The first episode of Grok's AI-made Odyssey series is now on X, and the verdict from viewers who watched it on the platform itself has been swift and harsh. The Grok Imagine account posted the episode on Friday, October 23, presenting it as Episode 1 of an Odyssey series made with Grok Imagine, in creative collaboration with Wonder Studios and director Dev Walker.
The episode runs seven minutes and twelve seconds and was posted in 4K, according to TechCrunch, which reviewed the footage. It introduces Odysseus, his wife Penelope and their young son Telemachus, then turns to preparations for the Trojan War. Grok's own post invited viewers to ask for a full breakdown of how it was made, and Elon Musk shared the episode the following day.
That is a smaller thing than Musk originally promised. In July, he said Grok Imagine would make a full-length version of Homer's epic that was "historically accurate and true to the art of Homer" before the end of 2026. What has arrived so far is the opening chapter of a series, not a finished film, and no date for a full production has been announced. The episode also uses English dialogue, a point several viewers raised against the historical-accuracy pitch.
The reviews explain the reaction. TechCrunch's Anthony Ha wrote that while some shots looked convincing in isolation, the piece as a whole had no "artistry, inspiration, or human interest," calling the dialogue stilted and the overall effect "completely airless." Digital Trends wrote that "characters stare toward the horizon while the music insists something important is happening," and that moments that should carry weight move on before anyone gets to inhabit them. Other critics on X noted that Odysseus is difficult to distinguish from the other Greek figures around him.
The project began as an argument about another film. Musk criticized Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey over its casting, including Elliot Page as Sinon and Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy. Nolan's film, shot entirely on IMAX and released in July, is still showing in theaters and is reportedly approaching 1.8 billion dollars in global box office revenue. Nolan himself has largely stayed out of the dispute, though he recently compared AI to a Trojan horse made of glass, with everyone able to see what is going on inside it.
For X users, the episode is still a useful test of what Grok Imagine can and cannot do today. It shows that an AI video tool, working with a specialist studio and a credited director, can assemble a watchable seven-minute narrative with dialogue and sound. It also shows the current limits in plain view: continuity, performance and emotional weight are where viewers said the work fell short. xAI has not identified the model version used for the episode or disclosed what it cost to produce.
More episodes may improve on the first, and Grok has asked viewers what they want explained about the process. For now, Episode 1 is best read not as a rival to Nolan's film, but as a public progress report on AI filmmaking — posted, judged and argued over in exactly the place Grok lives: the timeline on X.