Emily Wilson slams Christopher Nolan’s 'The Odyssey' script

Emily Wilson delivered a scathing review of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, saying the Oscar-winning filmmaker should be “ashamed” of the film’s script despite previously citing her acclaimed translation of Homer’s epic as an influence.

Writing for the London Review of Books, Wilson criticised the adaptation on multiple fronts, arguing that it fails to capture the qualities that made the original poem enduring.

“Nolan’s Odyssey lacks many of the elements that make the poem great,” Wilson 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.”

She continued, “It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal.”

Why Emily Wilson criticised Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey

Wilson argued that none of the characters have convincing motivations and joked that the film even failed in unexpected ways.

“There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible,” she wrote.

Although she admitted the film was “not boring,” Wilson credited that to Homer’s original story rather than Nolan’s filmmaking.

She also criticised the screenplay, saying, “Writing dialogue is not one of Nolan’s talents. The language is relentlessly expository, humourless, and flat.”

Addressing the debate over the film’s diverse cast, Wilson argued there was “nothing progressive” about the casting of actors such as Lupita Nyong’o and Zendaya, claiming their roles mainly served to support the white protagonist.

Nolan previously praised Wilson’s translation

Before the film’s release, Nolan told Empire that the opening line of Wilson’s 2017 translation — “Tell me about a complicated man” — played a major role in shaping his interest in adapting The Odyssey.

Wilson said she initially felt “humbled” by the praise.

However, after seeing the finished film, she changed her view.

“I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script,” she wrote, adding that Matt Damon’s version of Odysseus “isn’t complicated or wily or artful.”

Emily Wilson praises the film’s wider impact

Despite her criticism, Wilson acknowledged the film’s commercial success and welcomed its influence on audiences.

She said the blockbuster could encourage more people to read Homer’s epic and even inspire students to study literature and ancient Greek.

“The release of The Odyssey is still an event to celebrate,” Wilson wrote.

“In what we are told is the streaming era, this epic is bringing audiences back to cinemas.”

She added that translations of The Odyssey, including her own, are “flying off the shelves” and expressed hope the film might persuade universities to continue supporting literature, language and history programmes.