The Odyssey Was Good. I Didn't Want It to Be

A FriedReads Review of Christopher Nolan's Epic (And My Reluctant Enjoyment of It)

September 2026

I didn't care about this movie.

I want to make that clear from the start. When The Odyssey was announced, I didn't care. When the trailers dropped, I didn't care. When the controversies hit, I didn't care.

And there were controversies. There always are. Apparently, something about trans people. And some other things. I don't know the details. I don't care about the details.

The outrage machine was in full swing. People were furious. People were boycotting. People were writing think pieces about how this movie was going to ruin cinema, ruin culture, ruin everything.

I was like, "Sure thing, you morons."

I've seen this before. Every big movie gets the same treatment. Outrage. Boycotts. Think pieces. And then the movie comes out. And the same people who were outraged suddenly do a 180. They say the movie is good. They say they were wrong. They say they misunderstood.

I was like, "Okay, at least you're honest. You're still morons, though."

But here's the thing. I still didn't care. The movie came out. Reviews were good. People were talking about it. I still didn't care. I had no interest. I had no desire. I was content to let it pass me by.

Then a friend called me.

"You need to watch The Odyssey," he said.

"I don't care about The Odyssey," I said.

"I'll pay for your ticket," he said.

I paused.

"Fine," I said. "Screw it. Fine."

That's how I ended up watching a movie I didn't care about. That's how I ended up in a theater, sitting in the dark, waiting for something I didn't expect.

And that's how I ended up liking it.

I didn't want to like it. I wanted to be indifferent. I wanted to confirm my apathy. I wanted to walk out of the theater and say, "Eh, it was fine."

But I couldn't. Because it was more than fine. It was good.

And I hate that.

The Premise: Generic on Paper

Let me start with the premise.

The story is about a son trying to find his father. That's it. That's the pitch. A boy goes on a journey to find his dad.

I've seen this before. I've seen it a hundred times.

Hunter x Hunter. Gon searching for his father. Huntik. Lok searching for his father. Every story about a kid looking for a dad. Every coming-of-age adventure. Every hero's journey.

I was bored before the movie even started. I was like, "Great. Another story about a kid trying to find his dad. I've seen this. I know how it goes. He finds him. They hug. The end."

But that's not what happened.

The movie wasn't about the son finding the father. That was a side thing. The main thing was the journey. The stops. The encounters. The trials.

The cyclops. The giants. The witch who turned men into animals. Each stop built anticipation. Each encounter made me wonder what was next.

Two-thirds of the way through, I was hooked. I didn't expect to be hooked. But I was.

The movie wasn't about the destination. It was about the journey. And the journey was incredible.

The Journey: Every Stop Was a New Nightmare

Let me talk about the journey.

This is where the movie shines. This is where Nolan's direction and the script and the performances all come together. Every stop on Odysseus's journey is a new nightmare. Every encounter is a new challenge. Every moment is a new chance to wonder, "How is he going to get out of this one?"

The cyclops. A giant, one-eyed monster. Terrifying. Unforgettable. The scene where the crew is trapped in the cave, waiting to be eaten, was one of the most tense sequences in the movie.

The giants. Even bigger. Even scarier. The scale of them was incredible. The way they moved. The way they destroyed everything in their path.

The witch. The one who turned men into animals. That was probably my favorite stop. The transformation. The horror. The weirdness of it all. It felt like a fever dream. It felt like a nightmare. It felt perfect.

Each stop built anticipation. Each encounter made me wonder what was next.

By the time the third act came around, I was fully invested. I was in. I was part of the journey. I was with Odysseus. I was with his crew. I was with all of them.

And that's when the climax hit.

The Climax: The Beggar Who Was a God

The climax was my favorite part.

I'm going to try to explain this without spoiling too much. But the setup is this: Odysseus is back home. He's been gone for years. Everyone thinks he's dead. The suitors are trying to take his wife. The kingdom is in chaos.

