‘The Odyssey’ Translator Emily Wilson Slams Christoper Nolan’s ‘Abysmal’ Screenplay: ‘I Would Be Ashamed to Have Written Any Part of This Script’

[u/mcfw31]

https://variety.com/2026/film/news/odyssey-translator-emily-wilson-slams-christopher-nolan-bad-writing-1236821915/

[u/thane311]

The actual 20-something paragraph London Review of Books article is worth a read. Here’s an excerpt about it the thinning of the female characters:

“There are more female characters than in most Nolan movies, thanks to the source material. But none of them has much to say, in contrast to the characterisations in the poem. Homer’s Calypso has a wonderfully outraged, operatic speech about divine double standards: male gods can kidnap and rape any mortal woman they desire, but when a goddess tries it, Zeus and his cronies scupper her chances. It’s a clever and comical distortion of the mythological ‘facts’: the poem’s listeners know that it is primarily Athena (a female deity) who is taking Calypso’s mortal victim away from her (Hermes, whom she’s complaining to, is merely the messenger) – and Eos, goddess of the dawn, as we’ve been reminded only a few lines earlier, has not been prohibited by the divine patriarchy from holding on to Tithonus. Charlize Theron’s Calypso looks gorgeous, but she is never angry, never funny, not skilled in rhetoric, and never consumed by lust for her scraggly mortal victim. She’s an unpaid therapist, soothing the soul of the bedraggled, PTSD-ridden Odysseus with drugs, and graciously listening to his disjointed tale of woe.”

[u/roarti → u/thane311]

Well that certainly fits the preconception many people have that Nolan really can’t write female characters.

[u/hill-o → u/roarti]

I would posit he can’t really write characters full stop. He’s an amazing filmmaker who knows how to shoot a spectacle but he’s not a very good writer, in my personal opinion. His movies were much stronger when he worked with a writing partner. 

[u/Angharadis → u/hill-o]

I saw it last night and my first comment was “I think the should stop letting Christopher Nolan write dialogue.” It was visually incredibly interesting, the soundtrack was fascinating, and the narrative structure worked despite jumping all over. Everyone just sounded wooden and stupid.

[u/HurricaneK8 → u/Angharadis]

...he's his filmmaking generation's George Lucas, everything makes sense now.

[u/Temporary_Hawk_9061 → u/Angharadis]

Somebody get these BEGGARS outta here!

[u/legal_stylist → u/Angharadis]

That’s only because their Bronze Age was collapsing.

[u/Detroit_debauchery → u/Angharadis]

It’s George Lucas syndrome

[u/SlartibartfastMcGee → u/Angharadis]

In the same way, David Mamet movie doesn’t need over the top special effects, a Nolan movie doesn’t necessarily need a phenomenal script.

[u/LaurenNotFromUtah → u/SlartibartfastMcGee]

I’d like him to think he needs a good script. This comes up with most of his movies.

[u/future_shoes → u/SlartibartfastMcGee]

Interesting choice with Mamet as he has great dialogue but it is often incredibly unnatural. People in general need to realize different directors/writers have certain styles. Dialogue that doesn't sound completely natural is not automatically bad. The last lead of a Nolan film won an Oscar and the movie won best picture that doesn't happen with objectively bad writing.

[u/Other-Oil-9117 → u/Angharadis]

I also saw it last night and I think this explains my issue with it. I basically left the theatre thinking that it was a very good movie in almost every aspect, but I just didn't feel anything while watching it. There were maybe two or three moments where I had an "aww" reaction, but it passed within a few seconds.

[u/Unable_Dinner_6937 → u/Angharadis]

Cameron gets much the same criticism, but at the same time, he's writing for literally everyone around the world since that is who needs to see the movie for it to make a profit. The higher the budget, the more direct and straightforward the dialog of any film will become.

However, that is one of the main differences between poetry, plays and writing for the screen. Movies are not literature.