"The Odyssey" Translator Emily Wilson Slams Christopher Nolan's Film as "Abysmal" – Is She Right?

Christopher Nolan’s“The Odyssey”is one of the biggest movies of the year. It has a star-studded cast, a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, and a global box office haul of over $650 million. But the one person who arguably knows the source material better than anyone is not impressed. Emily Wilson, the first woman to translate Homer’s epic poem into English, published a scathing review in the London Review of Books.

Wilson called the film’s writing“abysmal”and said she would be“ashamed to have written any part of this script.”She criticized the movie for lacking psychological, emotional, and ethical depth. She even took shots at the food scenes. This is especially awkward because Nolan previously praised Wilson’s translation as a key inspiration for his adaptation. So now we have a direct clash between a top scholar and a master filmmaker.

This raises a big question for fans. Does a movie adaptation need to stay true to the original text to be considered good? Or can Hollywood take creative liberties as long as the end result is entertaining? Wilson clearly thinks Nolan went too far. But with a $650 million box office, the audience seems to disagree. Who do you side with? The scholar or the director?