Sir Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, has been a commercial and critical triumph, drawing audiences back to cinemas and sparking renewed interest in Homer’s classic. Yet one voice remains unchartered: Emily Wilson, the scholar whose 2017 translation of the epic was cited by Nolan as an influence.
In the London Review of Books, Wilson delivers a brutally negative assessment. "I would be ashamed to have written any of this script," she writes, labeling the narrative structure “gimmicky” and the characters devoid of convincing motivation. She dismisses the film as lacking "psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth" and finds even the food portrayed unspeakable.
Despite Wilson’s harsh words, film critics nationwide praise the movie. The Telegraph called it the “film of the year,” Metro proclaimed it would "change cinema forever," and The Times described it as a masterpiece. The film boasts an ensemble cast featuring Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong’o.
Wilson concedes that Nolan’s ambition brings audiences to the big screen and that her translation has seen renewed sales. However, she argues the film falls short of fully realizing its potential: "It features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality… the vision is too confused, its characters too underdeveloped, to deliver what it half-promises in terms of big ideas." She suggests Nolan could have taken advantage of his affinity with Homeric themes to craft more believable characters.
Although disappointed, Wilson notes her teenagers enjoyed the spectacle, describing it as a “family‑friendly audiovisual spectacle” akin to a Fourth of July fireworks display but "with about the same level of narrative and emotional depth". She also acknowledges the film’s inclusion of more female characters than most Nolan movies, although none communicate as richly as in the original poem.
Nolan himself referenced Wilson’s translation during his press tour, citing the opening line, "Tell me about a complicated man," as guidance for his rendition of Odysseus played by Matt Damon.
