‘The Odyssey’ Is the Film Event of the Year. Plus, ‘Resident Evil’ and ‘Clayface’ Trailers.

Summary of ‘The Odyssey’ Is the Film Event of the Year. Plus, ‘Resident Evil’ and ‘Clayface’ Trailers.

by The Ringer

1h 22m•July 23, 2026
Listen to Episode

Overview of The Watch — “The Odyssey” Is the Film Event of the Year. Plus, Resident Evil and Clayface Trailers.

Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald open with their usual banter before moving into a wide-ranging episode focused on three big film/TV topics: the new trailers for Clayface and Resident Evil, a deep spoiler-filled discussion of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and some industry chatter about Marvel, James Gunn’s DC strategy, and the future of The Agency.

Trailer Reactions: Clayface and Resident Evil

Clayface

  • The hosts think the trailer looks polished and like DC is intentionally choosing a darker, more horror-forward lane.
  • They note that it feels notably separate from James Gunn’s usual tonal style.
  • Andy says it looks like a movie he probably won’t want to watch, but he respects the strategy.
  • They discuss the project’s evolution:
    • Mike Flanagan originally developed it.
    • James Watkins later came on to direct.
    • Hossein Amini rewrote the script.
  • They point out the film’s very British production footprint and its use of Gotham City as the setting.

Resident Evil

  • They’re much more enthusiastic about this trailer.
  • They like that it seems to show the movie’s opening stretch and doesn’t over-explain itself.
  • Andy appreciates that it seems to blend horror, humor, and character rather than playing everything dead serious.
  • They connect horror and comedy as genres that rely on timing, audience expectation, and release.
  • Chris notes that the trailer’s use of “Raccoon City” feels delightfully faithful to the game’s weirdness.

Deep Dive: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey

Spoiler warning is explicitly acknowledged in the conversation.

Overall reaction

  • Both hosts agree the film is a major cinematic event and a huge conversation piece.
  • Chris is more mixed on the movie’s emotional and tonal choices, while Andy is broadly impressed by the ambition and the craft.
  • They both appreciate that it gives them something substantial to discuss, even when they don’t fully agree with all of its choices.

What they liked

  • The movie’s scale and audacity.
  • Nolan’s use of practical/physical filmmaking choices.
  • The way the film handles major mythic scenes without leaning heavily on gods as literal active characters.
  • Standout sequences they mention:
    • The Circe transformation scene
    • The siren sequence
    • The Hades scene, which both consider one of the film’s best moments
  • The physicality and visual imagination of the monsters and mythic set pieces.

What they found mixed or off

  • Chris felt some performances were uneven or miscast.
  • He thought some acting choices bordered on camp or felt too drab in palette and tone.
  • He was less convinced by some of the film’s emotional beats and thought the movie sometimes leaned too hard into seriousness.
  • Andy said the film had moments he loved, but also that parts of it felt ludicrous in a good, old-school epic way.

Performances they discuss

  • Matt Damon: Strong central presence; Chris says his trustworthiness as a star both helps and complicates the role.
  • Tom Holland: Chris felt Holland was in over his head at first, though improved on a second viewing.
  • Anne Hathaway and Javier Bardem: Chris was less sold on them.
  • John Leguizamo, Samantha Morton, Himesh Patel, and Bernthal: singled out more positively, especially for making the world feel lived-in.
  • Robert Pattinson: both admire his willingness to play a sniveling, weird villain; Chris particularly likes how shamelessly odd his performance is.

Themes and interpretation

  • They talk about the movie as a meditation on:
    • Fate vs. control
    • Human pragmatism vs. mythic destiny
    • How much audiences now want “real” physical filmmaking
  • They admire Nolan’s ability to turn complicated ideas into something legible and emotionally resonant.
  • Chris says the film is partly about the end of one era and the beginning of another, with a strong emphasis on man-made decisions rather than divine intervention.

Industry and Franchise Talk

Marvel / Kevin Feige

  • The episode briefly touches on Feige’s comments about Marvel’s long-term roadmap.
  • They discuss how difficult Marvel’s current situation has been:
    • COVID-era disruptions
    • Streaming strategy
    • The strikes
    • Chadwick Boseman’s death
    • The Jonathan Majors fallout
  • Chris argues that while Marvel’s current visuals and corporate direction can be frustrating, the studio has also had to endure a lot of real-world upheaval.

DC / James Gunn

  • They read Clayface as evidence that Gunn and DC may be willing to diversify tone and genre within the franchise.
  • Chris is curious whether the movie will connect to the larger DC strategy or stay mostly self-contained.

The Agency and Jez Butterworth

The future of The Agency

  • They say they’ll likely cover the show’s second season wrap-up on Monday.
  • Andy has three episodes left and feels the show has gotten stronger as it has gone on.
  • Chris is less confident about the show’s long-term future, but both agree it’s improved in pacing and cumulative storytelling.

Jez Butterworth’s new project

  • They discuss Butterworth’s new Paramount+ project, Laird.
  • It sounds like a Scottish/Yellowstone-style drama about a family fighting an American billionaire who wants to buy up Scottish land.
  • They compare Butterworth’s workload and TV output to Taylor Sheridan’s model.
  • They speculate that Paramount may be trying to replicate the “prestige soap opera” formula beyond Sheridan himself.

Key Takeaways

  • Clayface suggests DC may be leaning into a darker, more horror-oriented corner of its universe.
  • Resident Evil appears to be a more playful, promising horror adaptation than the hosts expected.
  • The Odyssey is being treated as a major event film, but its power lies as much in its craft and ambition as in universal agreement about its success.
  • The episode continues a bigger conversation about what audiences want from blockbuster filmmaking: practical texture, emotional clarity, and less empty franchise noise.
  • The hosts are increasingly interested in how TV franchises are being built, sold, and sustained across streaming platforms and production regimes.

Housekeeping

  • They say they’ll return on Monday to discuss The Agency in full.
  • The episode ends with enthusiasm for continuing the conversation about The Odyssey and for more big-screen movies that actually inspire real debate.