“Epic” doesn’t do Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey justice. In the strictest definition of the word, that’s what The Odyssey is, both in scale and genre: a sweeping and spectacular adaptation of Homer’s ancient mythic tale of Odysseus on his long journey home to Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War. But it’s also so much more. For every moment of awe-inspiring spectacle, there’s the quiet terror of the aftermath. For every heroic feat committed by Odysseus and his men, there is the savagery of war. And for every grand victory, there are the horrors.Introspective and haunting, The Odyssey feels like Nolan is turning a new page in his filmography; a film that continues the soul-searching introspection that his Oscar-winning Oppenheimer grappled with, and deepens our understanding of one of the oldest stories in history. But it’s also a crowdpleaser in every sense of the word, a rousing and spectacular feat of blockbuster entertainment that wrestles with monsters and myths in equally dazzling ways.Odysseus and his men face one of their many trials. | Universal PicturesThe Odyssey begins much like Homer’s epic poem, in medias res. Eight years after the Trojan War ended, many of its veterans have returned home — except for Odysseus (Matt Damon). His son Telemachus (Tom Holland) has grown weary of the dozens of rowdy suitors vying for the hand of Penelope (Anne Hathaway), Odysseus’ long-suffering wife, and decides to travel to Sparta to learn if his father is alive, ignorant of the suitors’ plot against his life, led by the scheming Antinous (Robert Pattinson). But while Telemachus embarks on his journey, Odysseus is just restarting his, having lost his way and his memories after recuperating for years on Calypso’s (Charlize Theron) island.Urged on by visions of the goddess Athena (Zendaya), he slowly recalls his troubled journey from Troy to Calypso: after engineering the downfall of Troy with his legendary Trojan Horse trick, he and his men depart for Ithaca through uncharted waters. But when they ignore the ominous warnings from the villagers that they pillaged, they find themselves soon beset by terrible storms and terrifying monsters. There’s the giant Cyclops, Polythemus (Bill Irwin, in a design that recalls Guillermo del Toro’s best monster designs), who traps Odysseus and his men in a cave and eats the ones that try to escape. There’s Circe (Samantha Morton), the witch who turns Odysseus’ men into pigs. There are the giants that ruthlessly slaughter half of Odysseus’ men. There’s the whirlpool and Scylla, the sea monster. And there are the shades of the underworld, who offer both wisdom and seek retribution against Odysseus for all his follies.All the familiar beats of the very old, very classic story are there. And Nolan adapts them loyally — in spirit, if not in minutiae. But it’s how Nolan uses those classic mythic beats to ponder bigger ideas about humanity’s hubris and potential for destruction that The Odyssey soars.Hoyte van Hoytema’s sun-bleached cinematography lends a starkness to the film. | Universal PicturesIt’s present in the very remarkably grounded and straightforward way that Nolan, who writes and directs, adapts The Odyssey. His film streamlines the Homeric epic and doesn’t play with form and structure in the way that Nolan’s movies are known to do. It may in fact, be even more linear than the original epic poem, which employed several more framing devices. Instead, Nolan and editor Jennifer Lame give the story itself a sort of fluidity — the film suddenly cuts to flashbacks when characters tell a story, as if the memory is interrupting them mid-conversation. One story that Eumaeus (John Leguizamo), Odysseus’ blind and faithful swineherd, recalls to Telemachus about Odysseus’ dog Argos employs fleeting images that suddenly enter and exit the frame in an almost dreamlike way. It’s a kind of lyrical, Malickian direction that feels directly opposed to Nolan’s typically rigid, tactile filmmaking.In fact, The Odyssey feels like Nolan playing with many new bags of tricks, after perfecting all his old ones in Oppenheimer. Through several sequences, The Odyssey dips into the surreal in a way that Nolan rarely does, and flirts with body horror in a way that Nolan has never done. There’s a little bit of Cronenberg in the horrifying transformations of Circe’s victims. And in the eerie, ghostly landscape of the underworld, where shades emerge dripping from the sand, it feels like Nolan is paying homage to Ingmar Bergman. And in some of the action sequences, there’s a dash of the Ray Harryhausen swords-and-sandals epics that most memorably brought Greek myths to the big screen. It’s a film as steeped in cinematic history as its story is steeped in mythology.But, true to Nolan, the rest of the film feels grimly realistic, almost apocalyptic, especially in the stark color palette beautifully employed by cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema — sapped of any saturation that could hint at a rosy recalling of some mythological golden age. The film doesn’t revel in its tales of grand triumphs against monsters or trials that Odysseus and his men endure; it’s haunted by these stories, and even mournful at times. And, in the most interesting (and potentially polarizing) departure from the Homeric text, Nolan’s Odyssey feels remarkably agnostic. The gods exist only in the whispered, fearful ways that men speak of them, or in Athena’s fleeting appearances to Odysseus. Odysseus, whom Damon plays with a sort of grim earthiness, frequently seeks to “defy the gods,” but The Odyssey seems unsure if they even exist, despite the appearances of several fantastical creatures and magical beings.Odysseus encounters his vision of Athena. | Universal PicturesBut if ever you worry that the film may get bogged down by its big ideas and weighty notions, don’t fear: Nolan is also first and foremost a director of crowdpleasing blockbusters — as elevated and cerebral as many of them are. It’s a thrill to see Nolan return to action for the first time in six years, and he returns with a vengeance, employing everything in his arsenal to craft some of the most awe-inspiring spectacles of the year. Aided by Ludwig Göransson’s heavy, intense score, Nolan creates battle sequences that rattle your bones and build to a wild, frenzied crescendo. It feels like a return to the immersive action filmmaking that Nolan did with Dunkirk, juiced up by the gravitas that he brought with him from Oppenheimer. It’s terrific to behold, and even in just the 70mm film format (itself a sight to behold), Nolan’s outsized ambitions seep through every frame.Like Nolan’s best ensembles, the cast of The Odyssey is a murderer’s row of talent that only elevates the film’s richer themes. Damon anchors the film with an Odysseus that is more haunted than wily — though he’s not without the satisfying moments of victory. Hathaway simmers with a fierce, barely repressed passion, as the beleaguered Penelope. And on the villainous side of things, it’s hard to think of anyone slimier or more repulsive than Pattinson’s Antinous. Penelope and Telemachus await Odysseus in Ithaca. | Universal PicturesNearly every single supporting player feels worthy of mention: Himesh Patel is an underrated, steady presence as Odysseus’ second-in-command, Eurylochus. Leguizamo is terrifically warm and sage as Odysseus and Telemachus’ loyal servant. In their brief appearance, Jon Bernthal and Lupita Nyong'o make striking impressions as Menelaus and his unhappy wife Helen, retrieved from Troy. (Nyong’o’s even briefer appearance as Helen’s twin sister Clytemnestra makes an equally strong impression.) While Benny Safdie’s Agamemnon is mostly hidden by his enormous suit of armor, he also makes a looming, otherworldly impact. And another brief but stunning turn comes from Elliot Page as Sinon, one of Odysseus’ soldiers who gave his life to end the war, but comes back as a spiteful shade. But the inarguable standout is Samantha Morton, who is a force of nature as the frightful and frightened Circe — lending depth and tragedy to the long-villainized witch, even in just her 10 minutes of screentime. It’s difficult to point out a weak spot, but Holland’s Telemachus suffers from being just fine; the actor mostly offers a solid foundation off of which the other scenery-chewing actors can bounce off.While the film is not without its flaws — its lengthy runtime starts to sag somewhere in the middle — Nolan’s Odyssey is a cinematic triumph. It’s a feat of blockbuster filmmaking that shows a director at the peak of his career. But it’s also his mournful testament to the hubris of humanity and the consequences of war; a dialogue that he began in his magnum opus Oppenheimer and concludes here to hugely satisfying effect.The Odyssey opens in theaters July 17.