Emily Wilson, the academic whose 2017 translation of Homer's Odyssey was cited by director Sir Christopher Nolan as an influence on his adaptation, has written a scathing review of the new film. While Wilson acknowledged that the director’s work has successfully sparked renewed interest in the classic poem, she was left largely disappointed by the three-hour epic.
"The writing is abysmal," Wilson stated. "None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible." She further argued that the film lacks psychological, emotional, political, and ethical depth.
Wilson noted that she had hoped Nolan’s affinity with Homeric themes would push him to new creative heights and enable him to conjure more believable characters.
Instead, she wrote, the film features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality, with a vision that is too confused and characters that are too underdeveloped to deliver on its big ideas, even if it is very good at conveying big bangs and big giants.
Despite her critique, Wilson expressed gratitude for the director's efforts to get the general public reading again. "The release of The Odyssey is still an event to celebrate," she noted, adding that the epic is bringing audiences back to cinemas, her own translations are flying off the shelves, and perhaps the film will persuade college administrators not to cut their literature, language, and history departments.
She also mentioned that her teenagers had a good time seeing the blockbuster, describing it as a "family-friendly audiovisual spectacle, like an elaborate Fourth of July fireworks display – and with about the same level of narrative and emotional depth."
Wilson also addressed the portrayal of women in the film, noting that while there are more female characters than in most Nolan movies due to the source material, none of them have much to say in contrast to the characterizations found in the poem.
During his press tour, Sir Christopher told Empire magazine that he used the opening line of Wilson’s translation, "Tell me about a complicated man," as a guide for his version of Odysseus, played by Matt Damon.
The film, which is Sir Christopher’s first since the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, follows Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, on his journey home from the Trojan War to rescue his wife, Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway, and their son, Telemachus, played by Tom Holland. The cast also includes Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and Lupita Nyong'o.
While Wilson was critical, other reviewers have been more positive; The Telegraph declared it the "film of the year," Metro claimed it would "change cinema forever," The Times described it as "a masterpiece in every way," and the Standard praised it as a "colossal piece of cinema."
It is the director's first movie since 2023's Oppenheimer, which won the Academy Award for best picture.
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