While we knew when 70mm IMAX tickets were selling out a year ago that Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey would be a hit, we now have some confirmation that the film itself lives up to the standard we’ve come to expect from the director of Oppenheimer.

Early reactions dropped today, and while these are always to be taken with a grain of salt, the superlatives are flying from the keyboards of fanboys and film critics alike.

L.A. Times film editor Joshua Rothkopf calls the film “staggering. Earthy, ghostly, weighty, touched by humor and grandeur alike. It’s pure cinema.” And, for those in the cheap seats — as if there were any in IMAX theaters — he adds, that the film is “a return home to the robustly entertaining action movies that cinema was invented to tell.”

Time Out film critic Phil de Semlyen raves, “Believe the hype(rbole): The Odyssey is that film.” He also calls it “dense but accessible.”

Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw writes, “Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is a colossal origin-myth story of postwar disillusion and a loss of innocence.”

Indiewire’s Anne Thompson assessed the film’s awards chances, including those for Best Picture: “Matt Damon could win Best Actor and a bevy of supporting thesps and noms will follow. The BP to beat.”

That site’s chief film critic, David Erlich, was not as sanguine, calling it “less despairing” than Oppenheimer, but “too clunky to be S-tier Nolan, but the last act rewards the journey.”

The Odyssey opens on July 17. Initial projections had its domestic debut at between $80M-$100M. That could change if these early reactions hold up.

THE ODYSSEY is staggering. Earthy, ghostly, weighty, touched by humor and grandeur alike. It's pure cinema. Obviously the story is about returning home, but in a larger sense, this is also a return home to the robustly entertaining action movies that cinema was invented to tell.

Believe the hype(rbole): The Odyssey is that film. Dense but accessible, packed with career-best work from the stacked cast – Samantha Morton is extraordinary – it's a dizzying mix of craft and spectacle that's built to last. pic.twitter.com/cwpN4HvG73

Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is a colossal origin-myth story of postwar disillusion and a loss of innocence witnessed by the dead. Review later

My high expectations were met at Chris Nolan's stunningly mounted The Odyssey in IMAX 70 mm. Matt Damon could win Best Actor and a bevy of supporting thesps and noms will follow. The BP to beat.

The Odyssey: a surprisingly natural (and less despairing) Oppenheimer follow-up about a man haunted by defying the gods & dooming civilization – this one fights to avenge his own hubris. IMAX obviously immense. too clunky to be S-tier Nolan, but the last act rewards the journey.

Nolan does a remarkable job weaving the episodes of the story together, and does it all while never skipping a beat. He hits that magical balance of crafting a movie that flies but also leaves you feeling as though you’ve just experienced a significant portion of the characters’…

Breaking my Twitter hiatus to say that, yes, #TheOdyssey has the goods. Christopher Nolan's Ten Commandments, boasting a scope and scale that never intrudes on its intimacy. A grounded (but faithful) take on the epic myth, with some clever revisionist flair. Himesh Patel the MVP! pic.twitter.com/NyZbVYGcyn

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is MONUMENTAL on so many levels. Yes, it really does attempt to condense nearly all of Homer inside of 3 hours. But it also tackles with more heart than any Nolan film since Interstellar his greatest muse… 1/3

Tis emotionally layered, but must admit not the masterpiece of Oppe. It crams so much, including overly cautious fantasy elements & curious real Greek history like the SEA PEOPLE (classic profs just gasped!), that it’s scope outpaces even 70mm IMAX. But is gorgeously outstretched

The Odyssey truly delivers. Christopher Nolan’s film is a huge action-adventure spectacle full of blood and thunder. Matt Damon a worthy hero and big performances across the board with Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo, Robert Pattinson, Elliot Page and Samantha Morton my picks. Ace. pic.twitter.com/U7fxdwwe4A

#TheOdyssey is monumental filmmaking, its interpretation of Greek mythology electrifyingly uncanny. Staggering scale, thrillingly staged action, rich emotional throughlines. The cyclops and Circe sequences are among the best of Nolan’s career.

Christopher Nolan's #TheOdyssey is flawless filmmaking, every inch as epic as you'd expect. Leading a stellar cast, Matt Damon gives Odysseus everything in a career-best powerhouse performance. Robert Pattinson is outstanding as Antinous and John Leguizamo's Eumaeus is sublime. pic.twitter.com/NDrr95vrnE

Christopher Nolan's #TheOdyssey is an absolute triumph and a crowning cinematic achievement from one of the great filmmakers of our time. It feels like everything Nolan has been working toward with IMAX has culminated here. The production design is incredible, the action is… pic.twitter.com/yLxocUEEdn

THE ODYSSEY is as epic as its source material with that level of Christopher Nolan spark that makes it something special. It's a story of love and loss and takes you on quite the journey in only the way Nolan knows how. Breathtaking, bold, and perfection. pic.twitter.com/ycJ2zHEDsQ

Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is INCREDIBLE. I'm really blown away by this film. Everything from the flawless performances to the way Nolan embraces the supernatural is just perfect. If you can, SEE IT IN @IMAX 70mm. It’s a jaw dropping experience. It'll be great… pic.twitter.com/UXEAjF8cKk

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