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Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey - July 2026
- Thread starter EviLore
- Start date
DaciaJC
Gold Member
IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
For fuck sake. I just know he is going to be using this translation as his inspiration. The translation that imposes modern ethical framing.
Trilobit
Absolutely Cozy
It's like namechecking 'dogturd' when you talk about your favourite meals. Really tells something about a person.
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NeoIkaruGAF
Gold Member
So… everyone's clothes are squeaky clean even after battles and shipwrecks, but their everyday ware looks like it's been just dug out of the ground?
… and seriously people, is that Emily Wilson translation for real? That's not parody?
Audiophile
Member
I really wish he was doing The Prisoner or that helicopter film.
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
I'd say he's much closer to a Shia Labeouff type than Orlando Bloom. Plays the non threatening best friend type. Orlando Bloom was a better perfume model than actor. Bloom was that generations Pitt, who was was his generations Robert Redford, who was his generations Gary Cooper.
IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Fuck the UK government. I really need a VPN. What quote did you show here? It's blocked in the UK.
I wouldn't touch Wilson's work with a
No, not a parody.
Wilson has an agenda by adding her own modern political views into the translation.
You see this a lot now with Greek mythology. Modern political views and morals are shoved into translations and or works of fiction based on Greek myth in order to bring it up to "modern standards".
I think this is the wrong approach to take. I understand that the Odyssey is not a historical text. It is a fantastical epic poem. However, it can still be used a historical source. The Odyssey shows how people in this era saw honour, gender, power, slavery, hospitality, and violence. It's a rare surviving window into that world. I feel like if we change the original meaning to make it more palatable, we're rewriting the history rather than translating. A translation should tell us what people actually thought, not what we wish they thought. Any translation should be as close to the original as possible.
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Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
Our boy Nolan has been captured?
DaciaJC
Gold Member
Nolan really had an opportunity here to do something amazing, a virtually unlimited budget to bring the Bronze Age to life.
Instead we're getting leather cosplay armor and Korean Greeks. Probably nonsense from Emily Wilson's revisionist translation too.
More care taken with Batman lore than Homer.
Instead we're getting leather cosplay armor and Korean Greeks. Probably nonsense from Emily Wilson's revisionist translation too.
More care taken with Batman lore than Homer.
P:axMagellanic
Member
Probably started with Gladiator? But that gets a pass because it was a beautiful and remarkable film which gave us the historical revival in the aughts.
The Cockatrice
I'm retarded?
Lots of negativity around the movie in these last posts. Accuracy is the last thing I care about in an Odyssey movie. It just needs to be spectacular, cinematic, well-acted, and it's all good. Will wait for the trailer to semi-judge.
E-Cat
Member
Oh yeah, totally. I solely meant in terms of looks
I'd say he's much closer to a Shia Labeouff type than Orlando Bloom. Plays the non threatening best friend type. Orlando Bloom was a better perfume model than actor. Bloom was that generations Pitt, who was was his generations Robert Redford, who was his generations Gary Cooper.
Trilobit
Absolutely Cozy
So you wouldn't mind if Telemachos suddenly appeared on a motorcycle and then used a telegraph machine to message Odyssey that he was near him? Because accuracy is the last thing you care about?
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
JimmyRustler
Member
I wouldn't blame Nolan. It just looks like not even he is safe from Hollywoods woke machinery. That industry can't be safed any more.
Days like these...
Have a Blessed Day
Slightly off topic I was never a fan apart from the Batman films Memento and The Prestige. I'll watch The Odyssey but I won't be disappointed in him, in the film yes but not him as I've never held him in high regard.
The Cockatrice
I'm retarded?
I wouldnt. It wont happen though, you're all a bunch of dramas.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Now I'm daydreaming about a Robert Eggers version of this.
It will probably be good. Nolan hasn't made any bad movies. Can still be disappointed at the missed opportunities though!
Not a fan of the Ridley Scott approach
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Dr.Guru of Peru
played the long game
JeTmAn81
Member
Tbh I'm only annoyed by diversity casting when it feels like the filmmaker is only doing it because people will complain if too many white people are on screen.
