The release of Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated film, The Odyssey, has unleashed some strong opinions on the internet since its release on July 17.
While the film has already smashed its $250 million budget out of the park – grossing $912 million worldwide to-date – and is set to be the film of the summer, not all audience members have been impressed with Nolan’s action-packed adaptation of Homer’s 3,000-year-old epic.
Nolan’s The Odyssey receives backlash amidst critical acclaim
While Nolan initially received some scepticism back in December of 2024 when the film was first announced for his ability to pull off a successful Odyssey adaptation, he has since received praise from both critics and filmgoers.
Reviewers have called it “reinvigorating” and a “cinematic epic,” according to Rotten Tomatoes, but one translator remains unimpressed with Nolan’s three-hour-long film.
Emily Wilson released her translation of The Odyssey in 2017, becoming the first woman to publish a full-length translation of the text in English.
The translation received an overall positive reception by readers and classicists, particularly for Wilson’s original use of modern English to make the text more accessible.
This year alone, she has sold over one million copies of her translation as readers prepared for the release of Nolan’s film.
Unfortunately for Nolan, Wilson was not among those who sang his praises.
Her recent review of Nolan’s adaptation describes it as “lack[ing] psychological, emotional, and ethical depth,” which “features [Nolan’s] usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality.”
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‘I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script’
Wilson does not spare Nolan’s feelings throughout her 4234-word review.
The classicist contends that the Oscar-winning director sacrifices complexity for spectacle and grandiosity.
She describes how the film’s vision is “too confused” and – despite the star-studded cast led by Matt Damon – features characters who are “too underdeveloped.”
She particularly criticises Nolan’s writing of the film’s female characters who “[don’t] have much to say.”
Wilson clarifies in her review that she does not take umbrage at adaptations that depart from the original text.
Her criticism of Nolan’s “spectacle” and reinterpretation of the original text is that it fails to convey anything “convincing” about the central themes of the story nor motivation for the actions and words of the film’s characters.
She describes the writing as “abysmal” with a narrative structure that is “gimmicky.”
She does, however, throw Nolan a bone at the very end of her review – stating that despite her criticism, the film’s release is an “event to celebrate.”
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Nolan reminds audiences of what makes cinema great
While Wilson may remain doubtful of Nolan’s adaptation abilities, she does acknowledge one major success by the director: making people excited to go to the cinema again.
Around the world, movie theatres have seen sold-out showings of The Odyssey, particularly for those in IMAX.
The film is the first to ever be shot entirely on IMAX cameras.
Nolan’s previous film, Oppenheimer, received a similar hype surrounding its release in 2023 when the film was released on the same day as Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
The dual-release saw audience members participate in what became known as ‘Barbenheimer,’ which significantly drove up audience numbers in theatres.
Whether or not you felt that Nolan’s adaptation was a groundbreaking success or an embarrassing retelling of the Greek poem, the director’s ability to get audience members to see a film on the big screen is a win for film.
In an age of streaming, which makes the future of movie theatres uncertain, the reception of The Odyssey is a reminder that audience members have not forgotten their roots.
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