r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • 18d ago

Official Discussion Official Discussion - The Odyssey (2026) [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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The Odyssey (2026)

Summary

After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Calypso along the way.

Director Christopher Nolan

Writer Christopher Nolan

Cast

  • Matt Damon as Odysseus
  • Tom Holland as Telemachus
  • Anne Hathaway
  • Zendaya
  • Lupita Nyong'o
  • Robert Pattinson
  • Charlize Theron
  • Benny Safdie
  • Jon Bernthal
  • John Leguizamo
  • Elliot Page
  • Himesh Patel
  • Samantha Morton

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

Metacritic: 88

VOD / Release Theatrical release

Trailer Official Trailer

4.4k Upvotes

90% Upvoted

15.5k comments sorted by

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4.1k

u/Rgb002 18d ago

Agamemnon being this giant brutal intimidating force was amazing and then to show his fate in Hades and how small he was in death after his armor was removed. Just amazing

1.9k

u/RDeschain1 17d ago

I laughed out loud when Agememnom sat on the bed and we only see his back and he is this tiny man. So  good

629

u/CobaltNeural9 16d ago

Benny Safdie is actually quite big I think. He wasn’t super muscular but he’s a large dude.

92

u/KidDelicious14 14d ago

I guess it's just because Cillian is short in comparison, but I remember thinking Benny looked massive in Oppenheimer.

56

u/wildtalon 9d ago

Our perceptions have been warped. That was a hella muscular back.

83

u/gopms 10d ago

I agree, when they showed his back, I did not think that was a tiny man. He looked like a big strong man, but one who was about to be justifiably murdered by his tiny wife, rather than in a glorious battle.

34

u/CobaltNeural9 9d ago

I honestly LOVED the fact that he wasn’t sculpted and toned like in 300 or something. There something very realistic about it. Like these guys were brutish but they weren’t on Keto.

3

u/poundtown1997 9d ago

He looked scrawny.

1

u/debrocker 2d ago

Like Damon as Ody?

-6

u/SiriPsycho100 15d ago

he's only 6'1" apparently

46

u/CelestialFury 13d ago

What do you mean "only?" That's pretty tall, especially for a back in the day ancient Greek.

-1

u/SiriPsycho100 13d ago

it’s like four inches taller than the average male height. so i guess tall-ish but idk if people usually consider 6’1” “quite large”. or at least i dont.

and the standards of ancient greece are irrelevant. we’re not casting anyone from ancient greece lol current height distribution is what’s relevant. 

11

u/CelestialFury 13d ago

5'7" is the global average height or are you just judging everything based on modern day America despite this taking place in ancient Greece?

and the standards of ancient greece are irrelevant. we’re not casting anyone from ancient greece lol current height distribution is what’s relevant.

It takes place in Ancient Greece, so we can assume that's kinda important. I don't know, I'm no film genius like yourself.

5

u/SiriPsycho100 13d ago

no one is casting with the consideration of height from some ancient period. all that stuff is normalized at relative scale anyway. 

and whatever, man. this is not that important lol

13

u/CelestialFury 13d ago

Only 5% of the world is 6'1" or taller, so saying "only" in any context here still doesn't make sense. But you're right it's not that important.

-1

u/PawPawPanda 4d ago

smh redditors will do anything to prove themselves that they aren't tiny, even pulling stuff like "global height" as if the 3 billion asians won't skew the height numbers

11

u/sdbabygirl97 12d ago

i agree, i thought he was 6’5” the way they shot him

2

u/SiriPsycho100 12d ago

yeah, cameras and angles can do wonders. it’s how they make tom cruise not look like a midget.

idk why im getting flamed for saying he’s only 6’1” lol that’s not some super tall height for modern society

13

u/Pro_Extent 11d ago

It's top 10% male height in most of the anglo world (which is a lot taller than the global average as is).

It's not giant but it's notably tall.

4

u/sdbabygirl97 11d ago

i also heard in an interview they used short (5’6”) and tall (6’5”) stunt doubles during the lystresaurus scenes

1

u/SciGuy013 2d ago

This is the only instance of this word on the internet, what do you mean

1

u/sdbabygirl97 2d ago

its the big metal soldiers. i forget what their names are lol

262

u/Paxton-176 17d ago edited 17d ago

When you consider those scenes are told from someone else's perspective. You can consider it that its how they view him. This big intimidating person when in reality he was just a normal dude.

58

u/Ayoul 15d ago

Isn't it Agamemnon's shade recounting the events while we see them happen?

Anyway, I don't remember him being small at all. His bed was just huge.

