Emily Wilson Slams Nolan’s Odyssey Script as Abysmal

Emily Wilson, the acclaimed translator whose 2017 English version of Homer’s The Odyssey influenced Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of the ancient epic, has delivered a scathing assessment of the filmmaker’s blockbuster, describing its screenplay as “abysmal” and saying she would be “ashamed” to have written it.

According to Variety magazine, Wilson criticised Nolan’s film in a review published by the London Review of Books, arguing that the adaptation fails to capture the depth and complexity that have made Homer’s epic endure for nearly three millennia.

Wilson, a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote:

“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. But ‘The Odyssey’ features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality … 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.”

She continued with an even stronger critique:

“Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ lacks many of the elements that make the poem great. 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 neighbors. 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. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible.”

Wilson’s comments are particularly notable because Nolan publicly praised her acclaimed translation during the film’s promotional campaign. Speaking to Empire magazine before the release, the Oscar-winning director said he drew inspiration from Wilson’s opening line — “Tell me about a complicated man” — as a guiding principle for Matt Damon’s portrayal of Odysseus.

Despite that acknowledgement, Wilson concluded her review with one of her harshest remarks:

“I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script.”

Wilson has previously expressed reservations about Nolan’s interpretation of Homer’s epic. In an interview with The Sunday Times, however, she welcomed the renewed public interest the film has generated in classical literature.

“The release of ‘The Odyssey’ is still an event to celebrate,” Wilson said. “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.”

While Wilson has strongly criticised the film, audiences have responded far more positively. The Odyssey received an “A” CinemaScore during its opening weekend and has become one of the year’s biggest box office successes, earning US$90 million in its second weekend in North America alone.

Nolan’s adaptation is currently screening in cinemas worldwide.

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