After ten years of war and an even longer journey home, Odysseus must survive gods, monsters, betrayal, and the consequences of his own choices before he can reclaim Ithaca. At the same time, his son Telemachus sets out to discover whether the legendary king he has never known is still alive.
The Story Begins in Ithaca
The film opens in the kingdom of Ithaca, where a bard (Travis Scott) performs a song celebrating the legendary warrior Odysseus (Matt Damon). The story immediately shifts to the final days of the Trojan War, where the soldier Sinon (Elliot Page) stands beside the Trojan Horse. Two Trojan soldiers shoot him with arrows and pin him against the wooden structure. With his dying breath, Sinon claims that the horse is a gift for Athena.Back in Ithaca, Odysseus has been gone for so long that his palace has been overrun by suitors hoping to marry his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway). Among the most prominent are Antinous (Robert Pattinson) and Polybus (Corey Hawkins). Antinous boasts that he would have fought beside Odysseus in Troy, but it soon becomes clear that he avoided the war and allowed Sinon to take his place.
Telemachus Grows Up Without His Father
Odysseus and Penelope’s son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), has never truly known his father because Odysseus left for war when he was still an infant. He trains with Mentor (Ryan Hurst), his guide and protector, and later speaks with the partially blind swineherd Eumaeus (John Leguizamo).Eumaeus tells him about the day Odysseus chose his hunting dog, Argos. Even after all these years, the aging dog continues to wait faithfully for his master’s return.
Penelope later reminds Telemachus that Odysseus gave her permission to remarry if he never came home. The decision to leave for Troy had been dangerous from the beginning, especially because Odysseus feared that King Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) might threaten Telemachus. Penelope also encourages her son to practice with Odysseus’ bow, a weapon only his father could string with ease and make “hum.”
Telemachus Decides to Search for Odysseus
In the palace dining hall, Telemachus clashes with Polybus after the suitor mistreats the old and frail Argos. Polybus attacks Telemachus until Penelope intervenes and orders him to stop.Afterward, Telemachus confides in the handmaiden Eurycleia (Kate Fuglei) that he intends to leave Ithaca and search for his father himself. Mentor joins him, and the two set out to sea with a small crew.
Odysseus Is Trapped on Ogygia
Odysseus is alive, but he is stranded on the island of Ogygia. He is haunted by visions of the goddess Athena (Zendaya), who urges him to remember who he is and what he has lost.His only companion is the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron), who has kept his memories suppressed with the Lotus Flower. Odysseus can no longer remember Penelope, Telemachus, or the fate of the men who once sailed beside him.
The Journey Home Begins After Troy
Odysseus’ memories slowly return, beginning with the aftermath of the Sack of Troy. After ten years of war, he and his men prepare to sail home by a route separate from Agamemnon and Menelaus (Jon Bernthal).After raiding a village for food and supplies, the crew lands on another island and enters a cave. The cave belongs to Polyphemus (Bill Irwin), a Cyclops and son of Poseidon. Polyphemus seals the entrance with a massive stone and begins devouring Odysseus’ soldiers.
Odysseus Blinds Polyphemus
Odysseus and the surviving men wait for an opportunity to escape. While Polyphemus sleeps, they drive a fire-tipped spear into his eye, blinding him.When the Cyclops opens the cave, the men flee, but Odysseus cannot resist attacking him again. He fires an arrow at Polyphemus, provoking the monster into chasing the crew toward the water and killing several more men.
Eurylochus (Himesh Patel) and the others criticize Odysseus for his recklessness. By humiliating Poseidon’s son, he may have turned the god of the sea against their voyage home.
Telemachus Reaches Sparta
Telemachus eventually arrives in Sparta, where he meets Menelaus and Helen of Troy (Lupita Nyong’o), the woman remembered as the “face that launched a thousand ships.” Helen still bears visible scars from the war.Menelaus welcomes Telemachus and Mentor and recounts what happened inside the Trojan Horse. Sinon had been deliberately left outside as a decoy, pretending to be a deserter so the Trojans would trust the wooden horse. Once it entered the city, Odysseus led the hidden soldiers out, opened the gates, and allowed the Greek army to destroy Troy.