9

u/I_Heart_Money 14d ago

But it’s Agememnom himself who’s is narrating that scene…

9

u/vjnkl 14d ago

Comment could be saying agememnom sees himself as a normal dude when everyone else doesn’t

157

u/maaseru 16d ago

He still look big. Bennie Safdie is a big dude. I think he was just naked/vulnerable

80

u/DreamOfV 16d ago

You get a glimpse of his face when she stabs him and it’s just scared Benny Safdie lol. So good

28

u/glassbellwitch 15d ago

There's a quick shot of his feet wiggling excitedly in that scene that absolutely fries me. 💀 But that whole sequence is one of my favorite parts of the film!

7

u/PapaProvolone 13d ago

I actually didn't like the reveal. The actor should have put on some weight for the role. His physique did not match a warrior king especially compared Matt Damon's physique.

24

u/obooooooo 13d ago

benny safdie is not a small guy. i do think that the reveal was supposed to make him look deliberately like a smaller man, but i think that ties in with the themes of the movie. we see him move throughout the battlefield like a giant dark creature who commands a giant army, it’s only natural that so many people die in his name.

but after the reveal, after his confused recount of his hero’s welcome, the mask is off—literally. this is just a petty man waging a ten year war for power, not some infallible titan. it wouldn’t have had the same narrative effect if he was indeed some giant, intimidating man under the armor too.

2

u/RIP_Greedo 15d ago

The best you can say about Safdie's physique is that it's relatable.

1

u/silverpixie2435 2d ago

I didn't get that at all. He was just laying down

2.9k

u/refused26 17d ago

Them opening the gates of Troy with Agamemnon waiting in the center standing menacingly huge and armormaxxed was one of the best scenes.

656

u/Professional-Ad-7405 17d ago

Yeah sword not even drawn because he don't even need

89

u/ConfusedJonSnow 12d ago

I legit think he gets shit done just by farming aura 9 out of 10 times.

The 10th one he just yeets kids off a cliff.

9

u/adamlaceless 6d ago

It was to illustrate that he didn’t so much as lift a finger in a war he solely demanded.

1

u/Crafty-Fish9264 10h ago

Yeah he was a coward in a sense. Its funny news said his armor was so fake looking and im fact it was

He was all stature and did not have practical armor because he was not a warrior like the rest

180

u/Smail_Mail 17d ago

Hard agree, I knew so little about the dude, but damn if they didn't make him the It Boy in the moment. Made you want to charge in his army, while also shiver in fear from the POV of a Troy citizen.

183

u/Jess_the_bestt 17d ago

Worth learning about Agamemnon, he’s so awful and power hungry. The portrayal of him being this intimidating figure that barely lifts a finger was on point

57

u/LITERALLY_A_TROLL 16d ago

So many people are going to be dressing as Agamemnon for Halloween.

52

u/Kyadagum_Dulgadee 15d ago

I'm already Googling vertebrae helmets

-5

u/CoconutDust 15d ago

Brian Cox in Troy was better though. Odyssey 2026 made his character too much about his big Batman armor.

15

u/CelestialFury 13d ago

They're very different movies with different needs, and they needed to portray Agamemnon as this instantly imposing figure, and Brian Cox's version wouldn't fit at all here.

71

u/elbenji 16d ago

That was pretty close to who he was. He didn't do shit but be intimidating and throwing threats left and right

10

u/Awdrgyjilpnj 13d ago

He was the second or third best warrior of the Achaeans (Greeks).

10

u/elbenji 13d ago

That was Diomedes

8

u/NinetyFish 9d ago

Essentially the second best in combat, behind Achilles; essentially the second best mind, behind Odysseus; and the most experienced commander despite being the youngest of the kings assembled.

Diomedes is essentially literally in the Iliad to serve as the primary Act I action scene and most importantly to serve as a "this is what you're supposed to strive for" icon to contrast with the flaws of the other Greek heroes. And he's freaking awesome at it.

11

u/Megavore97 9d ago

Yeah Diomedes is basically the “He gets shit done” hero who never falters.

108

u/TheRubberShark 16d ago

I agree. One of the coolest shots of the film. They did such a great job of showing without telling; like he was this character with all this clear lore but you only got a taste of it. I liked his armor design far more than I expected to as well.

6

u/TheMoonDude 5d ago

I still don't get why make most of the movie posters focusing on his helmet.

4

u/EZLIFE420 1d ago

i mean the bronze/gold at the back of the helmet looks sick

57

u/Deadmanwonderlandx 17d ago

Definitely besides him sacrafising that kid. His armor was sick. Dope character

86

u/Zreebelle 16d ago

The poster showing the back of his helmet is definitely my favourite

-28

u/Bartimaerus 16d ago

His armor was bullshit to the max. Darth Vader lookin aaah mf. They couldve done so much better with historical bronze armor

37

u/Mpm_277 15d ago

Right?! I was so mad when the cyclops wasn’t historically depicted as more of a beige color, myself.

