\n<\/p>\n
According to Variety<\/em> magazine, Wilson criticised Nolan\u2019s film in a review published by the London Review of Books<\/em>, arguing that the adaptation fails to capture the depth and complexity that have made Homer\u2019s epic endure for nearly three millennia.<\/p>\n Wilson, a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote:<\/p>\n \u201cI had hoped that Nolan\u2019s affinity with these Homeric themes might push him to new creative heights, and enable him to conjure more believable characters. But \u2018The Odyssey\u2019 features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality \u2026 the film\u2019s vision is too confused, its characters too underdeveloped, to deliver what it half-promises in terms of big ideas \u2013 although it is very good at conveying big bangs and big giants.\u201d<\/p>\n She continued with an even stronger critique:<\/p>\n \u201cNolan\u2019s \u2018Odyssey\u2019 lacks many of the elements that make the poem great. It has nothing convincing to say about time, memory, history, war, or about the relationship between one warrior\u2019s glorious return and the lives of his family, adversaries, comrades, friends and neighbors. It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative structure is gimmicky. The writing is abysmal. None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words. There are no sex scenes, and all the food looks horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson\u2019s comments are particularly notable because Nolan publicly praised her acclaimed translation during the film\u2019s promotional campaign. Speaking to Empire<\/em> magazine before the release, the Oscar-winning director said he drew inspiration from Wilson\u2019s opening line \u2014 \u201cTell me about a complicated man\u201d \u2014 as a guiding principle for Matt Damon\u2019s portrayal of Odysseus.<\/p>\n Despite that acknowledgement, Wilson concluded her review with one of her harshest remarks:<\/p>\n \u201cI would be ashamed to have written any part of this script.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson has previously expressed reservations about Nolan\u2019s interpretation of Homer\u2019s epic. In an interview with The Sunday Times<\/em>, however, she welcomed the renewed public interest the film has generated in classical literature.<\/p>\n \u201cThe release of \u2018The Odyssey\u2019 is still an event to celebrate,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cThis epic is bringing audiences back to cinemas \u2026 translations of \u2018Odyssey,\u2019 including mine, are flying off the shelves \u2026 [and] perhaps the film will persuade a few college administrators not to cut their literature, language and history departments.\u201d<\/p>\n While Wilson has strongly criticised the film, audiences have responded far more positively. The Odyssey<\/em> received an \u201cA\u201d CinemaScore during its opening weekend and has become one of the year\u2019s biggest box office successes, earning US$90 million in its second weekend in North America alone.<\/p>\n Nolan\u2019s adaptation is currently screening in cinemas worldwide.<\/p>\n