Unfortunately, Menelaus has no information about Odysseus’ current whereabouts.
The Laestrygonians Attack
Odysseus remembers the next stage of his voyage. After surviving a violent storm, the crew reaches the land of the Laestrygonians, a race of gigantic and brutal warriors.When Odysseus’ men ask for food, a young Laestrygonian mocks them and summons the others. The giants launch a devastating attack, crushing and killing many of the sailors as the survivors flee back to sea.
Circe Turns the Crew Into Pigs
The remaining men eventually arrive on the island of Aeaea. Tensions are growing, and Eurylochus leads a group inland to search for food while Odysseus separates from them.The men encounter Circe (Samantha Morton), who welcomes them and offers them a meal. She then reveals herself to be a witch and transforms them into pigs.
Odysseus becomes suspicious when he notices that the island is full of wild animals that behave unnaturally. He shoots what appears to be a deer, only for the dead animal to transform back into a human being.
He confronts Circe and resists her tricks. Circe eventually agrees to restore the men to human form, but tells Odysseus that if he truly wants to find his way home, he must first travel into Hades.
Odysseus Enters Hades
Odysseus and his crew cross the great river and make the required sacrifice before entering the land of the dead. There they encounter the spirits of fallen soldiers, including Sinon, who realizes that he was betrayed and deliberately left behind at Troy.Sinon warns Odysseus that Antinous is plotting against him in Ithaca and reveals how he avoided serving in the war.
Odysseus also encounters Agamemnon, who warns him that returning home may not bring peace. Agamemnon himself returned from Troy only to be murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra (also played by Lupita Nyong’o), in revenge for sacrificing their daughter.
Finally, the prophet Tiresias (James Remar) tells Odysseus that the gods have decided that only he will survive the remainder of the journey. The dead then pursue the crew, forcing them to flee Hades.
Antinous Plots Against Telemachus
Back in Ithaca, Antinous continues trying to convince Penelope to choose him as her new husband. When she refuses to reveal Telemachus’ location, the traitorous servant Melantho (Mia Goth) secretly tells Antinous where he has gone.Antinous and the other suitors begin planning an ambush to prevent Telemachus from returning home. Eumaeus overhears the conspiracy.
Meanwhile, Telemachus practices archery in Sparta and begins to believe that he may soon have to assume the throne of Ithaca himself.
The Sirens, Charybdis and Scylla
Odysseus’ memories continue with one of the most dangerous stretches of the voyage. As the crew approaches the Sirens, he orders his men to tie him to the mast so he can hear their song without throwing himself into the sea.At least one sailor is unable to resist and jumps overboard, while Odysseus screams in agony as the ship passes through the enchanted waters.
The crew then encounters Charybdis, a monstrous whirlpool. Odysseus steers away from it, but the safer route leads them directly toward Scylla, who seizes and devours several more crew members.
Eurylochus and the remaining men lose even more faith in Odysseus, although he argues that choosing Scylla was the only option that gave any of them a chance to survive.
The Cattle of Helios
The surviving crew reaches the island of Thrinacia. Odysseus warns everyone not to kill the sacred cattle of Helios because Tiresias predicted that doing so would doom them.Starving and desperate, the men ignore his command and slaughter the cattle for food. The punishment comes quickly. A violent storm destroys the ship and kills everyone except Odysseus.
This disaster is what ultimately leaves him stranded on Ogygia with Calypso.
Calypso Finally Lets Odysseus Go
Calypso admits that Odysseus has been on her island for seven years. She fell in love with him and deliberately kept his memories hidden because she could not bear to let him leave.Now, however, she gives him a token Penelope left with him before the war. The object restores his memory of his wife and home. Odysseus builds a makeshift raft and finally sails away from Ogygia.