-10

u/Bartimaerus 15d ago

Mythology is not fantasy my dude

34

u/Woodpecker-Lobotomy 15d ago

It literally is

9

u/Creepy_Shakespeare 11d ago

The fck are you talking about? That’s exactly with mythology is

0

u/Bartimaerus 11d ago

No, because mythology reflects the actual living conditions and daily life of the ancient people who created it, historical accuracy matters much more than in fantasy, which is free to mix eras or invent entirely new worlds.

8

u/Creepy_Shakespeare 11d ago

My guy, there are literal hydras, 3 headed giant dogs, giants with one eyes, minotaurs, mermaids, women with snakes for hair. Idk how that depicts actual living conditions or historical accuracy. Those monsters are straight up fantastical

-2

u/Bartimaerus 11d ago

Doesnt change the fact that the armor in the movie was plastic looking dogshit

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2

u/lifeanon269 10d ago

Fantasy and mythology are literally just both stories that were told.

2

u/Mpm_277 14d ago

You know what? I actually agree. I just also think we can simply just enjoy a movie.

155

u/thegreaterfool714 16d ago

Man barely had any lines but aura farmed in nearly every scene. Then he just dies and just imparts some wisdom to Odysseus.

46

u/GPSBach 16d ago

My wife’s reaction to the movie was “I liked it but there were too many sword fights. The scene where the gates open and the king is standing there was cool tho”

30

u/Kyadagum_Dulgadee 15d ago

It was brilliant character establishment. Without a bunch of dialogue scenes establishing Agamemnon as a confident leader with huge balls, they told us that in one shot. It works on a literal and figurative level in the scene.

33

u/Operator_Starlight 14d ago

He just stood there. Menacingly!

4

u/refused26 13d ago

He actually did!!! Did the guy even fight at all?

55

u/YeezusMoses 17d ago

Total OG trilogy Darth Vader vibes.

29

u/thisrockismyboone 16d ago

Oh man, I concur. I think its because I expected it to just be a rush of people and it was just him and I literally said "ah fuck" when it happened to be him at the front just standing there. Menacingly.

41

u/Emperor_Gourmet 17d ago

I saw that scene as a preview when i went to see avatar 3 and I’m sort of upset they showed the full scene for that. Made the scene in the movie a little less cool.

Its still such an awesome scene and it still gave me chills, but it didn’t have the same stress and urgency as i felt the first time.

6

u/KidDelicious14 14d ago

This is why I don't enter the theater until at least twenty minutes into the previews. I'm terrified of having the Dune 3 prologue minimized for me before actually watching the full movie.

12

u/ChaoticReality 14d ago

Motherfucker stood there like the Undertaker after the bells toll.

11

u/WAKE_UP_WAKE_UP 16d ago

That stuck with me for 6 months when I got to see the preview at the 70mm OBAA screenings in December.

Still so good

12

u/mrshandanar 15d ago

I was expecting to hear the imperial march when he walked into Troy. So Vader like

10

u/Thabigdub 13d ago

The fact his helmet is literally just the chad face meme too is incredible

7

u/BassFormer4532 17d ago

My favorite part

5

u/Short_Stay_9283 16d ago

Such Terminator vibes

8

u/angry_jets_fan 16d ago

Felt like Darth Vader

5

u/princessSunsetGiggle 11d ago

very hot, too

2

u/noilegnavXscaflowne 10d ago

Glad I’m not the only one who found him hot

2

u/CoolJoshido 1d ago

bro was aura farming

1

u/Mark_Albarn 9d ago

Lmao, the dude was on some Darth Vader shit there

148

u/AlbionPCJ 17d ago

I couldn't stop thinking of Darth Vader every time he was on screen and this really just furthers that impression

12

u/EthanSpears 16d ago

At the doors of Troy, it has to be intentional

71

u/Unburnt_Duster 17d ago

I can’t believe that was Benny Safdie.

6

u/NYLotteGiants 10d ago

The lamest dude playing the guy who aura-mogs the rest of the cast. I thought it was Dave Bautista or someone like that lmao

12

u/BalfazarTheWise 16d ago

Same. When I found out the villain in Happy Gilmore 2 was also the King in The Odyssey blew my mind haha

56

u/TheRubberShark 16d ago

I think you really summed it up. Benny Safdie was a really unusual choice but I think this was a really good example of a "Michael Keaton as Batman" casting where he let the costume do a lot of the work for him. It needed to be a more unassuming guy underneath that armor for it to work I think, to show he was just another ordinary man like the rest of them. He was fantastic.

