We’ve been waiting for this one, guys. We’re now less than two weeks away from Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey hitting the 2026 movie calendar — the director’s first project since Oppenheimer — and he literally couldn’t have chosen a more epic tale. First reactions are here for the fantasy flick, which comes with a staggering runtime and massive budget. But by these critics’ accounts, Nolan fans should start getting excited.So what are people saying after catching early screenings of The Odyssey? Critic Perri Nemiroff says Christopher Nolan expertly weaves the story together to make you feel like you’ve experienced a significant portion of the characters’ lives. Her X (Twitter) post continues:THE ODYSSEY is a filmmaking feast. A grand and gripping rendition of Homer’s epic, and one that feels uniquely Christopher Nolan. It’s sincerely hard to imagine any other filmmaker on the planet being able to bring that source material to screen with this much scale, scope and heart.David Ehrlich of IndieWire notes that The Odyssey is “less despairing” than the Academy Award Best Picture winner from 2023, and despite some druthers, it’s a ride worth going on. In Ehrlich’s words:The Odyssey: a surprisingly natural (and less despairing) Oppenheimer follow-up about a man haunted by defying the gods & dooming civilization - this one fights to avenge his own hubris. IMAX obviously immense. too clunky to be S-tier Nolan, but the last act rewards the journey.Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture wrote an epic reaction of his own on X, praising Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland’s performances. He also writes that this level of storytelling is rare and deserves to be honored. The post reads, in part:Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of THE ODYSSEY is as epic as movies get with some of the most breathtaking set pieces he’s ever attempted. A colossal achievement of scale, even by Nolan’s standards, its commitment to capturing as much as possible in-camera using new IMAX cameras is a staggering technical feat worthy of this sprawling yet intimate story of one man’s journey to return home, the burden and consequences of leadership, and the eternal struggle between mortals and gods. Jeremy Mathai of SlashFilm gives his stamp of approval, and while calling The Odyssey’s cast list lengthy would be an understatement, Mathai casts his vote for the most impactful performance, writing:The Odyssey has the goods. Christopher Nolan's Ten Commandments, boasting a scope and scale that never intrudes on its intimacy. A grounded (but faithful) take on the epic myth, with some clever revisionist flair. Himesh Patel the MVP!For critic Simon Thompson, it was two other actors — in addition to Matt Damon — to draw praise in a movie that he calls “flawless filmmaking.” He says:Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is flawless filmmaking, every inch as epic as you'd expect. Leading a stellar cast, Matt Damon gives Odysseus everything in a career-best powerhouse performance. Robert Pattinson is outstanding as Antinous and John Leguizamo's Eumaeus is sublime.Clayton Davis of Variety notes some of the tweaks Christopher Nolan made to the source material, calling out even more of the movie’s stars like Robert Pattinson and Samantha Morton as he declares The Odyssey “another hit for Nolan.” His post reads:In an epic way, The Odyssey feels like the Christopher Nolan take on Hamilton. A multicultural, generational cast anchors this sword-and-sandal epic. Matt Damon leads with grit, while Tom Holland brings the sensitivity and heart. Robert Pattinson's suave villain feels cut from the same cloth as Alan Rickman in Robin Hood. Samantha Morton delivers another one-scene wonder (can we give her more to do?). It's another hit for Nolan, one his die-hards will digest for decades to come.Erik Davis says everyone gets a chance to shine, though Robert Pattinson steals the show for him. Overall, Christopher Nolan’s latest is “the must-see cinematic event of the summer -- and quite possibly the year,” Davis says, writing:Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is an absolute triumph and a crowning cinematic achievement from one of the great filmmakers of our time. It feels like everything Nolan has been working toward with IMAX has culminated here. The production design is incredible, the action is breathtaking, and the scale is unlike anything he's done before. What really surprised me is how much he embraces horror. Some of the film's biggest moments are genuinely unsettling, adding a whole new dimension to his filmmaking while never losing sight of the humanity at the story's core.I mean, if those first reactions don’t get you pumped for this movie, I don’t know what will. We’ll learn more when full reviews come out, but these comments are promising to read in the final days before the movie’s release.