Professor Emily Wilson, a classicist whose 2017 translation of Homer's Odyssey was cited by director Christopher Nolan, has sharply criticized his film adaptation. Wilson described the script as "abysmal" and stated in a review for the London Review of Books, "I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script."
Wilson's critique, which also appeared in The Sunday Times, highlighted a perceived lack of psychological, emotional, political, and ethical depth in Nolan's work. She found the narrative structure "gimmicky" and the characters' motivations unconvincing. "Its narrative structure is gimmicky," she wrote. "None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words."
Among her more specific complaints, Wilson noted the absence of sex scenes and criticized the depiction of food, stating "all the food looks horrible." She argued that the Odyssey is fundamentally about themes of eating and a man's return to his marriage bed, elements she felt were underdeveloped in Nolan's film. Wilson specifically pointed to the episode with the sorceress Circe, lamenting that Odysseus does not engage in more intimate interactions. "Professor Wilson laments that Odysseus isn't enough of a 'flirt' and 'rarely seems to sleep or have sex,'" one report noted. "Referencing the section of the poem where Odysseus and his crew wander onto the island of the witch Circe, she complains that he does not stop to 'have sex with the goddess even for an hour, let alone a whole magical year'."
Despite these criticisms, Wilson approved of Nolan's decision to use modern language rather than archaic phrasing, a stylistic choice that had drawn criticism from other viewers. This approach mirrored Wilson's own controversial use of contemporary language in her translation, which aimed to make the ancient epic more accessible.
Nolan had previously referenced the opening lines of Wilson's translation, "Tell me about a complicated man," in early film promotion. While Wilson stated she was "humbled" by the reference, she felt Nolan did not fully grasp the themes of her work, observing that the film "features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality."
Nolan's adaptation has faced other criticisms, notably from commentators who objected to its "color-blind" casting, including the casting of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. However, experts like Dr. Stephan Blum, an archaeologist and Troy expert from the University of Tübingen, have suggested that modern adaptations can take creative liberties to resonate with contemporary audiences, emphasizing the importance of capturing the spirit of the stories over historical casting accuracy. "The nationality of the cast, in my view, is of little importance. What ultimately matters is whether the film captures the spirit, complexity, and enduring appeal of these extraordinary stories," Blum stated.