As someone who has written more than a few books on Greek mythology, it wasn’t a surprise when people asked me what I thought about the recent Christopher Nolan movie based on ‘The Odyssey.’

I want to offer something quick for you to read, in case you haven’t seen it yet. There’s a longer Moon Books video coming out with a bit more detail and background.

[FYI: This will include slight spoilers for the movie, content but the poem has been out for many years, so if you don’t know the story of Odysseus, then this might have other spoilers for you.]

What I Liked:

I enjoyed the immersive-ness of the movie, including the sound and the imagery. It felt like I was in the battles and locations, and that was important for me. Greek mythology isn’t simple or calm. These stories are filled with loud and bloody conflicts, and I didn’t want that to be simplified or watered down.

Personally, I enjoy Nolan’s filmmaking, and this was most effective in the scenes with the Polyphemus/Cyclops, Circe, Laestrygones, war flashbacks, Charybdis, Scylla, and the Sirens. I think he did well with creating a storyline that worked for a modern audience, and to keep things interesting from start to finish.

My favourite scenes were the Cyclops, Circe, and the Sirens, as well as how the film brought in the final messages about war and its impact. (I won’t say more than that.)

What I Didn’t Like:

Though it was completely understandable, I didn’t like the way Calypso’s scenes were constructed from multiple storylines and details in the original poem. It felt forced and clunky, but when you have such a long text, you have to compress things.

The beginning exposition was also necessary but felt a little too long for my liking. However, I know the backstory, so that might have just been my own personal reaction.

About the Critiques:

When the movie came out, I was expecting a few of the critiques, so let’s go through a few of them and I’ll share my thoughts.

Where is Athena?

Many people were disappointed that Athena wasn’t a large role in the movie, which is fair because her participation the story is significant. What I would offer is that the way her energy and face is brought into the overall arc of the story made her lack of screen time less worrisome for me.

Why weren’t the gods in the movie more?

Likely because of the circles I participate in, people wanted to have more deities in the movie. I was surprised that Hermes and Poseidon didn’t make it in more, but I also know you must make decisions when it comes to a modern audience’s attention span.

What I would also offer is that I’m not sure I wanted to have Nolan’s take on the gods, as I have been disappointed in the past when deities are written by those who don’t work with them spiritually.

What about the language? The accents?

I knew this was going to be a bit point of contention as the trailer came out. I say this a lot, so bear with me, but ancient Greece is NOT a monolith. There were many languages, dialects, and groups of people. To choose one dialect/accent would be to not choose another. When you are trying to entertain a modern audience, it makes sense to choose what the writers were familiar with.

I would also note that I’m not sure the movie would be as widely attended if it were in ancient Greek. I imagine there would have been think pieces on how using an archaic language was off-putting for modern filmgoers.

What about Greek actor representation?

I agree there could/should have been more Greek actors. My guess is that choosing the actors was based on talent, presence, chemistry, and popularity. If you’re going to make a movie that cost as much as this one did to make, you need to have actors that people will pay to see.

Why were the women given less screen time?

This is a tricky part of this film because, given the story Nolan told, I think the script worked as intended. Do I want to have more women on screen? Absolutely. Could he have done more with the script to bring in more women? Yes.

And…this movie is focussing on Odysseus. The poem does too.

Final Thoughts

I’m excited for what this movie is going to inspire in the future. I think we’ll see more attention on Greek mythology and deities with the astronomical success of this film.

This movie is akin to the ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies and is setting a tone for future films. For that alone, I think this movie is worth all the accolades it has received—and will receive in the future.

May this be the beginning of bringing these stories to new audiences. May the lessons of these myths inspire better stories too.

PS – I have created a standalone presentation on ‘The Odyssey’ and the movie, which I am sharing for free on my Heart Magick newsletter (irisanya.substack.com), so sign up if you’re not already a part of that community.

You can also find a video here: