Tom Holland had already watched Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey twice by the time the London premiere began drawing reactions. He called it the best cinematic adaptation of a Greek myth he has ever seen, a sign that Nolan’s three-hour take on Homer is landing as more than a prestige rollout.
The film world premiered in London on Monday night, and early reactions from critics and other early viewers arrived before the reviews embargo lifts next Wednesday and before next Friday’s worldwide release. With an estimated $250m budget and a break-even target of at least $500m, the release is already carrying the scale of an awards-season event rather than a normal summer opener.
London reactions build early heat
Peter Bradshaw described the film as “a colossal origin-myth story of postwar disillusion and a loss of innocence witnessed by the dead,” while Anne Thompson said her high expectations were met and called it “stunningly mounted.” That mix of language points to the same thing: the film is being treated as a serious contender before most audiences have any access at all.
Anne Thompson also called it the best picture contender to beat and said Matt Damon could win best actor. Those are not casual reactions; they are early awards forecasts being formed before the public reviews window opens, which gives the film a head start in the season’s conversation.
IMAX scale, wider reach
Shot entirely using large-format Imax film cameras, The Odyssey is also set to play in non-Imax cinemas, which broadens the release beyond premium-format venues without changing the film’s top-end presentation. That matters because Nolan’s scale is being sold as both an event and a mass release, not a niche format exercise.
Erik Davis called the film “an absolute triumph and a crowning cinematic achievement from one of the great film-makers of our time,” adding that “everything Nolan has been working toward with Imax has culminated here.” He also said the production design is incredible, the action is breathtaking, and the scale is unlike anything Nolan has done before.
Other early reactions added a small but useful wrinkle. Davis said the film embraces horror, that some of its biggest moments are genuinely unsettling, and that Robert Pattinson “absolutely stole the show” by leaning into the character’s villainy. Matt Neglia called it “a colossal achievement of scale, even by Nolan’s standards,” which is the kind of line that usually travels fastest when a film is trying to look expensive and essential at the same time. Early reactions to Christopher Nolan’s IMAX epic
David Ehrlich’s caution
David Ehrlich described the film as “surprisingly natural” and “less despairing” than Oppenheimer, but he also said it was “too clunky to be S-tier Nolan, but the last act rewards the journey.” That is the useful counterweight in the first wave of praise: the movie sounds big, but not every critic is handing it a blank check.
Tom Holland’s response sits at the center of that split. “I’ve now watched it twice, and it is by some way the best cinematic adaptation of a Greek myth I have ever seen. It honours Homer while simultaneously making something new of him.” That is exactly the kind of praise that helps a film’s prestige case before reviews open and box-office questions take over.
Christopher Nolan now has a familiar test in front of him. Oppenheimer swept the 2023 Oscars and took almost $1bn at the box office; The Odyssey needs at least $500m just to break even, so the early critical glow is only the opening move. The harder question is whether the London response turns into the kind of wide-audience turnout that can justify a $250m gamble when next Friday arrives.
