Christopher Nolan's forthcoming adaptation of "The Odyssey" retells Homer's epic through a non-linear structure, with the story narrated partly by a bard (Travis Scott) as Odysseus (Matt Damon) recounts his journey home after the Trojan War. Given the film's starry ensemble cast and jumbled timelines, Variety has produced a guide unpacking the myths, monsters and chronology underpinning Nolan's roughly three-hour version, aimed at viewers unfamiliar with or confused by the source material.

The explainer traces events from before the story begins, including the abduction of Helen (Lupita Nyong'o) by Paris of Troy, which draws her husband Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and his brother Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) into the ten-year Trojan War. It details Odysseus's ruse of the Trojan Horse, engineered with the unwitting help of soldier Sinon (Elliot Page), which secures Greek victory, before moving into "The Journey" section covering Odysseus's separate, perilous voyage home to Ithaca, wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland).