5 Things From The Odyssey We Can't Wait To See In Christopher Nolan's Movie

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey hits theaters on July 17, 2026, and it should be one of the biggest hits of the year. On top of Nolan's name-brand almost guaranteeing a big box office take, the movie is also set up as a massive epic, with major stars and a classical fantasy story that remains one of the oldest in recorded history. The movie is based on Homer's Odyssey, a story composed in the 8th century BC.

The Odyssey is attributed to Homer, an ancient Greek poet widely credited with both the Iliad and the Odyssey. While his life remains obscure, he is considered one of the most influential authors in history, well over 2,700 years since he released these masterpieces. The Homer poems have helped define what it meant to be heroic and to fight with glory and honor. Odysseus's tale in this story is one that almost every fantasy story and movie replicates to this day.

That said, there are some moments in The Odyssey that remain more iconic than almost any other fantasy story written since. The movie, which stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, is supposed to follow the poem, as the warrior goes through his perilous journey home, and it offers up a chance to see some incredible moments on the big screen.

The Cyclops Cave

In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus and a scouting party become trapped in the cave of Polyphemus, a one-eyed giant Cyclops and a son of the sea god Poseidon. This leads to a horrifying moment where Polyphemus devours several of Odysseus’s men, eating them in pairs, before Odysseus devises his escape. This is also where Odysseus comes up with the plan to trick the Cyclops into believing his name is Nobody, so the beast confuses his calls for help.

The curse that Polyphemus places on Odysseus is the catalyst for much of his ten-year journey home, and it is all because of Odysseus's pride when he reveals his name after escaping. This scene should deliver a dramatic moment for Nolan to present, and between the impressive Cyclops and the twist after Odysseus escapes, it is certain to deliver a great moment.

Battling Past Poseidon's Tides

When Odysseus escapes the Cyclops Polyphemus, the giant beast curses him, and this is what makes his journey home perilous and filled with death. Because Polyphemus is one of Poseidon's sons, it is his father who hears the curse and who comes for Odysseus and his crew. Poseidon is Odysseus’s chief divine enemy throughout the poem, punishing him for blinding Polyphemus. This leads the god to create storms and violent seas that throw off the journey for years.

It should be impressive to see how Christopher Nolan stages these scenes. For a director who loves to use practical effects and seeks to deliver the biggest spectacle possible, it will be interesting to see how he works with the ocean and Poseidon's storms. These might be the most spectacular scenes in the IMAX version of The Odyssey.

The Cave Of Scylla

Scylla is a six-headed monster with long necks and triple rows of shark-like teeth, lurking in a cave on a high cliff. Odysseus attempts to go through her cave on his journey, and his crew pays for it with several lives lost. Scylla sits opposite Charybdis, a giant whirlpool, forming a deadly strait at the Strait of Messina​​​​​​. Circe advises Odysseus that Charybdis is a greater danger, but both options will cost him men.

As the ship passes, Scylla snatches six of Odysseus’s best and strongest rowers straight off the deck. Odysseus describes it in the poem as the most pitiful sight of his entire journey, hearing his men call his name as they are devoured. Seeing how Nolan imagines Scylla will be interesting, and this is likely to be the most terrifying moment in the entire film.

When Zeus Arrives After Odysseus's Crew Kills Helios's Herds

After the moment with Scylla, Odysseus's men turn on him, realizing that he cares less about them living than he does about getting back home to his wife and son. When they realize that he will let them all die so he can get home, they choose to protect themselves. With Odysseus not around them, the crew slaughters the finest cattle to eat, despite being warned to leave them alone.

These are Helios's herds, and Eurylochus convinces the crew that eating and not starving is more important than angering a god. He is wrong. Helios demands vengeance, so Zeus shows up and casts down a thunderbolt from the sky that shatters the ship and kills the entire crew. Only Odysseus is left alive. The scene is pure Nolan material, showing moral desperation, divine wrath, and a single catastrophic set piece that wipes out almost everyone.

Odysseus Coming Home & Reclaiming His Kingdom

The big moment at the end of The Odyssey needs to be perfect to stick the landing. Considering Nolan's track record, this shouldn't be a problem. There need to be a few things from this part of the poem that are in the movie to help it hit all the right notes. Athena disguises him as an old beggar so he can move through his own palace unrecognized. One of the best things here is when his aged dog, Argos, recognizes his master instantly and wags his tail before dying. This has to be there, no matter how devastating it is.

However, after seeing the suitors tormenting Odysseus's wife and son for the entire movie, the climax must show the full slaughter to pay off the long and terrible journey. Odysseus stringing his bow and seeking vengeance is the payoff moment that will make The Odyssey one of the best fantasy movies of the year, as long as Nolan gets it right.