A leading classics professor has slated Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, arguing it lacks “psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth”.
Emily Wilson, a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, published an acclaimed English translation of Homer’s epic poem in 2017 that Nolan has cited as an influence on his adaptation, particularly its opening line: “Tell me about a complicated man.”
However, in a scathing new review for the London Review Of Books, Wilson said the filmmaker had failed to capture the complexity of Homer’s characters and ideas.
“I had hoped that Nolan’s affinity with these Homeric themes might push him to new creative heights, and enable him to conjure more believable characters,” she wrote. “But The Odyssey features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality.”
She continued: “The film’s vision is too confused, its characters too underdeveloped, to deliver what it half-promises in terms of big ideas – although it is very good at conveying big bangs and big giants.”
Wilson went on to argue that the film had failed to meaningfully explore many of the central ideas found in Homer’s poem.
“Nolan’s Odyssey lacks many of the elements that make the poem great,” she wrote. “It has nothing convincing to say about time, memory, history, war, or about the relationship between one warrior’s glorious return and the lives of his family, adversaries, comrades, friends and neighbours.”
“It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal. None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words.”
She concluded the passage: “There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible.”
Wilson was similarly unimpressed by Matt Damon’s portrayal of Odysseus, questioning whether the film gave audiences sufficient reason to invest in his decade-long journey home to Ithaca.
“It didn’t land emotionally for me at all,” she told The Sunday Times. “Which I think is partly about the fact that, unlike Homer, it’s not very well written.”
“The characters don’t have the kind of depth the Homeric characters have. I felt, ‘Do I really care if this guy gets back to his wife?’ You haven’t given me any reason to.”
Despite her criticisms, she acknowledged that the film’s release had prompted renewed interest in Homer and the study of classical literature.
“The release of The Odyssey is still an event to celebrate,” she said. “This epic is bringing audiences back to cinemas [and] translations of Odyssey, including mine, are flying off the shelves.”
“Nolan is doing his best to get the general public reading again,” she concluded. “And I am grateful.”
Wilson’s assessment stands in stark contrast to the predominantly enthusiastic critical response to the film.
In a five-star review, NME said that “cinema may have peaked” with Nolan’s epic and concluded: “It’s hard to see how cinema can get much bigger than this.”
The film also became the biggest live-action release of 2026 following its opening weekend, during which it earned $264million (£196million) worldwide.
Its release has additionally prompted a reported 550 per cent rise in online searches for people looking to learn Greek. Sales of Homer’s original poem are also said to have risen by 70 per cent compared with last year.
Elon Musk, meanwhile, has repeatedly criticised the film’s casting and claimed that his Grok AI tool will create a “historically accurate” version of the story before the end of 2026.
The owners of a replica Viking warship used during filming have also claimed that Universal 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.
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