Emily Wilson, the acclaimed translator whose rendering of “The Odyssey” Christopher Nolan cited as inspiration for his film adaptation, has published a scathing takedown of the movie in the London Review of Books, calling its screenplay “abysmal” and writing that she would be embarrassed to have any authorship claim over it. Her review went viral almost immediately, and the publication’s website briefly crashed Monday under traffic.
Wilson’s translation is widely considered one of the most accessible modern versions of Homer’s epic, and Nolan has repeatedly praised her opening line, “Tell me about a complicated man,” as a touchstone for how he approached his protagonist, played by Matt Damon. In her review, Wilson noted the irony of that praise before delivering her verdict, arguing the film pairs the grandiosity typical of Nolan’s work with a shallowness that undercuts it.
She wrote that the story lacks psychological and emotional depth, offers no convincing sense of time, memory or the costs of war, and leans on a narrative structure she dismissed as gimmicky. She also faulted the absence of intimacy and sensuality in the film, noting dryly that even its food looked unappetizing.
Despite her criticism, Wilson stopped short of dismissing the film’s cultural value. She acknowledged that Odyssey translations, hers included, have seen a sales surge since the film’s release, and expressed hope that its popularity might discourage universities from cutting classics and literature programs. She credited Nolan with reigniting public interest in reading, calling the film’s release something worth celebrating even as she panned its script.
Wilson’s take stands apart from the broader critical response. “The Odyssey” holds a 94 percent approval score among critics and 97 percent from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and it continues to dominate at the box office, topping $650 million worldwide after two weekends and outperforming studio estimates by more than $12 million on its second Sunday alone. Wilson, who has faced her own share of criticism from purists over her choice to render Homer’s Greek in plainer modern language, is no stranger to polarized reactions over interpretations of the ancient text.
