When we were putting together our recent ranking of Odyssey director Christopher Nolan’s films, I couldn’t help but think about how many of his movies have spawned memes, especially in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The image of Leonardo Dicaprio and Cilian Murphy talking at a bar is something I more vividly recall as a meme template than as a moment from Inception. People love to drop “Some men just want to watch the world burn” when someone eats a hot dog wrong or something. And now that The Odyssey is out, it is continuing the time-honored tradition of Nolan films giving people meme fodder.
Antinous hates beggars
The one I’ve most recently seen circulating is Robert Pattinson’s delivery of Antinous’ line, “Somebody get these beggars out of here!” with all the venom of a slur-slinging boomer. It is now applicable when one believes a company is desperately cloying for you to Consume Their Product or you just feel like you’re getting nickel and dimed.
https://t.co/JyPknnplG8 pic.twitter.com/ZkC2qRYpXG
— Spade (@DetectiveSpade_) July 20, 2026
when the tablet asks me to add a tip pic.twitter.com/2IT90hjEj0
— zaso ✟ 📹 (@ev1lzaso) July 22, 2026
Matt Damon screaming and crying at the Sirens’ call
During Odysseus’ voyage home, he and his crew pass by Sirens that tempt passing sailors with their song. Most of his shipmates plug their ears with wax to block the song, but Odysseus wants to be one of the only people to hear them sing and live, so he has his soldiers tie him up to the ship’s sail. However, despite his bravado, he nearly goes insane listening to the song, and if you put any other song over the video of Matt Damon’s screaming and snot-nosed crying, you have yourself a good joke.
white people when they hear “mr brightside” at the function pic.twitter.com/6Hcg3INSTY
— kate bush’s husband (@airbagg3d) July 22, 2026
POV: Passing siren island but they got the JBL Charge 4 bumping 2016 rap pic.twitter.com/9QxM5aN2Wg
— Corporate Dudes (@corporatedudes) July 21, 2026
when you upload your resume and still have to retype your entire work history pic.twitter.com/D3Oyz6Gvjy
— Adam Karpiak (@Adam_Karpiak) July 20, 2026
Antinous is a big ol’ weenie
“GET THE SWORDS! GET THE SHIELDS! GET THE SPEARS! GET THE SPEARS!” ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/SK4F8ZCrUR
— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) July 19, 2026
A big part of Robert Pattinson’s character in The Odyssey is that while he fancies himself a ringleader of Penelope’s suitors, he’s also a coward who can’t do his own dirty work. When Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca and starts to kill all the suitors who have been living in his home for years, Antinous hides while telling everyone else to grab the weapons being dropped down to them from the above floor. It definitely illustrates that despite all his shit talk, he doesn’t have the stomach for any of the violence. Which is a good character moment, but it’s also very, very funny.
Cheese
Former Kotaku writer Isaiah Colbert has one of the funniest Letterboxd reviews I’ve seen for The Odyssey, which simply reads “Cheese has led Odysseus to places that I wouldn’t even go with a bow,” and yes, my guy’s need for cheese has put him and his crew in harm’s way enough that it’s become an inside joke among fans.
The Odyssey presented without context pic.twitter.com/sXPq0dZBnO
— Sophie Vershbow (@svershbow) July 20, 2026
I heard if you see THE ODYSSEY in 4DX you get to taste the cheese
— Andrew Woods (@JimJarmuschHair) July 20, 2026
i think it’s amazing that a Cyclops can make feta
— EMILY SUNDBERG (@Emily_Sundberg) July 19, 2026
The IMAX superiority complex
The Odyssey was shot for IMAX’s 70mm screens, but most theaters where it’s being shown can’t accommodate that. As a result, most showings are cropped, presented in ways that are perfectly viewable but also missing some of what Nolan actually shot. The fact that so few people can see the movie “exactly as it was made to be seen” has inspired frustration in some viewers, but it’s also opened the window for some good gags and some striking comparisons.
How am I supposed to watch not knowing that Agamemnon helmet-mogs Odysseus only in IMAX? https://t.co/gElU1Mh2N9
— vicky ☕ (@a24victoire) July 16, 2026
Gas is 4 dollars a gallon and I’m driving 45 minutes for the odyssey and 70mm. Matt Damon better come out of the screen and fuck me.
— Sierra (@slothsaretight3) July 16, 2026
The Odyssey is in theaters now, and if you can’t see it in IMAX, it’s still a pretty awful time (complimentary) on your regular big screen.
