Lamar Reviews - "The Odyssey" (Airdate 7/24/2026)

This is a movie that has been talked about for
months. Christopher’s Nolan’s track record points
to the fact he knows what he’s doing when it
comes to directing movies. Oscar nominated
Memento in 2000, the Dark Knight in 2008 that
won 2 Oscars, Inception in 2010, 4 Oscars,
Interstellar that won an Oscar in 2014 and
Oppenheimer in 2023 that won 7 Oscars. So, I
had no concern that The Odyssey would be a
great movie. I just did not understand how great.
The movie tells the story of The Odyssey but that
is not a small task. The actual Odyssey is an
ancient Greek epic poem that is divided in 24
books with 12,109 lines and around 134,560
words. If you read 250 words per minute, it would
take 9 hours to read it. Nolan had to stay true to
the original story but still keep the audience
interested and engaged. Yes, it’s long, but the
movie never drags.
It is basically the story of Odyseseus,
extraordinarily played, by Matt Damon, and his 10-

year journey to return home to Ithaca where he
was king. During his long absence, his wife and
Queen Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway, fears
that he has died and is never going to return.
Queen Penelope has been under pressure for
years to remarry one of many suitors that have
invaded their castle. Among the suitors is
Antinous, a terrible man played by Robert
Pattinson. He makes a very good slimy, cowardly
villain. He spends most of his time tormenting
Odysseus’s son and heir to the throne,
Telemachus, played by tom Holland.
The movie is not mostly about whether or not
Odysseus with make it back, the meat of the
movie is the journey he makes.
The movie is 2 hours 52 minutes, Rated-R for
violence, gore, and language.
Make no mistake, Matt Damon is the star, and this
very well may be his strongest and best dramatic
performance. He might not get an Oscar, but he’s
dang well gonna be in the mix. Odysseus is a

leader that loves his men, but at the same time he
is haunted by what he has to lead them into.
As I mentioned Robet Pattinson as Antinous is
truly a repulsive human being. I’m going to need a
total reset when I watch him in the upcoming
Batman Part II. It may take me till 2028 to get over
my hatred for this character.
Tom Holland as Te lema chus starts off as a young
man trying to take care of his mother, and at the
same time is determined that his father, Odysseus
is still alive. And at the same time is trying to
figure out what to do if in fact his father does not
return.
One of my favorite characters was Eumaeus,
played by John Leguizamo, the blind pig herder
who was a trusted friend of Odysseus. And there
are a multitude of other stars you will recognize.
I cannot explain, adequately describe, or make
you understand, just how good this movie is. You
have to see it. And to really get the full effect, you
should see it in a theater.

My Score: A very, very rare Full 6pk of Ice Cold
Longneck Budweisers!