Emily Wilson Calls Christopher Nolan’s *The Odyssey* Visually Stunning but Emotionally Empty

Classicist Emily Wilson, whose 2017 English translation of Homer’s *Odyssey* was cited by Christopher Nolan as a key influence, published a second op-ed in *The Atlantic* in which she reiterates that the director’s blockbuster adaptation is “emotionally empty.” Wilson argues that the film’s focus on the logistics of the Trojan Horse and other set pieces undermines its stated moral concerns about hospitality, deception and compassion.

The Wrap

Wilson’s 2017 translation was the first complete English version of the epic by a woman and has been praised for its accessibility. —shaped his portrayal of Odysseus. The film, released last month, stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Zendaya as Athena, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Robert Pattinson as Antinous and Himesh Patel as Eurylochus. It dramatizes Odysseus’s return to Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War, with the Trojan Horse serving as the narrative climax.

The Independent

Despite Wilson’s criticism, the movie earned a reported $405 million domestically and $922 million worldwide through three weeks of release, making it one of the year’s biggest blockbusters. Audience polling gave the film an “A” CinemaScore during its opening weekend, indicating strong viewer approval.

Variety Magazine

Christopher Nolan addressed the broader debate over film criticism in a recent interview, noting that “the criticism that’s often leveled at movies in general is, ‘Oh the character has to be made sympathetic, so the character is manipulated in different ways or changed in different ways.’ And that’s a fundamental flaw of film criticism in a way.” He has not directly replied to Wilson’s latest op-ed, but his earlier remarks suggest a view that identifying cinematic mechanisms does not invalidate a work’s artistic intent.

Daily Beast

• “I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script.” — London Review, of Books in

Variety Magazine

• “The horse is presented as the ultimate violation of the law of Zeus, because it entails wielding a weapon of mass destruction disguised as a gift,” — Emily Wilson, homeric scholar

The Wrap

• “What matters cinematically are the logistics: the rolling of the horse uphill and the claustrophobic, waterlogged interior,” — Emily Wilson, homeric scholar

The Wrap

• “In these times of hatred and misinformation, we need more than the ‘apparent magic’ of deceptive images,” — Emily Wilson, homeric scholar

The Wrap

• “The criticism that’s often leveled at movies in general is, ‘Oh the character has to be made sympathetic, so the character is manipulated in different ways or changed in different ways.’ And that’s a fundamental flaw of film criticism in a way,” — Christopher Nolan, director

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