As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, The Odyssey now sits at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 288 reviews), breaking a record on the review aggregator to become Christopher Nolan's best-reviewed movie in his near 30-year career as a filmmaker.
In second place are 2008's The Dark Knight and 2000's Memento at 94%, though Oppenheimer is nipping at their heels with a 93% score.
Now, with moviegoers heading to theaters to watch Nolan's first fantasy epic, we have an early score on the Popcornmeter: 97%. That means The Odyssey has an audience score that's "Verified Hot," which goes with its "Certified Fresh" status with critics.
The Critics Consensus, meanwhile, states, "Reinvigorating an ancient adventure with majestic sweep and sterling work by its colossal ensemble, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey imbues myth with primal human feeling."
The movie initially debuted at 99% and slipped down to 98% before, more recently, settling at 96%. It was inevitable that Nolan's latest movie wouldn't please everyone, though the negative reviews have been largely overshadowed by the overwhelmingly positive ones.
The handful of negative reviews don't come from particularly noteworthy outlets, with Age of the Geek writing, "A film about Greeks with no actors with Greek roots in the leads? This film is less Greek tragedy and more a boys having a bad night out."
Then, there's InBetweenDrafts, which bemoans, "Instead of a movie too dense with complex logic, he’s made something that’s nearly vacant of any mythic power it once had. Quite the epic achievement."
However, the Boston Globe, a respected publication, was similarly unimpressed, stating, "Pattinson has fun channeling Roddy McDowell’s snarky performance in 'Cleopatra.' But like that epic flop, 'The Odyssey' takes itself too seriously. The film ultimately sinks under its bleakness like a lead balloon."
So, those are a sampling of the bad verdicts, but as we explained earlier this week, the majority are overwhelmingly positive. With an expected $17.6 million from Thursday previews, The Odyssey is on course to open with over $100 million this weekend, suggesting people are paying much closer attention to that 96% score than any of the movie's detractors.
The cast of The Odyssey includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, Lupita Nyong'o, Will Yun Lee, Benny Safdie, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Corey Hawkins, Josh Stewart, Jimmy Gonzales, Maurice Compte, and Logan Marshall-Green.
Shot across the world using brand-new IMAX film technology, the film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time, and it's now playing in theaters.