The Ancient Lesson Christopher Nolan May Have Completely Stripped Out Of ‘The Odyssey’

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Forget “The Fugitive.” Ignore “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” At long last, in July of this year, “The Odyssey,” Homer’s epic poem that’s been delighting readers for thousands of years, will make its theatrical debut. And based on the new official trailer, it looks like it’ll go over about as well as it did when Odysseus blinded Poseidon’s son. 

I was initially excited about this film. I’ve read the poem more times than I can count. I once had a betta named Odysseus. I wanted the early critics, those who were upset about filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s casting decisions, to be wrong. Alas, it seems that they were correct, starting with the titular role. 

Matt Damon has his fans. He’s made some good films. Odysseus he is not. Then there’s his son, Telemachus, portrayed by Tom Holland. Holland has chops, but Telemachus he is not. Similarly, Robert Pattinson as Antinous is a “no” for me, dog. (Side note: Why are both Holland and Pattinson using their American accents? Historical accuracy of the story was always a silly reason to be upset, particularly given we’re talking a story involving a bevy of mythical beings, but an English accent is a bridge too far?)

Anne Hathaway as Penelope is a solid choice. Charlize Theron as Calypso is fine. Scarlett Johansson as Circe (if the rumors are true) also works. And maybe Tom Holland and Zendaya are some sort of package deal post-“Spider-Man,” but Athena is a stretch. While Zendaya has many wonderful qualities as an actor, she’s simply not a credible Athena. Theron or Johansson would have been better in that role. While Athena is beautiful and goddesses aren’t known for aging, Athena is also wise. We need a little more experience to bring that role to the big screen. 

This is not where the problems end, as it seems Nolan not only didn’t understand the characters when casting the film, but also fundamentally misunderstood the source material. Maybe the trailer is misleading. It wouldn’t be the first time the couple of minutes viewers see ahead of a film’s release advertise a different film. On the other hand, in the first promotional poster for “The Odyssey,” the tagline was “Defy the Gods.” 

Not to spoil the plot for anyone unfamiliar with the story, but “defy the gods” is completely antithetical to the story’s message. Similarly, the trailer presents a lot of action and fighting and big theatrical touches. And, yes, Odysseus did do some fighting. But as critic Ted Gioia has discussed, the magic of “The Odyssey” is that it was the first major story that wasn’t about war and fighting; it was about a man struggling to get home to his wife and son. 

It’s also about hubris, specifically Odysseus’. Our hero is brave and cunning. He is returning from war, but the battle he faces on his journey home is primarily with his less desirable impulses and his rather high opinion of himself. He is not out to defeat the gods; he’s out to get right with them. They will win. They’re the gods! Only through Athena’s protection and counsel and Odysseus’ maturation does he succeed in returning to Troy. 

The struggles Odysseus faces after the Trojan War arise from his own cravings and not-so-brilliant ideas. He must learn to set aside his pride and humble himself, learning to be gracious and helpful as he travels from land to land. He constantly borders on failure. When he’s warned of the Sirens, he has his men lash him to the mast so as to hear their dangerous song rather than plugging his ears. When Calypso holds him hostage for seven years, he veers dangerously close to getting a little too comfortable as her love slave.

Which is to say, Odysseus is a role model for all of us, even those of us who don’t go into battle armed with a sword and a bow or get trapped as a love slave. To build a solid life and home is to offer humility and generosity, to get right with God, to lead with service and love, and to move past our base desires. If we have to fight a Cyclops in the process, that’s just gravy, even if the one-eyed giant’s father gets a little out of hand, given the fact that his son ate a bunch of our friends and was preparing to eat us prior to our blinding him.

Does Nolan understand any of that? Again, the full film may prove to be awesome, but given everything we’ve seen so far, it seems he just wanted to make his “300″ or “Gladiator” and decided to retrofit Homer’s work instead of taking the time to come up with his own characters and basic plot. 

Which is a shame. “The Odyssey” is one of the great stories of Western culture. Its themes and messages transcend place and time. It’s appropriate for all ages. It’s also just totally awesome. We could’ve truly had a great summer blockbuster on our hands. Instead, we’ve got Matt Damon rolling across the seas with Zendaya, who at 29 is a little old for Matt, while Robert Pattinson seemingly reads his lines off of cue cards. 

In “The Odyssey,” Odysseus says, “Be strong, saith my heart; I am a soldier; I have seen worse sights than this.” When he spoke that, though, he wasn’t watching this abomination of a trailer. For the rest of us, at least we’ll always have “The Fugitive” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” which are actually bona fide, unlike Nolan’s apparent blasphemy.

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Rich Cromwell is a writer living in Northwest Arkansas. He produces the Cookin’ Up a Story podcast. Follow him on X @rcromwell4.