Sir Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, may have won rave reviews from critics and done storming business at the box office – but one person is definitely not happy.
Emily Wilson, the academic whose 2017 translation of Homer’s Odyssey was cited by the director as an influence on his adaptation of the poem, has written a scathing review of the movie.
Published in the London Review of Books, Wilson said she “would be ashamed to have written any of this script”, describing the film’s narrative structure as “gimmicky.”
“The writing is abysmal,” she said. “None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible.”
“It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth,” Wilson wrote, while also acknowledging that Sir Christopher’s work had sparked renewed interest in Homer’s classic.
“The release of The Odyssey is still an event to celebrate,” Wilson noted.
“This epic is bringing audiences back to cinemas… translations of Odyssey, including mine, are flying off the shelves… [and] perhaps the film will persuade a few college administrators not to cut their literature, language and history departments.
