Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey Reaction: "This Movie Floored Me"

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is, in my early reaction, exactly what the buildup promised: an epic, almost biblical adventure that lives up to the hype. "Awesome" and "masterpiece" are not words I use often, but they apply here. This is my out of the theater reaction, since the review embargo has not lifted yet, so these are just my initial thoughts as I walked out.

The film is anchored by what I'd call a masterful performance from Matt Damon as Odysseus, and the ensemble around him is stacked, including Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya and Charlize Theron. Robert Pattinson is great as the villain. The runtime is long, but I felt it deserved every second of that length, and I was locked in from start to finish.

What stood out most is how grounded the fantastical elements feel. The CGI doesn't feel like those big, over the top CGI or CGI monster type effects. Instead the effects work feels almost Del del Toro-esque at points, which made everything on screen feel real. Combined with Nolan's usual storytelling devices, cutting back and forth between threads, it all ties together in a way that rewards familiarity with The Odyssey and The Iliad.

I was curious going in how the film would build investment in Odysseus's mental and emotional journey from beginning to middle, and whether the ending would pay that off. In my view it does, and when a payoff like that works, it elevates the whole movie. The music is fantastic, and the action and violence, while there is some genuinely creepy, dark material in this movie, never feels gratuitous. It all makes sense for what is happening inside the story.

By the end I called this one of my favorites of the year, if not my favorite, and said I would probably need to see it again, and want to. As I put it walking out: "This movie floored me. Was in awe. Sat there for a second when the credits rolled and said, 'Wow, love this movie.'" My recommendation is to catch it in IMAX, since the whole film is presented that way.

Do you plan to see The Odyssey when it opens?