And Odysseus? He's not storming in with an army. He's not making a grand entrance. He's acting like a beggar. He's dressed in rags. He's hunched over. He's weak. He's pathetic.

And everyone believes it.

They mock him. They insult him. They throw things at him. They treat him like garbage. They think he's nothing. They think he's a nobody.

Meanwhile, the guy could literally kill every single person in the room.

I loved that. I loved every second of that.

Because I've felt that. I've felt that feeling. The feeling of being underestimated. The feeling of being treated like a weakling when you know you're not. The feeling of hiding your power.

The game Skyrim, I would get overpowered. Extremely overpowered. I would max out every skill. I would get the best gear. I would become a god.

And then I would run around in trousers. Weak jail clothes. Basic clothes. Nothing special.

And everyone would think I was a weakling.

But I wasn't. I could kill dragons. I could destroy kingdoms. I could become the ruler of Skyrim.

That feeling was epic. That feeling of hidden power. That feeling of waiting for the right moment.

The Odyssey captured that feeling perfectly.

The scene where Odysseus finally reveals himself? The scene where he stops pretending? The bow string? The scene where he takes out everyone who wronged him?

Cinema. Pure cinema.

The whole theater was on edge. People were gasping. People were cheering. People were losing their minds.

And I was one of them. I was right there with them. I was cheering too.

That's when I knew the movie was good. That's when I knew I was wrong to be indifferent. That's when I knew I was wrong to be apathetic.

The movie was good. And I didn't want it to be.

The Nitpick: Antinous Wasn't Intimidating

Now, let me talk about the flaw.

Because there is a flaw. There's always a flaw. Even in a good movie.

The flaw is Antinous.

However you spell his name. Antinous. The main suitor. The leader of the group trying to take over the kingdom. The antagonist.

He wasn't intimidating.

I'm sorry. I know this is a hot take. I know people love him. I know people think he's a great villain. But I didn't see it.

He was manipulative. Sure. He was cunning. Okay. But he wasn't scary. He wasn't menacing. I personally didn't feel intimidated by him.

Throughout the movie, he's doing his thing. He's plotting. He's scheming. He's trying to take over. But I never felt like he was a danger. I never felt like he was a real obstacle.

And that's a problem. Because the final confrontation should have been intense. It should have been a clash of titans. It should have been a battle for the ages.

But it wasn't. Because I never felt threatened by Antinous.

The scene where Odysseus was taking everyone out? I feel as if it could have been far more climactic if Antinous was shown to be a lot more formidable.

But, I wasn't on edge as I feel it could have been because I knew Odysseus was going to win. I knew Antinous was going to lose. There was no tension. There was no doubt.

If Antinous had been built up as an equal to Odysseus, the climax would have been legendary. If he had been a warrior, a fighter, a threat, the final confrontation would have been epic.

But he wasn't. And that's why the movie isn't a 10.

That's why it's an 8. Maybe a 9.

Everything else was solid. The journey. The climax. The feeling of being underestimated. The performances. The direction. The writing.

But Antinous? He was mid. And I can't ignore that.

The Verdict: 8/10 (Maybe 9/10)

So here we are.

The Odyssey was good. I didn't want it to be. But it was.

The journey was incredible. The stops were unforgettable. The climax was epic. The feeling of being underestimated was captured perfectly.

But the villain was mid. And that holds it back from being a masterpiece.

Final rating: 8/10. Maybe a 9/10. Depends on how I'm feeling.

I'd recommend it. I'd tell you to watch it. I'd tell you to pay for your own ticket.

Just don't expect the villain to be intimidating. Because he's not.

Emoji Score

Final Rating: 8/10

Would I recommend it? Yes. Go watch it.

Final Wisdom: Sometimes the movies you don't want to watch end up being the ones you enjoy the most. And sometimes the villains you want to be terrifying end up being... mid.

🏛️⚔️🎬

Allen

FriedReads.com | Still surprised. Still recommending it. Still disappointed in Antinous.

September 2026