Classicist Rips Into Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey, Calls It ‘Gimmicky’ And ‘Abysmal’

Key Points:

• Classicist Emily Wilson, the first woman to publish a complete English translation of "The Odyssey," criticized Christopher Nolan's film adaptation for its "gimmicky" narrative, poor writing, unconvincing character motivations, and lack of key elements like sex scenes and appealing food visuals.
• Wilson acknowledged Nolan's inspiration from her translation but felt the film lacked restraint, with an overstuffed visual spectacle that overshadowed the storyline, describing it as "jam-packed with incident, lights and noise" without human scale.
• She criticized the film's race-neutral casting as not progressive, noting that non-white actors were relegated to supporting roles aiding the white protagonist, and that female characters were less emphasized than in Homer's original poem.
• Wilson agreed with Nolan's choice to use contemporary American speech to convey emotional meaning, pointing out that Homeric Greek was primarily a written language, but found the film's dialogue "humourless and flat."
• Despite her critiques, Wilson praised the film for reigniting public interest in "The Odyssey," leading to significant increases in book sales and audiobook streams, and credited Nolan with encouraging people to return to theaters and engage with classic literature.