But this is Nolan. He does what he wants. He isn't beholden to anyone after Oppenheimer. So I trust that the casting makes sense.
But this is Nolan. He does what he wants. He isn't beholden to anyone after Oppenheimer. So I trust that the casting makes sense.
falconhoof
Member
Nolan is certainly someone who would be given a blank check to make whatever he wants and his name alone is probably more than enough to pull in audiences.
HOWEVER...
And so on... It's not about making the best film to be award eligible now.
I think he should have gone with an all Greek cast and not pushed for star power. Though would that have ticked enough boxes?
kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
Of course he is if he wants his movies to be eligible for an Oscar. DEI is mandatory in that case.
The Cockatrice
I'm retarded?
His worst movies are still better than most of the movies that came out in recent years. I know the expectations are super high, but as long as it's better than Clash of Titans for example which I still enjoyed, all good for me. Ridley Scott has been "weird" in his last years despite him making one of the best stuff in the industry. We all go senile eventually.
Roufianos
Member
Anything European must always inherently be represented as multicultural. Would love Nolan to try casing a bunch of Greeks in a Japanese movie.
IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Lol.
That excuse still triggers me.
No, we weren't there, but there are these things called primary sources, Ridley. Did you use them? No? Shut the fuck then.
Is this true? So films now have to be diverse to be eligible for an Oscar?
negator2vc
Member
Unfortunately yes. Or .... fortunately because now you know which movies to avoid
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IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Unfortunately yes. Or .... fortunately because now you know which movies to avoid
I just checked out the rules.
A film can meet this standard by fulfilling at least one of the following criteria:
At least one lead or significant supporting actor is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.
At least 30% of all secondary and minor roles are filled by actors from two or more underrepresented groups (women, racial or ethnic groups, LGBTQ+, or people with disabilities).
The film's main story or narrative focuses on an underrepresented group.
This means a film based in 12th century Scotland wouldn't be eligible unless it was diverse. Basically, no all white cast allowed. That seems a little racist, no?
AJUMP23
Parody of actual AJUMP23
Nolan is certainly someone who would be given a blank check to make whatever he wants and his name alone is probably more than enough to pull in audiences.
HOWEVER...
And so on... It's not about making the best film to be award eligible now.
I think he should have gone with an all Greek cast and not pushed for star power. Though would that have ticked enough boxes?
I wonder if the academy cares if he cast a real cyclopes or not.
negator2vc
Member
Just a little?
falconhoof
Member
The topic came up a few years ago about The Promised Land, which was set in Denmark in the 1750's.
I fucking hate this shit.
Trilobit
Absolutely Cozy
This is the worst timeline.
{insert code here}
Member
And they wonder why American films are tanking. We went from a 90% share of the global box office down to 60% over the last two decades (the DEI era). It's almost as if global audiences used to watch American films to get a taste of American culture and didn't give a shit about representation or seeing someone who looked like them on the big screen.
Dr.Guru of Peru
played the long game
I guess China just doesn't exist.
SJRB
Gold Member
Sir, Tenet is a terrible movie. Just awful. And TDKR is devastatingly bad.
Chris Nolan typically has good ideas and his highs are mega high (Prestige, Batman Begins, Inception, Oppenheimer) but his lows are unbelievably low.
falconhoof
Member
Did Nolan lose people that really helped him craft the better movies?
Was his better success tied to Jonathan Nolan, who last worked with him on Interstellar or maybe editor Lee Smith, last movie with him was Dunkirk.
I feel like I got over Oppenheimer pretty quickly after seeing it. At the time it was so intense that it was hard to settle my brain into making a calm judgement. But as time has gone on I found I don't really have much drive to ever watch it again. It had some interesting scenes, and the emotional beats in the lecture theater were powerful. But, I feel the draw of going to watch The Prestige, Memento or Interstellar so much more than Oppenheimer, and I never even bothered to watch Tenet.
Was his better success tied to Jonathan Nolan, who last worked with him on Interstellar or maybe editor Lee Smith, last movie with him was Dunkirk.
