‘The Odyssey’ IMAX 70mm movie review: The greatest story ever told in the greatest format ever seen

Note: At Prague’s Cinema City Flora IMAX theater, The Odyssey is preceded by a seven-minute battle sequence from Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune: Part Three in 70mm IMAX. The visuals are jaw-dropping, but will soon be outdone.

The hero of the Trojan War embarks on a perilous journey home and faces his greatest threat yet once he gets there in The Odyssey, opening in Prague and cinemas worldwide this weekend. Christopher Nolan‘s wildly ambitious translation of Homer’s 3,000-year-old Greek epic is the first film ever shot entirely in IMAX 70mm, and Prague’s IMAX cinema is one of only three in the European Union and a few dozen worldwide screening it in that physical format. The Prague Reporter has seen a few thousand films in Prague cinemas over the past two decades, but this might be the most memorable theatrical experience yet. Do not miss the opportunity.

Backed by awe-inspiring visuals, many across real-life locales captured in eye-popping detail by cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, an immersive and authentic soundtrack by Ludwig Göransson, striking performances from an all-star cast, extraordinary sets and costumes, and effects that flawlessly combine ancient Greece and Greek mythology, The Odyssey is an epic in every sense of the word. Nolan’s screenplay finds remarkable emotional depth in Homer’s ancient text, transforming a legendary adventure into a deeply human story about trauma, identity and the impossible struggle to return to the person one once was. It is a clear frontrunner for next year’s Academy Awards across just about every technical category imaginable.

For those familiar with Homer’s epic, adapted here by Nolan alone, The Odyssey drops audiences into familiar territory, though the filmmaker is careful not to overwhelm those new to the material. The film begins on the island of Ithaca, where suitors including the devious Antinous (Robert Pattinson) surround Greek Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and attempt to bait her son Telemachus (Tom Holland) into attacking them so they can depose of him and claim the island as their own once Penelope chooses one of them to wed.

The suitors tell tales of Penelope’s husband, the legendary warrior and tactician Odysseus (Matt Damon), who devised the Trojan horse strategy, which Nolan masterfully stages across three sequences that peel back layers of meaning behind the famous deception. But Odysseus and all of his men have been missing for more than seven years after departing the shores of Troy. Kept in a state of amnesia under the spell of Calypso (Charlize Theron), Odysseus is only now beginning to regain memories of his crew’s fateful journey home, which makes up much of the film’s first half.

Seeing Homer’s legendary creatures brought to life with this level of seriousness and grandeur is one of the great pleasures of The Odyssey. Mythological beasts have often been confined to campy fantasy adventures and stop-motion spectacles in the tradition of Ray Harryhausen, but Nolan presents them with a sense of awe and historical weight. An early encounter with the cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin) is a spectacular highlight, but equally impressive are the terrifying tribe of giant Laestrygonians, the journey into Hades, and an encounter with the witch Circe (Samantha Morton) that features surprisingly graphic scenes of physical transformation.

These sequences are not merely showcases for visual effects. Throughout the journey, Nolan uses mythology to explore the psychological damage left behind by war. Himesh Patel is excellent as Eurylochus, Odysseus’ combative second-in-command, who gradually becomes a living embodiment of the disappointment, guilt, and loss that haunts his king. The first half of The Odyssey is a sweeping adventure, but the emotional consequences of that adventure become increasingly central as the story progresses.

The second half shifts into something more intimate: a homecoming story in which Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, only to confront the consequences of the violence and deception in the face of the law of Zeus he unleashed during the Trojan War. These scenes are every bit as thrilling, though on a smaller and more personal scale. John Leguizamo is outstanding as Eumaeus, Odysseus’ loyal servant and blind swineherd, while the eventual reunion between Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus provides a deeply satisfying conclusion to this epic journey. The climactic encounter with Odysseus’ dog Argos, who briefly recognizes his old master but does not betray his identity, will not leave a dry eye in the cinema.

The scale is impressive, but its the themes that Nolan draws from Homer where The Odyssey becomes truly rewarding. At its core, this is a story about trauma and the psychological scars of war. Odysseus’ greatest challenge is not simply surviving monsters and gods, but the impossibility of returning home and becoming the person he once was. It is a story about self-longing: the human desire to reclaim something inside ourselves that has been lost forever.

One of the film’s most fascinating ideas centers around the law of Zeus, the ancient Greek concept of hospitality and protection extended to travelers and guests. Odysseus violates that sacred principle through the Trojan horse, and Nolan explores the consequences of that betrayal throughout the film. The subplot involving Antinous is particularly effective: after trading his lottery-selected role in Odysseus’ army with poor farmer’s son Sinon (Elliot Page), he later becomes one of Penelope’s most aggressive suitors. Pattinson gives the character a wonderfully sinister edge, creating one of Nolan’s most memorable villains, and his karmic comeuppance is especially rewarding.

The entire ensemble is exceptional. Hathaway brings dignity and emotional intelligence to Penelope, Holland gives Telemachus a convincing mixture of vulnerability and determination, and the supporting cast is filled with memorable turns. Lupita Nyong’o plays both Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra, Zendaya appears as Athena through Odysseus’ visions, Benny Safdie portrays King Agamemnon (though we only briefly see his face), Jon Bernthal plays his brother, Menelaus of Sparta, and Mia Goth and Logan Marshall-Green bring sinister energy to their roles as disloyal Ithacan servants.

But the film belongs to Damon, whose performance as Odysseus may be the finest of his career. Nolan wastes no time establishing the character; there is no extended origin story or conventional introduction. We meet Odysseus already a legendary warrior, and Damon immediately makes that figure feel human through his earthy swagger and quiet exhaustion. It is a crucial performance that could be overlooked amid the film’s many showier supporting roles, but Damon’s ability to make this ancient hero feel vulnerable is central to the film’s success.

This is already a thrilling realization of one of Western civilization’s greatest stories, but on the technical levels that The Odyssey becomes a staggering achievement. Nolan and van Hoytema have created a world that feels authentic enough to transport audiences thousands of years into the past without becoming an archaeological exercise. The locations, many of which correspond to real-world places connected to Homer’s epic, are breathtaking, and the work of the location scouts and managers deserves special recognition.

And then there is jaw-dropping nature of the 70mm IMAX presentation, which cannot be overstated. After years of cinema gimmicks designed to make theatrical experiences feel different, from 3D to 60 FPS to 4DX, Nolan’s commitment to IMAX 70mm represents a genuine advancement of the format. The enormous scale, incredible detail and physical presence of the image make The Odyssey feel unlike any other film experience currently available. This is not simply a larger picture; it is a fundamentally different way of experiencing cinema.

The Odyssey is the rare blockbuster that justifies its massive scale. Nolan has taken one of humanity’s oldest stories and transformed it into something both spectacular and deeply personal. It is a film about monsters and gods, but ultimately about human beings trying to find their way home after being changed forever by what they have endured. Seen in IMAX 70mm, it is not just one of the year’s biggest releases. It is one of the defining theatrical experiences of modern cinema.