The Iliad and the Odyssey by the Greek poet Homer are the oldest and most famous works of literature in the world of ancient Greece.
The movie The Odyssey which premiered in 2026 is based on the Odyssey by Homer.
When we compare the Odyssey by Homer with the 2026 movie, we can see that there are some differences. Director Christopher Nolan decided to make some changes. Here are some examples of change which I noticed while watching the movie.
Warning!
Spoilers ahead!
# 1. The meeting with Polyphemos
In the ancient version, Polyphemos and Odysseus have a short conversation. In this conversation, Odysseus says his name is Nobody.
When Odysseus and his men use a long and sharp piece of wood to blind Polyphemos, the giant calls for help.
His neighbours ask him: “Who is hurting you?” Polyphemos responds: “Nobody is hurting me.”
The neighbours tell him to stop shouting, because nobody is hurting him.
Later, Odysseus and his men escape from the cave, run to the beach and enter their ship.
As Odysseus and his men are sailing away from the beach, Odysseus calls out to Polyphemos who is standing on the beach:
“If you want to know who tricked you, I can tell you. I am Odysseus, son of Laertes and king of Ithaca!”
The meeting with Polyphemos is included in the movie, but the conversation between Odysseus and Polyphemos is excluded.
The statement made by Odysseus as he is sailing away from the island is also excluded.
This is a shame. Why? Because these two details show the character of Odysseus at that moment. He is clever, but he is not wise.
He is clever when he calls himself nobody. He is not wise when he reveals his true name.
Now Polyphemos can go to his father Poseidon, the god of the sea, and ask him to punish Odysseus.
Poseidon is happy to do what his son wants him to do. He can make sure that Odysseus has a long and difficult journey back to Ithaca.
Almost every problem Odysseus and his men face during the journey can be traced back to the unfortunate meeting with Polyphemos.
During the journey, Odysseus begins to learn from his mistakes. After the episode with Polyphemos, he is more careful. He does not reveal his true identity to anyone.
When he returns to Ithaca, he is disguised as an old beggar. He does not reveal his true identity until it is safe to do so. At the end of the journey, he is not only clever, he is also wise.
This development of his character is not included in the movie, because the crucial details are excluded.
Christopher Nolan made a poor decision when he decided to exclude these details.
# 2. The meeting with Circe
In the ancient version, the god Hermes appears when Odysseus is on the way to talk to Circe. Hermes has a warning:
“If you visit Circe unprepared, she is going to treat you in the same way as she treated your men. She is going to transform you into a pig. I have protection for you. Here is the herb moly. This herb will protect you from her magic tricks.”
Odysseus takes the moly. When he meets with Circe, she tries to transform him into a pig, but her magic does not work on him, because he is protected by the herb.
The meeting with Circe is included in the movie, but the god Hermes and his warning is excluded.
The director has reduced the presence of the gods in the movie. Hermes is in the Odyssey by Homer, but he is not in the movie by Christopher Nolan.
In the movie, Odysseus avoids being transformed into a pig because of his charming personality.
# 3. The journey of Telemachos
In the ancient version, Telemachos, son of Odysseus and Penelope, takes a journey, because he hopes to find some information about his father, who has not yet returned to his home in Ithaca.
First, he travels to Pylos where he meets the old king Nestor. Next, he travels to Sparta where he meets Menelaus and Helen, who are celebrating the wedding of their daughter Hermione.
The journey to Sparta is included in the movie, but the journey to Pylos is excluded.
Why was the first part of the journey excluded? It was probably a question of time. If this journey had been included, the movie would have been 5 or 10 minutes longer.
It is already long. The director wanted to cut every detail which is not important. The journey to Pylos was regarded as not necessary.
# 4. The final stop before Ithaca
In the ancient version, Odysseus is close to home when he leaves Calypso, but there is one more stop before he can reach Ithaca.
His small boat is destroyed by a storm raised by Poseidon and he washes up on the beach of an island named Scheria.
On this island, he meets princess Nausicaa and later her parents, the King and Queen of Scheria.
He is welcomed by the royal family, who arranges a dinner for him and later offers some presents and a ship, which can bring him to Ithaca.
The episode with Princess Nausicaa on the island Scheria is excluded from the movie.
Christopher Nolan decided that Odysseus can sail straight from Calypso to Ithaca. There is no need to stop on the island of Scheria.
Why?
It is probably a question of time. Every detail which is not important must be excluded. The visit to Scheria was regarded as not necessary.
# 5. The visit to the underworld
In the ancient version, Odysseus travels to the underworld where he meets the ghosts of several people who give him some information and some advice.
Odysseus meets the ghost of his mother, who has died of a broken heart. She tells him that his father Laertes is still alive in Ithaca.
The visit to the underworld is included in the movie, but the meeting with the ghost of his mother is excluded.
