Jul 28, 2026 11:20am IST
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Slammed By Emily Wilson: ‘I Would Be Ashamed To Have Written Any Part of This’
Christopher Nolan's blockbuster adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey" has drawn sharp criticism from Emily Wilson, the acclaimed classicist and translator whose groundbreaking 2017 English translation of the ancient Greek epic influenced the filmmaker's take on the story.
In an essay published in the London Review of Books, Wilson offered a scathing assessment of Nolan's screenplay, arguing that the film fails to capture the emotional and literary depth of Homer's original work despite its widespread commercial success.
"I would be ashamed to have written any part of this," Wilson wrote of Nolan's screenplay, later describing the writing as "abysmal."
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Wilson's translation was widely regarded as a key reference point during the development of the film, with Nolan previously acknowledging her work as an influence on his adaptation. However, the translator questioned the filmmaker's interpretation of the text, arguing that the adaptation strips away much of the complexity that has made the epic endure for nearly three millennia.
Among her criticisms, Wilson wrote that the film lacks the "emotional, psychological, political and ethical depth" that defines Homer's poem. She argued that the adaptation reduces the epic's rich exploration of war, grief, identity, family and homecoming into a more conventional spectacle, leaving many of its central ideas underdeveloped.
Wilson also took issue with the portrayal of Odysseus, played by Matt Damon, suggesting that the legendary Greek hero emerges as a far less nuanced figure than his literary counterpart.
Despite her criticism, Wilson acknowledged the film's positive cultural impact. She said the blockbuster has introduced Homer's work to a wider audience and sparked renewed interest in Greek literature, with readers increasingly turning to translations of "The Odyssey," including her own.
"It's wonderful that people are reading Homer," Wilson wrote, adding that the film's popularity could ultimately help sustain broader interest in classical literature and the humanities.
Released earlier this month, Nolan's "The Odyssey" has become one of the year's biggest box office successes while generating extensive debate over its interpretation of one of the foundational works of Western literature. Wilson's comments now add one of the most prominent scholarly voices to the conversation surrounding the filmmaker's ambitious adaptation.
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