Odysseus Returns to Ithaca in Disguise
With Athena’s help, Odysseus eventually washes ashore in Ithaca. Rather than reveal himself immediately, he disguises himself as a beggar.He finds Eumaeus after the swineherd has been attacked by conspirators led by the goatherd Melanthius (Logan Marshall-Green), Melantho’s brother.
After learning where Telemachus will be, Odysseus travels to the temples, where the conspirators are preparing to ambush his son. Mentor is killed in the attack, but Odysseus slaughters the attackers and saves Telemachus.
He still does not reveal his identity, instead calling himself Sinon.
Argos Recognizes His Master
When Odysseus and Telemachus return to the palace, Odysseus sees Argos. The old dog immediately recognizes his master and wags his tail one final time before dying.Telemachus notices the emotional reaction and begins to understand that the mysterious beggar is actually his father. Even so, Odysseus continues the disguise because the suitors still control the palace.
Odysseus Speaks to Penelope
Odysseus is brought into the dining hall, where Antinous and Polybus humiliate and mistreat him. Penelope eventually intervenes and orders them to stop.Later, Odysseus speaks privately with Penelope while still hiding his identity. He expresses deep regret over the Trojan War and the countless lives lost because of it.
A flashback reveals Odysseus decapitating a statue of Athena, presented visually as though he were attacking the goddess herself. The act explains why Athena has continued haunting his thoughts and memories.
Elsewhere, Antinous attempts to murder Telemachus but loses his opportunity.
Penelope Announces the Bow Challenge
At dawn, Penelope gathers the suitors and announces a final challenge that will determine whom she will marry. Each man must string Odysseus’ bow and fire an arrow through a line of carefully positioned axes.One by one, the suitors fail even to string the weapon.
The disguised Odysseus finally volunteers. He strings the bow effortlessly and makes it hum exactly as Penelope remembers. She immediately knows who he is.
Odysseus fires the arrow successfully, revealing himself to the entire hall.
Odysseus Fights the Suitors
The moment the suitors realize that Odysseus has returned, the palace erupts into violence. Odysseus begins the battle by shooting an arrow into Polybus’ neck.Penelope and the others take cover, although she deliberately leaves Melantho exposed because of her betrayal. Melanthius breaks into the armory and throws weapons to the suitors, while Antinous hides and shouts orders from a distance.
Telemachus confronts Melanthius and eventually kills him by cutting his throat.
Odysseus is wounded several times but continues fighting until most of the suitors are dead or begging for mercy.
The Death of Antinous
Antinous is eventually the last major enemy left standing. Odysseus corners him and returns Sinon’s token, forcing Antinous to confront the man whose place he avoided taking during the Trojan War.Odysseus then impales Antinous through the stomach, ending the conspiracy and reclaiming his home.
Ending Explained: Odysseus Chooses One Final Journey
In the aftermath, Odysseus tells Penelope that he did not return to Ithaca simply to resume his old life. He believes he must continue traveling west to honor the men who died under his command during the war and the long journey home.Penelope chooses to go with him. Telemachus remains in Ithaca and takes over the throne, finally stepping into the role he has been preparing for throughout the story.
Penelope promises Odysseus that their civilization will rise again one day, turning their departure into something more hopeful than tragic.
The Final Image
The film ends with one final flashback to the Trojan War. Odysseus stands amid the destruction and watches the Trojan Horse burn.The image brings the story full circle. The war that made Odysseus a legend also destroyed nearly everyone around him, and the burning horse becomes a symbol of the violence, deception, and sacrifice that defined his long road home.
Final Thoughts
The Odyssey is presented as both an epic adventure and a story about the cost of war. Odysseus survives monsters, gods, storms, temptation, and rebellion, but the greatest consequences come from the choices he made as a leader.Telemachus’ story mirrors his father’s journey in a different way. While Odysseus fights to return to Ithaca, Telemachus grows into the man capable of ruling it. By the end, father and son finally meet as equals in responsibility, even if their paths immediately separate again.
The ending also gives Penelope more agency than a simple reunion would. Rather than remain behind, she chooses to join Odysseus on his final voyage, leaving Telemachus to build the future of Ithaca.