Christopher Nolan's three-hour adaptation of Homer's Odyssey received its world premiere in London on Monday, and the first wave of critic reactions has been overwhelmingly positive. With early commentators already touting it as a best picture Oscar contender and praising its scale, performances and ambition, the enthusiastic response signals strong momentum for one of the year's most anticipated releases.

Critics such as Anne Thompson, Erik Davis and Matt Neglia hailed the film as a "triumph" and a "colossal achievement of scale", with Matt Damon tipped for a best actor nod and Robert Pattinson's villainous Antinous singled out for praise, alongside Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland. Shot entirely on large-format Imax film cameras, the film was noted for embracing horror and unsettling moments, though David Ehrlich called it "too clunky to be S-tier Nolan". Full reviews are embargoed until next week ahead of Friday's worldwide release; with a $250m budget, the film needs to earn at least $500m to break even.