The Odyssey parents guide: why is The Odyssey rated R?

• ✓Official rating above age 7
  MPA: R; BBFC: 15
• ✓Violence in rating descriptors
  MPA: violence; BBFC: strong violence
• ✓Scary content in rating descriptors
  BBFC: threat and horror, creature attacks
• ✓Bad language in rating descriptors
  MPA: some language; BBFC: infrequent strong lang.
• ✓Sexual content, drugs, or alcohol in rating descriptors
  BBFC: narcotic flower, drunkenness
• ✓Rated 12 or higher in the UK or Germany
  BBFC: 15; FSK: 12

Each flag is a yes-or-no fact from the sources on this page. The number is a count of flags, not a safety score. How we count. Rating reasons marked mild, very mild, or brief don't count.

Checked October 2026. Ratings and settings change; check the official source before you decide. What do these ratings mean?

Facts for parents, not medical or legal advice. If you're worried about your child, talk to your pediatrician.

What The Odyssey is about

The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan's film of Homer's epic poem. Matt Damon plays Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, on his journey home from war; Tom Holland plays his son Telemachus, Anne Hathaway his wife Penelope, and Zendaya the goddess Athena. Universal released it in US and UK theaters on July 17, 2026, according to Wikipedia; it runs 173 minutes. According to Wikipedia, it's the first feature shot entirely on IMAX 70 mm film cameras, and, at $1.791 billion worldwide as of October 2026, the highest-grossing R-rated film ever.

Why is The Odyssey rated R?

Short answer: The MPA rated it R "for violence and some language." That's the MPA's full wording; it doesn't list more detail.

The UK's BBFC gives more detail. It rates the film 15 for strong violence: battles with bows and arrows, stabbings and impalings from bladed weapons with blood spurts, and fantastical creatures that bite, crush, and dismember people. It also lists drownings, poisonings, beatings, and a decapitation, and an animal thrown to its death. On language, the BBFC notes infrequent use of "f**k," plus "bastard" and "shit."

The Odyssey parents guide: what's in it

Short answer: R in the US, 15 in the UK, 12 in Germany for the home release.

• US (MPA): R, violence and some language.
• UK (BBFC): 15, strong violence.
• Germany (FSK): 12, violence and injury.
• Common Sense Media: 15+.

The BBFC also lists attacks by fantastical creatures, scenes of physical transformation, a brief implied sex scene, a character eating a flower with narcotic properties, drunkenness, brief verbal references to sexual violence, and references to the murder of children. Common Sense Media mentions monsters eating men, a Cyclops's eye being poked out, a six-headed snake with a jump scare, and a puppy tossed off a cliff.

The habit kids may copy: the lotus flower

Odysseus eats lotus flowers that make him forget, per Common Sense Media; the BBFC describes a flower with narcotic properties.

Try tonight: another way home

Make a path of pillows to the couch, the "island." Halfway, lay a blanket across it as the "storm." Ask: "That way's blocked. What's another way home?" Let your child find a second route. In our program, this is the lesson "Plan B": if one way doesn't work, try another.

Why is The Odyssey rated R?

The MPA rated it R "for violence and some language." The UK's BBFC rates it 15 for strong violence, including stabbings, impalings, and creatures that dismember people.

What age is The Odyssey for?

It's R in the US (under 17 requires a parent or adult guardian) and 15 in the UK. Common Sense Media lists it for 15+.

Is The Odyssey rated R or PG-13?

R. The MPA's certificate 55909 lists it as "Rated R for violence and some language."

What is The Odyssey rated in Germany?

FSK 12 for the home entertainment release, with violence and injury as content descriptors.

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