Christopher Nolan’s long-awaited epic The Odyssey has silenced many of its critics after debuting with near-perfect scores on Rotten Tomatoes, despite months of fierce online backlash over its casting and creative choices.
The £200million adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem currently boasts a 96 per cent critics’ score and an identical 96 per cent verified audience rating on the review aggregation website, making it one of the highest-rated releases of the year.
The impressive reception comes after the film became embroiled in multiple controversies before its release, with promotional trailers attracting widespread criticism across social media.
One of the biggest flashpoints centred on Lupita Nyong’o’s casting as Helen of Troy, with some critics arguing the role should have gone to a Greek actress.
Tesla billionaire Elon Musk was among those to weigh in.
Mr Musk previously claimed that Mr Nolan had “grossly insulted the Greek people” over the casting decision.
The director later admitted the backlash had been “frightening”, saying: “A film is not finished until the audience has told me what that film is, and there’s no hiding from that.”
The production also attracted criticism over reports that transgender actor Elliot Page had been cast in a warrior role, while traditionalists questioned Mr Nolan’s decision to modernise elements of Homer’s text through contemporary dialogue, costume choices and the inclusion of rapper Travis Scott as a bard.
Tom Holland’s performance as Telemachus also divided opinion following the film’s premiere.
Several critics took issue with the actor’s American accent, with Financial Times critic Danny Leigh arguing the use of modern dialogue distracted from the ancient setting.
Time magazine’s Stephanie Zacharek described Mr Holland as “so bland he’s practically unreadable.”
Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter suggested he resembled “Peter Parker in a tunic”.
However, Deadline praised the actor’s work, calling it his “strongest” performance to date and describing it as “bursting with a newfound maturity”.
Despite the heated debate surrounding individual casting decisions, the finished film has received widespread acclaim from both critics and cinema audiences.
Early reviews praised Matt Damon’s emotionally charged performance as Odysseus, Robert Pattinson’s supporting role and the film’s large-scale practical effects, with many critics describing it as another technical triumph for Mr Nolan.
One professional critic on Rotten Tomatoes wrote in part: “You realise why Nolan wanted to make this film, and why it feels like a prism through which his earlier films can be more deeply understood.”
Another penned: “Despite surprisingly lifeless performances, The Odyssey is a breathtaking adaptation that makes Homer’s ancient epic feel thrilling, accessible, and worth rediscovering.”
“Never mind defying the gods, Nolan has defied the odds. God-tier directing that expands the boundaries of modern filmmaking. Producing a rousing, jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring epic piece of cinema” penned a third critic.
The verified audience score also suggests cinemagoers have embraced the blockbuster.
While unverified user ratings were briefly targeted by apparent review-bombing campaigns before release, the verified audience score, which requires proof of a cinema ticket purchase, remains at 96 per cent.
The figures also place The Odyssey among Christopher Nolan’s best-reviewed films, surpassing the Rotten Tomatoes critic scores achieved by Oppenheimer (93 per cent), The Dark Knight (94 per cent) and Memento (94 per cent).
