Christopher Nolan adapting Homer’s The Odyssey was always going to be ambitious and the result is exactly that: a massive mythological adventure designed for the biggest screen possible.

Matt Damon plays Odysseus, the king of Ithaca who has spent ten years fighting in the Trojan War. He now wants to return home to his wife Penelope but the journey becomes another decade-long struggle. Odysseus and his men face violent seas, mythical creatures and powerful forces determined to stop him from reaching Ithaca. The cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.

The scale of this film is incredible. The ships, coastlines and storms do not feel like backgrounds added around the actors. They make the journey feel dangerous and physically exhausting.

However, what surprised me most is that the film is not simply a collection of monsters and action scenes. Odysseus is a complicated hero. He is intelligent and brave but he is also proud, stubborn and sometimes responsible for making the journey even more dangerous.

Matt Damon handles that contradiction well. You understand why his men follow him but you also understand why some of them begin questioning his decisions.

The film does require patience. Nolan allows scenes to develop slowly and gives the characters time to consider what the war and the journey have taken from them. Viewers expecting constant action may find parts of it too deliberate.

For me, the emotional question at the centre of the film is what makes it work: after spending so many years fighting to get home, will Odysseus still belong there when he finally returns?

Watch The Odyssey for the mythology, the enormous IMAX visuals and a hero who is far more flawed than the word “hero” usually suggests.

NerdiPop score: 9/10