I saw Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey last week. I don’t usually write movie reviews, but given the online culture war narrative on one side and the Hollywood hype on the other, I’m going to make an exception.
Here’s my review: it was pretty good. Not as bad as I feared, nor as good as I’d hoped or been led to believe. That’s the culture war/Hollywood hype for you.
Nolan has directed 13 movies.
I wouldn’t put this in his top 5, but that’s not surprising. Nolan had an epic run from 2005 to 2014, and every single movie during that period is superior to The Odyssey.
Why do I say that?
Simple, I’ve seen every one of those films numerous times - I’m thinking of rewatching The Prestige as I type this - and I doubt I’ll ever watch The Odyssey again.
The Odyssey kept my attention but lacked emotional depth, genuine excitement, and any memorable dialogue. I’d put it on par with Dunkirk. Probably a 7 out of 10, mainly because I wouldn’t give it a 6 and there’s just no way it deserves an 8.
But who am I kidding? You didn’t come for my opinion on the quality; you came to answer one question...
How woke is it?
Woke enough that it’ll likely qualify and be nominated for many Oscars.
Yes, the casting was “modern.” Or DEI influenced or engaged in “race swapping”. Pick the term you prefer. However, if you want to win an Oscar, you have to play the game.
At this point, if you go to a Hollywood movie you have to be willing to ignore this type of casting. If you can’t, you shouldn’t bother going at all. That said, I do have some thoughts on some of the roles.
Lupita Nyong’o playing Helen of Troy, didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the movie. Perhaps knowing in advance helped. It was also a fairly small role. This was the Odyssey, not the Iliad after all.
Would her beauty “launch a thousand ships?” Maybe, but I wouldn’t have been on any of them. She’s hardly hard on the eyes, but I would have went with someone else. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder though.
I didn’t have an issue with Zendaya playing Athena either. I won’t explain why, as it would be a bit of a spoiler. I feel bad just telling you that.
The most visible DEI casting was probably Himesh Patel as Eurylochus. Again, it didn’t bother me. Largely because I like the guy as an actor. You may accuse me of being inconsistent in my approach to DEI casting. Guilty. You could cast Denzel Washington as Helen of Troy and I’d be fine with it.
There were however two roles that I found… jarring. And it didn’t help that they were the first two people to speak in the movie.
The first was “Elliot” Page. Every time Page spoke it was annoying. The whole trans creepiness issue aside, I find a 5’1” 110 lb. person playing the role of a Greek warrior as ridiculous.
“The bard” spoke second and something about the accent just didn’t sit right. I had heard that some people found the American accents in the movie annoying. I’m not sure why? What did they expect ancient Greek accents? The accent of this particular character more than any other stood out so I researched it the next day and discovered:
“Travis Scott (playing the bard/Phemius) used his natural American/Houston (Southern/Texan-influenced) accent and speaking style, with rhythmic, rap-influenced delivery.”
Was it the accent? Was it the rap? Was it a combination? I don’t know but I did not like it when that character spoke. Luckily, he only spoke twice.
There were also a couple of non-DEI issues:
Penelope (Anne Hathaway) complained at one point that only men could rule. This caused me to roll my eyes. I’m sorry, but the presence of a “girl boss” in 700 BC was a little too out of place.
Telemachus (Tom Holland) always used “dad” instead of “father.” It sounded juvenile. You may not think it’s such a big deal, but consider this minor change:
Now that you’ve come this far...
I brought you all here because...
I want you to look at this movie in another light. Yes, it engages in race swapping, but look deeper, look at the themes:
Do these seem like beliefs that progressives would value? Unlikely. In fact, if we look at these six themes “through a progressive lens,” we can see just how negatively we would expect them to be viewed.
The Journey Within - the individual is primarily a node in overlapping group hierarchies of power, privilege, and oppression. Advancing group equity is the goal rather than personal excellence.
Fate vs. Free Will - Outcomes are attributed mainly to systemic forces rather than individual decisions, habits, and competence.
Home and Longing - The private home is a patriarchal space of unpaid domestic labor, gender hierarchy, and isolation. The bourgeois nuclear-family household is a capitalist institution that privatizes care work and reinforces inequality.
Deception and Wisdom - Concealing one’s “true self” is described as internalized oppression or a privilege that sustains the status quo. Public disclosure—coming out, centering identity narratives, or making the private public—builds solidarity and challenges norms. The private sphere itself is a historically patriarchal or hierarchical space that shields inequality.
Human vs. Nature - Nature is not to be confronted but instead nurtured and protected because environmental harm falls disproportionately on marginalized communities, future generations, and the Global South. Climate justice, environmental racism, and sustainability for human equity are central.
Love and Loyalty - Monogamy arose with private property to ensure male control of inheritance and undisputed heirs. It subordinated women while often allowing male infidelity. The monogamous family is a historical stage, not an eternal one.
The themes found in The Odyssey are on display in many Nolan movies. He is not a woke director, but one who is “playing the game” to ensure his film is viewed and celebrated.
I want you to consider something: that The Odyssey is not a woke Hollywood movie, but something else, something that we, to the right of progressives, should support.
Who will celebrate this film most enthusiastically? Progressives.
Who will shower it with awards? Progressives.
And who will spend three hours absorbing a story whose deepest assumptions contradict many of their own? Progressives.
The Odyssey isn’t a progressive weapon.
It’s a Trojan horse.
About the Author
Phil is a freelance writer, Canadian Navy veteran, and classical liberal. He has lived and worked in both Canada and the United States and currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he writes on politics, individual rights, free speech, and whatever else catches his fancy.
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I appreciate the thoughtfulness of much of this column. What I don't appreciate is the creepy comment about transgender creepiness (please spare us your bigotry toward trans people) and the arrogant pretension to know what the director's motives are (mind read much?).