I feel like I got over Oppenheimer pretty quickly after seeing it. At the time it was so intense that it was hard to settle my brain into making a calm judgement. But as time has gone on I found I don't really have much drive to ever watch it again. It had some interesting scenes, and the emotional beats in the lecture theater were powerful. But, I feel the draw of going to watch The Prestige, Memento or Interstellar so much more than Oppenheimer, and I never even bothered to watch Tenet.
Both are great I think. His lowest tier for me is basically just Insomnia, which I still like.
3liteDragon
Member
So Doomsday & Odyssey trailer will be attached to Avatar 3.
AJUMP23
Parody of actual AJUMP23
Only reason to see avatar then.
JeTmAn81
Member
I like Tenet and Insomnia as well. He doesn't always hit a grand slam but he always gets a piece of the ball.
Even Following is pretty good.
SlimySnake
Flashless at the Golden Globes
Name black or brown or asian people in Oppenheimer. There are literally zero. There are several other ways to get around those Oscar quotas including having diversity in the studio executive offices, crew or even Internships. They also count women as a minority group which is hilarious but also makes most movies meet these requirements by just ensuring 30% of the cast and crew are women which they almost assuredly are.
I looked into this when I was convinced the Academy was going to shun Oppenheimer because of the cast, but after reviewing their rules, it's all mostly performative bs to appease the activists. They were never going to shove talentless hacks down industry giants like Nolan and James Cameron, especially in an industry that relies heavily on skilled labor.
He also didn't have any minorities in Dunkirk either. I think there were a couple of black Africans fighting for the French army in the background of one scene but that was it. Nothing like that sikh soldier in 1917 which was hilariously out of place, and was well before the academy's DEI guidelines.
Nolan hires people for other reasons. I remember the harry styles casting thinking wtf, And the decision to get travis Scott to do the main song for Tenet. I think he just wants to make sure people watch his movies. Hence the zendaya and tom Holland casting. He wants that gen z crowd that watches euphoria and spiderman.
Let's not forget Matt Damon isn't Greek. He's of English and Scottish descent iirc. Or maybe Irish. I dunno. Definitely not greek. Out of all the directors, I dont think Nolan gives a shit about DEI enough to cast Asian actors. If he cast that dude, its because he liked him as an actor. Same goes for Villenvue, he cast famous black and spanish actors for Freeman roles, a race that was inspired heavily by arabs. He obviously couldnt find any middle eastern actors so went with Javier Bardem and Zendaya lol. No one forced him to hire an arab for those roles.
SlimySnake
Flashless at the Golden Globes
Tenet is flawed as fuck, but still better than 99% of the movies out there. I hate watch it every few months because I want to like it so bad, but every time I watch it i am like why is the audio mix so bad, why is the lead so boring, wtf is even happening and why cant i make sense of it like i could in Inception.
But i watch it because of all the good parts and there are so so many. The setpieces, the cinematography, the soundtrack and of course the insane idea. A true original movie in a decade where there are so few original big budget blockbusters.
I think Nolan peaked with Interstellar and has been slowly regressing since. Dunkirk had its moments but ultimately the lack of CG and likeable characters hurt its potential. Tenet didnt need CG, but once again, characters outside of Neil were generic and the movie just didnt come together like Inception and Interstellar did. Oppenheimer was great because he nailed the characters, but the lack of CG in the atomic test scene and a complete refusal to touch the aftermath of the hiroshima and nagasaki bombings left the movie's last act feeling a bit hollow. Like it was a half a movie. A great ending saves this movie, but I cant help but feel let down.
I am the biggest nolan fan i know but I have a feeling that his disdain for CG will make the movie look and feel cheap especially compared to Troy, and his hit or miss writing in a story about gods and mortals is probably going to be more dunkirk and tenet than Interstellar or TDK. He needs Jonathan Nolan badly. That guy was his secret sauce.
JackHanma
Member
This looks like shit. Troy at least was serviceable and the casting was great, but when I see Matt Damon I can't help but think of Team America. Also, I am sick of Tom Twinkland. Zendaya isn't really in this is she ? My favorite film adaptation of The Odyssey stars a real actor, a man's man, Armand Assante. It also didn't include Koreans and Africans cosplaying as Greeks. LOL Nolan strikes me as a guy that loves to huff his own farts... and my god please keep white liberal females away from translating anymore Greek myths.
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