Emily Wilson, the award-winning classicist whose acclaimed 2017 English translation of Homer’s Odyssey has become one of the most influential modern editions of the epic, has sharply criticized Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation, arguing that it fails to capture the poem’s emotional and intellectual depth.
Writing in the London Review of Books, Wilson said she had hoped Nolan’s engagement with The Odyssey would produce “a more mature and substantial work.” Instead, she described the film as combining “grandeur and superficiality,” with an ambitious visual style but underdeveloped characters and an unfocused creative vision.
Wilson argued that the adaptation omits many of the qualities that have made Homer’s epic endure for nearly three millennia. According to her, the film has “nothing convincing to say” about themes central to the original poem, including time, memory, history, war, and the consequences of a hero’s return for those left behind.
She also criticized the screenplay for lacking psychological, emotional, political, and moral depth. The film’s narrative structure, she wrote, feels overly contrived, while its characters often lack convincing motivations. In one of the review’s lighter observations, Wilson quipped that “there are no sex scenes and all the food looks terrible.”
Embarrassed to have written any part of its screenplay
Wilson noted that Nolan had previously praised the opening line of her translation—”Tell me about a complicated man”—during the film’s promotion. Reflecting on the adaptation, she remarked that she “would be embarrassed” to have written any part of its screenplay.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Wilson reiterated that the film failed to move her emotionally. Unlike Homer’s epic, she said, the movie’s characters lack the complexity needed for audiences to become invested in their journeys.
Despite her criticism, Wilson welcomed the renewed public interest in ancient Greek literature generated by the film. She said the release of The Odyssey should be celebrated as a cultural event that is encouraging audiences to return to movie theaters while driving demand for modern translations of Homer’s epic.
Wilson also expressed hope that the film’s popularity could benefit the humanities more broadly by strengthening support for university programs in literature, languages, and history at a time when many face budget pressures.
“Christopher Nolan is doing what he can to bring people back to reading,” she said. “For that, I am grateful.”
Related: The Odyssey Effect: Nolan’s Movie Fuels UK Interest in the Greek Language
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