{"id":2066299,"date":"2026-07-28T14:56:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T11:56:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2066299"},"modified":"2026-07-28T14:56:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T11:56:32","slug":"classics-professor-condemns-the-odyssey-it-has-nothing-convincing-to-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2066299","title":{"rendered":"Classics professor condemns \u2018The Odyssey\u2019: \u201cIt has nothing convincing to say\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/The-Odyssey.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2749694\" class=\"post-2749694 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>News<\/span><span>Film News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Classics professor condemns \u2018The Odyssey\u2019: \u201cIt has nothing convincing to say\u201d<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Emily Wilson, who wrote a celebrated translation of Homer&#8217;s poem, said she would be \u201cashamed\u201d to have written any part of Christopher Nolan\u2019s script<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Max Pilley<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-07-28T15:56:32+01:00\">28th July 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span8\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/The-Odyssey-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"The Odyssey review\" title=\"The Odyssey\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Matt Damon in &#8216;The Odyssey&#8217;. CREDIT: Universal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_83 article-content-row vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>A leading classics professor has slated Christopher Nolan\u2019s\u00a0<i>The Odyssey<\/i>, arguing it lacks \u201cpsychological, emotional, political and ethical depth\u201d.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1239\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b>READ MORE:\u00a0<\/b><b>\u2018The Odyssey\u2019 review: cinema may have peaked with Christopher Nolan\u2019s blockbuster epic<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Emily Wilson, a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, published an acclaimed English translation of Homer\u2019s epic poem in 2017 that Nolan has cited as an influence on his adaptation, particularly its opening line: \u201cTell me about a complicated man.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>However, in a scathing new review for the\u00a0<i>London Review Of Books<\/i>, Wilson said the filmmaker had failed to capture the complexity of Homer\u2019s characters and ideas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had hoped that Nolan\u2019s affinity with these Homeric themes might push him to new creative heights, and enable him to conjure more believable characters,\u201d she wrote. \u201cBut <i>The Odyssey<\/i>\u00a0features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She continued: \u201cThe film\u2019s vision is too confused, its characters too underdeveloped, to deliver what\u00a0it\u00a0half-promises in terms of big ideas \u2013 although it is very good at conveying big bangs and big giants.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Odyssey | Official New Trailer\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f_bKjZeJBBI?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Wilson went on to argue that the film had failed to meaningfully explore many of the central ideas found in Homer\u2019s poem.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cNolan\u2019s\u00a0<i>Odyssey<\/i>\u00a0lacks many of the elements that make the poem great,\u201d she wrote. \u201cIt has nothing convincing to say about time, memory, history, war, or about the relationship between one warrior\u2019s glorious return and the lives of his family, adversaries, comrades, friends and\u00a0neighbours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt lacks psychological, emotional,\u00a0political\u00a0and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal. None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She concluded the passage: \u201cThere are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wilson was similarly unimpressed by\u00a0Matt Damon\u2019s portrayal of Odysseus, questioning whether the film gave audiences sufficient reason to invest in his decade-long journey home to Ithaca.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t land emotionally for me at all,\u201d she told\u00a0<i>The Sunday Times<\/i>. \u201cWhich I think is partly about the fact that, unlike Homer, it\u2019s not very well written.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe characters\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have the kind of depth the Homeric characters have. I felt, \u2018Do I really care if this guy gets back to his wife?\u2019 You\u00a0haven\u2019t\u00a0given me any reason to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite her criticisms, she acknowledged that the film\u2019s release had prompted renewed interest in Homer and the study of classical literature.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe release of\u00a0<i>The Odyssey<\/i>\u00a0is still an event to celebrate,\u201d she said. \u201cThis epic is bringing audiences back to cinemas [and] translations of\u00a0<i>Odyssey<\/i>, including mine, are flying off the shelves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNolan is doing his best to get the general public reading again,\u201d she concluded. \u201cAnd I am grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Matt Damon went all the way to Australia to see Oasis\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FYdqYQNNh7I?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Wilson\u2019s assessment stands in stark contrast to the\u00a0predominantly enthusiastic\u00a0critical response to the film.<\/p>\n<p>In a five-star review,\u00a0<i>NME<\/i>\u00a0said that \u201ccinema may have peaked\u201d with Nolan\u2019s epic and concluded: \u201cIt\u2019s hard to see how cinema can get much bigger than this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The film also became\u00a0the biggest live-action release of 2026 following its opening weekend, during which it earned $264million (\u00a3196million) worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>Its release has additionally prompted\u00a0a reported 550 per cent rise in online searches for people looking to learn Greek. Sales of Homer\u2019s original poem are also said to have risen by 70 per cent compared with last year.<\/p>\n<p>Elon Musk, meanwhile, has repeatedly\u00a0criticised\u00a0the film\u2019s casting and claimed that his Grok AI tool will\u00a0create a \u201chistorically accurate\u201d version of the story before the end of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The owners of a replica Viking warship used during filming have also claimed that\u00a0Universal has yet to reimburse them for damage sustained during the production. The studio has disputed the allegation and said that all relevant invoices were paid in full.