JuicyTalk
Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey is divided into 24 sections, which are called books, although they function like chapters in a contemporary novel. Each of these sections, and the numerous moments contained within them, are brought to life with powerful emotion, strong performances, and technically superb filmmaking by Christopher Nolan in his latest movie.
The Odyssey chronicles Odysseus’ (Matt Damon) long and difficult journey home from the Trojan War. Fending off a cyclops, incurring Poseidon’s wrath, and clashing with a Goddess capable of turning men into pigs are just some of the challenges Odysseus and his men face on their way back to Ithaca. Meanwhile, Odysseus’ son Telemachus (Tom Holland) sets out to sea in pursuit of his father. Desperate to save his home from ruin, Telemachus hopes to find his long-lost father and put an end to the reign of unruly suitors, who have invaded his home as they fight for Penelope’s (Anne Hathaway) hand in marriage.
With a runtime encroaching upon three hours, Nolan’s film is filled to the brim with rousing moments that make The Odyssey the sweeping, expansive epic that it is. There are, however, a handful of moments that stand out above the rest, both for the technical craft underlying them and the emotions they provoke in the audience.
5
The Trojan Horse Infiltrates The Walls Of Troy
The intricately choreographed and meticulously edited action sequence depicting Odysseus’ secret infiltration of Troy was presented back in April at CinemaCon 2026 exclusively to attendees and was easily one of the highlights of the entire four-day event, which spanned previews and overviews of over 120 upcoming movies.
Christopher Nolan has received criticism over the course of his career for his helming of action sequences, but even the most fervent of critics would find difficulty lodging complaints about Nolan’s handling of the Trojan Horse sequence in The Odyssey. Backed by Ludwig Göransson’s incredible score, which steadily increases in tempo like a ticking clock to reflect the escalating tension of the scene, the sequence initially captures the claustrophobia and intensity of being inside the Trojan Horse with shots of Odysseus and his men trying to stay silent, not panic, and remain undetected.
Once night falls, Odysseus leads a stealthy assault from within the walls of Troy with Nolan again demonstrating that he is an expert at cultivating ever-escalating tension. The sequence’s intensity reaches an apex as Odysseus gives the signal for Agamemnon and his men to ready their entrance. In the nick of time, Odysseus and his men are able to unlock the gates, after which Agamemnon has a Darth Vader-esque introduction and all hell breaks loose in Troy.
Music, performances, action choreography, and use of moody, natural lighting all culminate in The Odyssey’s greatest and most intense action sequence, one that brings one of history’s most well-known myths to glorious life.
4
Circe Transforms Odysseus’ Men
Long have cinephiles wished that Christopher Nolan make a horror movie and, while the jury is still out whether this full-fledged genre pivot will ever come to fruition, moviegoers got a taste of what a Christopher Nolan-directed horror movie would look and feel like in the unsettling Circe moment in The Odyssey.
Samantha Morton makes the most of such limited screentime with a disturbing, twisted, vengeful portrayal of Circe that earned a standing ovation during the cast and crew screening of the film, a feat only previously achieved in a Nolan movie by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.
The use of practical effects and clever camera work make Circe’s transformation of Odysseus’ men into pigs feel visceral and real, in turn demonstrating Nolan’s ability to take a fantastical and potentially even comedic moment from Homer’s poem and actualize it with grounded terror.
Odysseus’ entry into the scene adds another layer of tension as the audience waits with bated breath to see if he will follow the misguided footsteps of his men and eat Circe’s meat. Again, Nolan ramps up the tension with remarkable success and resolves the intensity in an emotionally stirring moment in which Odysseus spares Circe after she reveals that she keeps her sister as a bird in a cage. All of this makes for a moment in The Odyssey that is equal parts horrifying and moving.
3
Odysseus Slaughters the Suitors
The satisfaction of seeing Penelope’s suitors slaughtered one-by-one by Odysseus will likely be unrivaled by all other movies come the end of 2026. After Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, strings his bow and completes Penelope’s challenge, the reactions of all the men in the room are enough to give even the most hardened and unmoved of moviegoers goosebumps.
