The Odyssey's Rotten Tomatoes Score Breaks A Record For Christopher Nolan

Universal Pictures

It might be easy to forget amid all the online commotion surrounding the upcoming blockbuster, but Christopher Nolan's epic retelling of "The Odyssey" has followed the exact same pattern as practically every other movie in the filmmaker's recent body of work. Months of word-of-mouth hype and absolutely ridiculous advanced ticket sales have given way to extraordinarily positive first reactions from early press junket screenings. And, now, full-length reviews from critics at large (with /Film's glowing review by Chris Evangelista among them) have confirmed the inevitable: One of the biggest mainstream directors around seems to have yet another critical hit on his hands.

Deciding how big of a hit "The Odyssey" truly is, however, is where things get mighty interesting. At the time of publishing, Nolan's latest currently enjoys a sparkling 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with well over 100 reviews filed and added to the aggregator site (and more to come). That's an incredible achievement in any context, to be sure, but it takes on even greater import when considering how this stacks up to the director's own filmography. As it turns out, this marks Nolan's highest-rated film ever. Yes, you read that correctly. The visionary behind "The Dark Knight," "Inception," "Dunkirk," and even the Best Picture-winning "Oppenheimer" (which earned 2023's highest rating at 93% Fresh) has somehow managed to outdo himself all over again. This doesn't merely set a new record for Nolan, it practically shatters it.

In the immortal words of Matt Damon's Odysseus: "Let's go!"

Universal Pictures

It's a good time to be Christopher Nolan right now. The hero of comic book fans across the globe for his work on the acclaimed "The Dark Knight" trilogy, the savior of the theatrical experience and original storytelling on a grand scale, and an awards darling following the breakthrough success of "Oppenheimer" is riding his hot streak to new highs previously unreached. The rumors are true, folks: Despite no shortage of hyperbolic internet controversies, "The Odyssey" is well on its way to becoming a smash hit in every sense of the phrase.

While this may come as a shock to a vocal subset of trolls, this is simply more proof of Nolan's staying power among general audiences and critics alike. His previous high-water mark, as ranked by Rotten Tomatoes, would be "The Dark Knight" and "Memento" at 94%. This is followed swiftly by "Dunkirk" and "Insomnia" in the low 90s, with "The Dark Knight Rises," "Inception," "Following," and "Batman Begins" rounding out the rest of his films in the 80s range. (The only three to drop below this are "The Prestige," "Interstellar," and "Tenet.") That's a frankly absurd track record, to state the obvious, and it's only further emphasized by the box office appeal Nolan has under his belt. According to early tracking, "The Odyssey" is looking at an even bigger opening weekend than "Oppenheimer" — which is as convincing a refutation as it gets of the "Go woke, go broke" crowd.

What a time to be alive. "The Odyssey" marches into theaters on July 17, 2026. Oh, and take it from us: Do yourself a favor and see this on the biggest screen you possibly can.