"The newest song is always praised the most” (Od. 1, 351–352). But should it be?

Abstract

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has sparked intense debate over its departures from the Homeric poems. This review evaluates those deviations according to two criteria: first, whether the sacrifices generate interpretative depth; second, the extent to which they emerge from informed engagement with the ancient sources rather than from misunderstanding or neglect. From this perspective, the film’s originality proves artistically justified in several key respects, particularly in its treatment of the collapse of the Bronze Age civilisations, the Cyclops episode, and its casting choices. Other decisions are less convincing, notably the omission of the bed-test and the revised ending. Ultimately, the film performs a valuable cultural service by encouraging both new readers of Homer and new ways of reading the Homeric poems.