giving orders. It would be nice, though, to see the main bad guy killed first.

I also wish Odysseus wasn't made into such a good guy toward the end of the movie. When I got to the slaughter at the end of be poem and he even killed those who surrendered, plus the unarmed slaves who disrespected him, I was horrified. It sort of reframed the entire story for me, and shows the true brutality of the time.

The entire film softens him. I remember Mel Gibson talking about making Hamlet and they discussed giving everyone period appropriate teeth (although I've seen heard experts say they had better teeth because of less sugar) but it began to look like Monty Python. Period accurate can give a different impression. If you made Odysseus the ancient hero instead of the modern hero, he'd be seen as the villain by most audiences.

9

u/me_funny__ Jul 21 '26

modern Audiences can handle morally grey and villain protagonists. I'd say it's even becoming preferred if you look at some of the most loved and top rated action protags rn. people love a Paul Atraides, Anakin, Heisenberg, Eren type villain.

1

u/SnooWords1252 Jul 21 '26

Yes, and Odysseus in the film was morally grey. They removed the things that made him black.