The suitor played by Corey Hawkins begins to say, “You’re Odysseus” when he is struck with an arrow in the neck, a true crowd-pleasing moment that punishes the man who earlier in the film beat an innocent elderly dog and bullied a blind man. From there, Nolan lets Odysseus go on a killing spree systematically takes out suitor after suitor.
Robert Pattinson’s cowardly cries from a distance and reluctance to participate in the fight itself adds another layer of satisfaction to the scene. The audience, and Odysseus, knows that Antinous will soon meet his fate, but seeing him squirm and anguish as Odysseus brings justice to Ithaca gives the film’s primary antagonist the violent ending he deserves.
Nolan bakes in a number of applause-worthy, goosebumps-inducing moments into the action sequence, including Telemachus’ defeat of Logan Marshall-Green’s treacherous cowherd and Odysseus getting justice for Sinon by placing the scroll in Antinous’ mouth before killing him. Over 150 minutes of an epic film and over 20 years of an arduous journey for Odysseus culminate in a rousing action sequence that overwhelmingly delivers.
2
Telemachus Discovers His Dad Has Returned
Before Odysseus goes on to slaughter all of Penelope’s suitors, he quietly makes his way into his home, aided by his son Telemachus. But Telemachus is unaware that the disheveled beggar is Odysseus, instead thinking that this is one of Odysseus’ men scouting ahead before Odysseus makes his grand return.
When Odysseus passes his loyal, elderly dog Argos on the way into his old home, he pauses and turns back as he wishes to bring the dog to where he was born and is most comfortable – the cliff on the edge of the kingdom. Telemachus watches as he sees his father comfort poor Argos, after which Nolan splices in some gut-wrenching flashback shots of Odysseus cuddling a puppy Argos. The scene is enough to make any dog or pet owner, especially those who have lost a furry loved one, tear up. All these years, Argos has patiently waited for Odysseus to come home – he wanted to see his master one more time before peacefully passing away.
Tom Holland follows up this emotional moment superbly by quietly tearing up and delivering the line, “You’re Odysseus” with understated awe and joy. Odysseus doesn’t explicitly confess that he is Telemachus’ father but comments that Odysseus would be proud of his beautiful, capable son. This long-awaited reunion between a father and son separated by thousands of miles and decades apart is The Odyssey at its most emotionally powerful.
1
Odysseus Confesses to Penelope
The single best moment of The Odyssey comes in the form of Odysseus’ speech to Penelope, before he takes on all of her suitors. Penelope, behind a grate, is unaware that the man she is speaking with is her long-lost husband and sits quietly as Odysseus recalls the aforementioned Trojan Horse siege.
Matt Damon plays Odysseus with an inner torment as he discusses the regret he feels for breaking Zeus’ law. By using a peace offering as a way to slaughter thousands of people and claim a kingdom for Agamemnon, Odysseus violated the moral code binding humanity in the most egregious of ways. This scene finds Odysseus reflecting on the horrors that his intellect, as the mastermind between the Trojan Horse trick, has brought into the world.
Thematically, Odysseus’ confession connects to Nolan’s previous film, Oppenheimer, in striking ways. Both The Odyssey and Oppenheimer culminate in a well-intentioned protagonist whose intellect has led to the creation of something that will forever change the course of history and corrupt humanity’s shared moral compass. Here, Nolan recontextualizes the Trojan Horse, not as an example of tactical brilliance, but as a failing of humanity’s ethics.
The realization that the people from the sea spoken about throughout the film are indeed Odysseus’ men and anyone else who has similarly violated morals following the Trojan Horse trick hits hard and finds Nolan speaking directly to the audience that we are often our greatest enemies, not some mysterious outsider.
This moment captures Damon doing his best work of his entire career, quite the statement given the acclaimed films he has been a part of over the past 25 years. The heartbreak and regret in Odysseus’ voice strikes a strong emotional chord, while Nolan’s commentary on the fracturing of morality beautifully ties back to numerous conversations about Zeus’ law throughout the film and beautifully brings the central theme of The Odyssey full circle.
