The Odyssey (2026): a Classic Epic Movie... and More Books & Films

The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan (2026), is already a classic epic movie, just like Homer's Odyssey is a classic epic book which can only be compared to a handful of books at the very summit of the History of Literature: One Thousand and One Nights, Don Quixote, Hamlet, War and Peace, Moby-Dick, In Search of Lost Time, One Hundred Years of Solitude or Ulysses. 

But, problably, Homer's Odyssey is unique in the influence it has wielded over three millennia on Western writers like Virgil in his Aeneid, Dante in Chant XXVI of his Inferno, James Joyce's in the above mentioned Ulysses, Margaret Atwood in her novella The Penelopiad, Madeline Miller in her feminist view on Circe, Derek Walcott in his Caribbean poem Omeros (you can find a short video of Lit With Charles which explains The Odyssey's influence on Omeros, Xenophon's Anabais and the Penelopiad) and in the Fine Arts, on painters like J.M.W. Turner in his masterpiece Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus, or John W. Waterhouse in Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus and on sculptors like Auguste Rodin in The Sirens.

If you love music, one of your favourite singers or bands might have written a song inspired by Odyssey, just check this Songfacts list of Songs that reference The Odyssey and you will find Suzanne Vega's Calypso, REM's Lotus, Franz Ferdinand's Ulysses or Loreena MacKeneath's Penelope's Song, among others. But this list is incomplete, for example, singer songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat also wrote a song called Penélope, which can be added to this endless list, for the weight of Homer's Odyssey in Western Art, Music & Literature is, problably, only second to the influx of the Bible,

Back to the movie, Christopher Nolan has managed to tell the complex story of king Odysseus's return to Ithaca with the visual language of modern Hollywood superhero blockbusters, and, at the same time, he has managed to give a 3-hour-lesson in classical Greek literature to teenagers and seniors alike. No small feat! 

The Odissey, has become both a box office and a critic's success. Nicholas Barber and Caryn James rank the movie at No. 2 in the BBC Culture article "The Invite to the Odyssey: 12 of the best films of 2026 so far". This article is recommended for C2 students for its rich and dense language, which includes expressions like: a highlight [of the year], a blockbuster, a farcical [sex comedy], to aim at [grown-ups], to feature, loved-up, to drop in [for dinner], to bicker, a laidback [guest], hilarious, a moving [screenplay], [to lay] bare, pacing, a contender [to the Oscars], hype, beguiling, stunning, a [natural, modern] delivery, a relatable [king], cramped, to intertwine, an enthralling and layered [film], ludicrously [inventive], [to shoot] footage, [two] buffoonish, would-be [superstars], a daft [film], wit, a flock, to steep in [detective story], to set out [to track the clues], a cast, deft, game, a bumbling [police officer], a high-powered [lawyer], childlike [qualities], tender, a standout, a battle-scarred [veteran], a ram, a [comic] romp, cosy, a sequel, gore, a buddy-comedy, a hulking [cannibal], cheeky, eccentric, pitch-perfect [intimacy], the backdrop [of the presidential election], to nullify, loosely, stunningly, to capture, bold [colours], [heartbreaking] coda, fizzily [energetic], conceit, to hop [into a beaver], furry [friends], plotted, an exhilarating [take on the book], artistry, daring, fiery, caustic, to overlook, prettified [period scenes], an enticing [kaleidoscope of colour], to drop in [some comic moments], to be over the top, enduring [passion], class-bound [time], action-packed [set piece], painstaking [research], touching, inspiring, a bleak [narrative], fast-paced, cheerful, goofball [charm], a bracing [drama], a purge, wilfully [to echo], creeping [authoritarianism], [the film] to unfold, eerie [calm], a low-boil [thriller], to circumvent, a harrowing [story], the grip [of a dictatorship], a stranger-than-fiction [true story], to kidnap, a mortgage [broker], [financial] woes, to wield [a shotgun], pathos, a nerve-racking [situation], a romcom, wilfully, dramedy, a sharp [detour], a high-wire [act of a film], a deft [star], jumpy [nerves], a backlash, sheer [Hollywood star power], a thought-provoking [comment], a hot-button [issue].

Next, you can find a conversation class for B2 students and above, entitled "Conversation Questions,  The Odyssey: Classic Books & Movies", which can be added to complete & enhance the reading of the BBC Culture review above or the listening of the short video below 3 Great Books if you loved The Odyssey, by Lit With Charles:

Finally, for further information, C2 students and experts can watch the video What Three Artists Thought The Odyssey Meant Will Surprise You?!  (12:54) from an Art History YouTube channel called Unframed, which describes three artworks in history, and three different readings of Homer's Odyssey by the unknown ancient Greek "Siren Painter", and the above mentioned painters Waterhouse and Turner.

The Odissey is fun. Don't miss it!