Hideo Kojima shares his take on Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey
Hideo Kojima has weighed in on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and his verdict’s emphatic — delivered just ahead of the film’s Japan release next month.
Leave it to Hideo Kojima to keep film Twitter (and most of Japanese gaming social media, let’s be honest) buzzing: the legendary Metal Gear Solid creator has just dropped his verdict on Christopher Nolan’s latest, The Odyssey. And if you were expecting even a whiff of cynicism, think again — he’s gone all in with praise, and he’s brought his full film-buff gusto to the party.
With The Odyssey not even out in Japan yet (it’s landing there next month), Kojima’s managed to catch it in all its glory at a 70mm IMAX screening over at the David Geffen Theater in Los Angeles, and he’s made it clear: he reckons it’s something a bit special.
Hideo Kojima, recounting his screening on X, summed up the experience like this: ‘No, rather than saying I "watched" the screen, it felt like I was there the whole time! A sensation of "witnessing it!"’
The full Kojima treatment
Kojima didn’t exactly write your bog-standard hot take — his thoughts swerved from memories of seeing Cinerama films as a child, right through to the very technical details of Nolan’s use of that gigantic 1.43:1 IMAX frame. According to Kojima, the result absolutely steamrolls you with immersion; he even reckons the lack of Japanese subtitles improved the experience for him, describing it as a ‘whole different bodily experience’ — and if there’s anybody you’d trust to know immersive storytelling, it’s the bloke who made Death Stranding.
- Nolan’s The Odyssey came out in cinemas 17 July 2026 (just to make you feel old).
- Kojima saw it in Los Angeles at the David Geffen Theater, on actual 70mm IMAX film stock.
- He plans to see it again once it opens in Japan next month. As if IMAX wear-and-tear is a foreign concept to this man.
Kojima highlighted what’s special about Nolan’s visual approach, noting that the 1.43:1 IMAX shots ‘drew endlessly close to the actors’ expressions, capturing their emotions deeply with shallow depth of field, then switching to fine details with pull focus, relentlessly pursuing their anguish and fate.’
Naturally, no Kojima review would be complete without gushing over the cast, which he called a ‘tour de force’. And, not one to wrap things up quietly, he simply described Nolan’s entire achievement as ‘magnificent’, promising a second round when it hits Japanese screens. If that’s not a badge of honour for Nolan, I’m not sure what is.