Critic Gives Nolan's 'The Odyssey' 6/10, Faulting Subversive Take on Homer
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 17
Critic Gives Nolan's 'The Odyssey' 6/10, Faulting Subversive Take on Homer
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 17
Summary
A published review rated Christopher Nolan’s newly released “The Odyssey” 6/10, calling it a disjointed, inauthentic adaptation that fails to honor Homer’s epic.
The critic argued Nolan recast Odysseus as a reckless, diminished leader and inserted major departures from the source, including altered roles for Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Athena and Sinon.
Casting and dialogue drew much of the backlash: the review said race-swapped characters, Elliot Page’s male warrior role and modern English lines undercut the film’s ancient Greek setting.
The 3-hour film was also criticized for frantic pacing, weak fight scenes, rough sound mixing and an underwhelming score that often drowned out dialogue.
Still, the review praised practical effects and several set pieces—notably the Cyclops, sirens, Circe and Hades—even as it judged the film one of Nolan’s weaker works.