Emily Wilson, whose acclaimed translation helped shape Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, has delivered a brutal verdict on the director's screenplay, calling the writing 'abysmal' and saying she would be 'ashamed' to have contributed to it.
The University of Pennsylvania classics professor criticised the adaptation in an essay published on 27 July, arguing that Nolan's film fails to capture the psychological, political and moral complexity that has kept Homer's ancient poem relevant for centuries. Her response is particularly striking because the Oppenheimer director publicly cited Wilson's 2017 translation as an influence on his blockbuster.
Wilson Says Nolan's Characters Lack Depth
Wilson said the film had 'nothing convincing to say' about time, memory, history or the human consequences of war. She also described its narrative structure as 'gimmicky' and argued that its characters lacked believable reasons for their choices, leaving the story emotionally hollow despite its enormous scale.
'Nolan's Odyssey lacks many of the elements that make the poem great,' Wilson wrote. 'It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal.'
The translator said she had initially hoped Nolan's interest in Homeric themes would push him towards more complex characterisation. Instead, she concluded that the film combined 'grandiosity and superficiality', delivering spectacular explosions and giants without developing the ideas beneath them. Her most cutting judgement came at the end of her critique: 'I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script.'
Nolan Used Her Translation As A Guide
Wilson's 2017 version of The Odyssey became widely known for its direct, contemporary language and its opening description of Odysseus as 'a complicated man'. Her translation was later recognised as one of the notable books of 2018, while Wilson went on to publish an English translation of Homer's The Iliad in 2023.
Nolan said he used that opening line as a guide while constructing the film's version of Odysseus, played by Oscar winner Matt Damon. The director's adaptation also stars Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron.
That connection made Wilson's rejection of the finished film more consequential than an ordinary negative review. She is not only a scholar of the original text but the translator whose language Nolan acknowledged while shaping his central character.
Criticism Clashes With Box-Office Success
Despite her criticism, Wilson acknowledged that the film's release had renewed public interest in Homer and classical literature. She said translations of The Odyssey, including her own, were selling strongly and expressed hope that the blockbuster could encourage universities to protect literature, language and history departments. The renewed attention has also introduced Homer's work to younger audiences who may not have encountered the ancient epic in school or at university.
'The release of The Odyssey is still an event to celebrate,' Wilson said. She added that the epic was bringing audiences back to cinemas and could persuade more people to engage with ancient literature. Wilson suggested that even an adaptation she considered flawed could still create opportunities for readers to explore the original poem and compare its themes with Nolan's interpretation.
Moviegoers have also responded more positively than Wilson. The Odyssey, which opened on 17 July 2026, received an A CinemaScore and earned approximately £70 million ($90 million) during its second weekend in North America. Its worldwide box office had passed £510 million ($652 million) by 26 July, demonstrating that the criticism had arrived amid substantial commercial momentum for Nolan's latest spectacle.