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Christopher Nolan<\/li>\n<li>Matt Damon<\/li>\n<li>The Odyssey<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_89 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span4 td-is-sticky\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-sidebar  tdi_92 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_93 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 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class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Viral New Zealand metal gig ruined by \u201cmess of shit, just completely spread all in the mosh pit\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>A leading classics professor has slated Christopher Nolan\u2019s\u00a0<i>The Odyssey<\/i>, arguing it lacks \u201cpsychological, emotional, political and ethical depth\u201d.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1239\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b>READ MORE:\u00a0<\/b><b>\u2018The Odyssey\u2019 review: cinema may have peaked with Christopher Nolan\u2019s blockbuster epic<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Emily Wilson, a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, published an acclaimed English translation of Homer\u2019s epic poem in 2017 that Nolan has cited as an influence on his adaptation, particularly its opening line: \u201cTell me about a complicated man.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>However, in a scathing new review for the\u00a0<i>London Review Of Books<\/i>, Wilson said the filmmaker had failed to capture the complexity of Homer\u2019s characters and ideas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had hoped that Nolan\u2019s affinity with these Homeric themes might push him to new creative heights, and enable him to conjure more believable characters,\u201d she wrote. \u201cBut <i>The Odyssey<\/i>\u00a0features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She continued: \u201cThe film\u2019s vision is too confused, its characters too underdeveloped, to deliver what\u00a0it\u00a0half-promises in terms of big ideas \u2013 although it is very good at conveying big bangs and big giants.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Odyssey | Official New Trailer\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f_bKjZeJBBI?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Wilson went on to argue that the film had failed to meaningfully explore many of the central ideas found in Homer\u2019s poem.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cNolan\u2019s\u00a0<i>Odyssey<\/i>\u00a0lacks many of the elements that make the poem great,\u201d she wrote. \u201cIt has nothing convincing to say about time, memory, history, war, or about the relationship between one warrior\u2019s glorious return and the lives of his family, adversaries, comrades, friends and\u00a0neighbours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt lacks psychological, emotional,\u00a0political\u00a0and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal. None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She concluded the passage: \u201cThere are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wilson was similarly unimpressed by\u00a0Matt Damon\u2019s portrayal of Odysseus, questioning whether the film gave audiences sufficient reason to invest in his decade-long journey home to Ithaca.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t land emotionally for me at all,\u201d she told\u00a0<i>The Sunday Times<\/i>. \u201cWhich I think is partly about the fact that, unlike Homer, it\u2019s not very well written.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe characters\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have the kind of depth the Homeric characters have. I felt, \u2018Do I really care if this guy gets back to his wife?\u2019 You\u00a0haven\u2019t\u00a0given me any reason to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite her criticisms, she acknowledged that the film\u2019s release had prompted renewed interest in Homer and the study of classical literature.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe release of\u00a0<i>The Odyssey<\/i>\u00a0is still an event to celebrate,\u201d she said. \u201cThis epic is bringing audiences back to cinemas [and] translations of\u00a0<i>Odyssey<\/i>, including mine, are flying off the shelves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNolan is doing his best to get the general public reading again,\u201d she concluded. \u201cAnd I am grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Matt Damon went all the way to Australia to see Oasis\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FYdqYQNNh7I?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Wilson\u2019s assessment stands in stark contrast to the\u00a0predominantly enthusiastic\u00a0critical response to the film.<\/p>\n<p>In a five-star review,\u00a0<i>NME<\/i>\u00a0said that \u201ccinema may have peaked\u201d with Nolan\u2019s epic and concluded: \u201cIt\u2019s hard to see how cinema can get much bigger than this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The film also became\u00a0the biggest live-action release of 2026 following its opening weekend, during which it earned $264million (\u00a3196million) worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>Its release has additionally prompted\u00a0a reported 550 per cent rise in online searches for people looking to learn Greek. Sales of Homer\u2019s original poem are also said to have risen by 70 per cent compared with last year.<\/p>\n<p>Elon Musk, meanwhile, has repeatedly\u00a0criticised\u00a0the film\u2019s casting and claimed that his Grok AI tool will\u00a0create a \u201chistorically accurate\u201d version of the story before the end of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The owners of a replica Viking warship used during filming have also claimed that\u00a0Universal has yet to reimburse them for damage sustained during the production. The studio has disputed the allegation and said that all relevant invoices were paid in full.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/film\/classics-professor-condemns-the-odyssey-it-has-nothing-convincing-to-say-3959482&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/The-Odyssey.jpg&#8221;] NewsFilm News Classics professor condemns \u2018The Odyssey\u2019: \u201cIt has nothing convincing to say\u201d Emily Wilson, who wrote a celebrated translation of Homer&#8217;s poem, said she would be \u201cashamed\u201d to have written any part of Christopher Nolan\u2019s script By Max Pilley 28th July 2026 Matt Damon in &#8216;The Odyssey&#8217;. CREDIT: Universal A leading [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2066299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2066299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066299\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2066299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2066299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2066299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}