The Odyssey Has A Scene That Is Giving People Headaches And Could Trigger Epilepsy: ‘Some Of The Most Aggressive Screen Flashing I’ve Ever Seen’

The Odyssey is finally out and it is, in my opinion, a damn fine adaptation of the original Greek epic. However, if you or someone you know has light sensitivity or epilepsy, you might want to be prepared to shield your eyes or look away during a certain scene. Many early viewers are sharing warnings after having to shield their eyes. We won’t get into any major story spoilers, but we will talk about the moment in question starting…

…now.

About midway through The Odyssey, Odysseus (Matt Damon) and his soldiers stop their voyage to land on an island where they’re warned not to kill and eat the cattle. Shortly after this section of the film, there’s a scene where a lot of lightning strikes flash across the screen, and if you have any sensitivity to that, you might want to look away or cover your eyes during them. 

Without diving too much into specifics, when you hear the characters talking about the wind changing and begin to leave the island, be prepared for things to get bright and flashy. Admittedly, I didn’t clock this when I saw the movie last night, but the friend I was seeing The Odyssey with told me this morning that he had to look away at this scene, and it sounds like he’s not the only one.

this isn't a spoiler for the Odyssey but if you have epilepsy there's a scene in this film with some of the most aggressive screen flashing I've ever seen

it starts after you hear the line "the wind has dropped, this is our chance!"; lasts for 60-90 secs

you've been warned 🫡

— Milo (@MrRoflWaffles) July 16, 2026

“In that moment my eyes just couldn’t handle it,” a fan writes on X. “I was squinting the entire time. I still have a headache and I left the theater an hour ago.”

“I was honestly surprised there wasn’t a warning at the beginning of the movie,” another replied. “It was so intense.”

There are reports that some theaters have posted epilepsy warnings, but there definitely wasn’t one at the Alamo Drafthouse showing I went to last night. Hopefully as word spreads, more theaters add it to either signage outside the screening or as a PSA at the beginning of the movie.