Di academic wey translate Homer Odyssey for 2017, Emily Wilson, don write one strong review for Sir Christopher Nolan latest film, The Odyssey. She tok say di writing na ‘abysmal’ and she ‘would be ashamed to have written any of this script’. Wilson review dey inside London Review of Books, she clap back against di director wey quote her translation as influence for im film.
Wilson say di film narrative structure na ‘gimmicky’, and all di characters no get convincing motivation. ‘None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words,’ she write. She also complain say no sex scenes dey, and di food for di film look ‘horrible’. She talk say di movie lack psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth.
But she no deny say Nolan work don bring back interest for Homer classic. ‘The release of The Odyssey is still an event to celebrate,’ she note. ‘This epic is bringing audiences back to cinemas. Odyssey, including mine, are flying off the shelves.’ She even say she dey grateful to Nolan for that. But overall she disappoint with di three-hour epic. She bin hope say Nolan go use di Homeric themes to push im creativity to new heights and create more believable characters.
Instead, she see im usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality. She add say her teenagers enjoy di film, but she compare am to Fourth of July fireworks display—’same level of narrative and emotional depth.’ Wilson note say di film get more female characters than most Nolan movies, but none of dem get much to say, unlike di poem.
During im press tour, Sir Christopher tell Empire magazine say he use di opening line of Wilson translation—’Tell me about a complicated man’—as guide for im Odysseus, wey Matt Damon play. But Wilson review dey harsh for di film wey critics praise well well. The Telegraph call am ‘film of the year’, Metro say e go ‘change cinema forever’, and The Times describe am as ‘a masterpiece in every way’. The Standard also praise am as ‘colossal piece of cinema’.
Di film, wey release earlier this month, star Zendaya, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron alongside Nyong’o and Damon. E follow Odysseus (Damon) im journey from Trojan War back to Ithaca to see im wife and son (Hathaway and Holland).