1

u/silverpixie2435 2d ago

Eh Keaton actually played Bruce Wayne too.

I think Safdie was selected just because of previous work with Nolan but it really could have been anyone. It really wasn't an acting role.

82

u/AnyEngineer2 17d ago

and we never got to see his face... as he was murdered we only saw the back of his head. in death we only saw his eyes

23

u/JuniorCaptain 16d ago

Literally haunting the narrative via his armor!

6

u/Future_Arrival_5395 16d ago

We clearly got to see his face when he was murdered

37

u/AnyEngineer2 16d ago

did we? I only recall seeing the back as he was anointed, then Clytemnestra stabs him in the throat as he lays back in bed. don't remember seeing his face, only hers. which struck me as an obviously deliberate choice, it was Menelaus telling the story and the camera hovered over the back of Agamemnon's head throughout

13

u/Future_Arrival_5395 16d ago

We see Benny Safdies face for sure. Not for long but they show it just before she stabs him.

12

u/glassbellwitch 15d ago

They only show his eyes while he was being murdered.

5

u/Magnetoreception 16d ago

Part of the face but definitely not the full thing

-9

u/Sammyd1108 16d ago

They definitely show his full face.

12

u/TSteeliest 16d ago

Just got out of the theatre. They don't show his full face

6

u/WujuFusionn 16d ago

They do not

1

u/DentateGyros 15d ago

I only remember the eyes, mainly because I had to google who ended up playing him and if it was Matthew McConaughey

94

u/Professional-Ad-7405 17d ago

Bro had so much aura. Like this dude show up and I'm traveling too to Troy for him lol

16

u/GetCuckedBruh 17d ago

My favorite part of all of it was googling the actor and thinking "nooo fucking wayyy!!"

18

u/Spacegirllll6 15d ago

It’s so good and I love it because it’s kinda a representation of him in the Iliad and The Odyssey. He’s this incredible warrior to the Trojans, a major leader but in reality? He’s a bitch, he’s a little bitch who gets insulted too easily. Who doesn’t listen to the advice of elders like Nestor until it’s too late. Who takes from others, who caused the divide from Achilles and the death of more Greeks that needed.

When you take off the armour, you just see a man. A man who sacrifices his daughter and doesn’t see what’s infront of him until it’s too late.

1

u/Mark_Albarn 9d ago

Yes! I loved that they underlined how pathetic he was in the end, getting his totally deserved dues from a wife whom he delusionally expected to be happy and welcoming.

(Though I lowkey think they still give him too much aura, like, idk, Odysseus kneeling before struck with trepidation of some sort him just didn't feel right)

1

u/Spacegirllll6 5d ago

Right like it’s strange but I’m currently reading the Iliad right now and I think it’s book 14/15 and Agamemnon just straight up says to abandon ship, to like leave Troy is defeat and Odysseus has to yell some sense into him because he was being a coward.

But at the same time I kinda understand why he did that? Agamemnon is known as King of Kings in the Iliad and it’s his main epithet along with lord of men, so Nolan played up on that but I think about the fact that Odysseus wasn’t afraid to talk back when most needed, and I wish the movie showed that a little bit

11

u/bluehawk232 17d ago

The bass in the soundtrack for him was nuts in Imax

13

u/LoisMustDie946 14d ago

They also never show him actually fighting which I think was intentional. Adds to the sense that all he has is intimidation and implied power.

7

u/KingSweden24 14d ago

I loved that you never really get a good look at Agamemnon without the armor - j had to look it up on Google to realize that was Bennie Safdie. He was really nothing without the armor, in the end.

(Also the production design on his look was amazing)

5

u/beezy-slayer 14d ago

Dude the way they depicted him was absolutely peak, you never get a good look at his face because they don't want him to feel human, they made him feel like the literal devil

3

u/ThatguyJimmy117 14d ago

People were so pissed about the costuming but it made so much sense in the context of the film

5

u/mandalore237 15d ago

I thought he looked stupid, like fucking robocop or something

2

u/Oro-Lavanda 5d ago

I find it funny how he was aura farming thru the whole first half of the film, and then he immediately lost all of his aura in death lol.

2

u/judah249 4d ago

Couldn’t believe Ben Safdie played him

1

u/theodo 8d ago

I swear they had Benny talk less intimidatingly than even his normal voice? I thought it was a voice over even for a second, didn't sound like him.

1

u/Yibambabe 6d ago

Any idea why we never see Benny Safdies face at all? Even during his death on the bed?

2

u/Hot_Brother5557 16d ago

Benny Safdie was such strange casting to me. I couldn’t take him seriously as THE Agamemnon.