# 6. Return to Ithaca
In the ancient version, Odysseus returns to Ithaca disguised as an old beggar. The suitors want Penelope to choose one of them to be her next husband.
She arranges a special test. She says:
"Who can string the bow of Odysseus and shoot an arrow through the heads of twelve axes?"
Several suitors try, but they cannot do it. The old beggar tries his luck. He can do it, because he is Odysseus.
In this moment, the confrontation begins. Odysseus is ready to face the suitors and defeat them.
In this battle, he is supported by his son Telemachos and two loyal servants. He is also supported by the goddess Athena.
His father Laertes is still alive, but not present during the battle. Odysseus and Telemachos join him on his farm the following day. Three generations come together.
The special test is included in the movie. The battle with the suitors is included. Odysseus is supported by his son Telemachos.
His father Laertes is not mentioned.
His mother is excluded when Odysseus travels to the underworld. His father is excluded when Odysseus returns to his home in Ithaca. The director decided to exclude both parents.
Why?
There is no good reason to explain or justify this decision.
Christopher Nolan made a poor decision when he decided to exclude the parents of Odysseus.
# 7. The presence of the gods
In the ancient version, the gods are often present and they often play a significant role.
Poseidon wants to punish Odysseus. He wants to see him dead!
Athena wants to protect Odysseus and she does what she can to help him and his son Telemachos.
Zeus must listen to Poseidon who wants to punish Odysseus. He must also listen to Athena who wants to protect Odysseus.
Having listened to both sides, Zeus decides that Poseidon is allowed to punish Odysseus, but he is not allowed to kill him.
Why not?
Because Fate has decided that Odysseus will be away from Ithaca for 20 years, but he will survive the war and he will return to Ithaca.
His journey will be long and difficult. When he finally reaches Ithaca, he is all alone. He has lost his men and his ships.
Even when he reaches his home, his troubles are not yet over. He still has to face some serious problems, but in the end he will survive.
Zeus and Poseidon are never seen in the movie. Athena appears on a few occasions. But when she appears, she is only visible to Odysseus. Not to any other person.
The presence of the gods has been reduced, but not eliminated:
** Circe is seen
** Calypso is seen
** Athena is seen
Poseidon is never seen. But the invisible god is very active. He is making life difficult for Odysseus and his men.
# 8. The language spoken
The Odyssey by Homer is written in ancient Greek. In the 2026 movie directed by Christopher Nolan all characters speak English. They do not speak ancient Greek or modern Greek.
No important character in the movie is played by a Greek actor. A few scenes are filmed in Greece, but many scenes are filmed in other locations
*****
What are the consequences of the changes made by director Christopher Nolan?
Is the story better or worse?
Some changes can be explained and justified, because the director did not want to make the movie too long.
Items # 3 and 4 on my list can be explained in this way.
What about the other items?
Items # 2 and 7 cannot be explained. The director has reduced the presence of the gods, but the divine element is still present in the movie.
Items # 5 and 6 do not make any sense. Why are the parents of Odysseus excluded?
Item #8 can be explained, but it cannot be justified.
The director wants to make a movie which makes money and which has good ratings. The key to reach this goal is to make a movie with famous movie stars who speak English.
The director is afraid that if he makes a movie with Greek actors who speak (modern) Greek, he will get poor ratings and he will not make any money.
Item # 1 is the most significant of all items on my list. It cannot be explained or justified.
The exclusion of the crucial and famous details in the meeting with Polyphemos is simply unforgivable.
*****
What do reviewers say about this historical drama?
Here are some answers:
** 85 percent = IMDb
** 88 percent = Meta
** 97 percent = Fandango
** 94 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
** 97 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
** 100 percent = Roger Ebert website
The ratings are very good, as you can see. Are the high ratings fully justified and well-deserved?
In my opinion, this movie is overrated. It is neither great nor good. It is average.
I do not say Christopher Nolan must make a movie which includes and copies every detail and every aspect of the Odyssey by Homer.
I understand the concept of poetic license. In my opinion, poetic license is allowed whenever it makes a better movie. But poetic license which makes a worse movie is not allowed.
This movie is very long. But some scenes with violence are far too long. If the violent scenes were cut by 50 percent, the length of the movie would be reduced by 10 or perhaps even 20 minutes.
** Allow Odysseus to meet his mother in the underworld. Maybe 2 minutes
** Allow Odysseus to meet his father in Ithaca. Maybe 2 minutes.
** Allow Telemachos to visit Nestor in Pylos. Maybe 5 minutes
** Allow Hermes to warn Odysseus before meeting Circe. Maybe 2 minutes
** Allow Odysseus to call himself Nobody and later mention his real name to the one-eyed giant Polyphemos. Maybe 2 minutes
All the missing items could easily be included, if the violent scenes were cut by 50 percent. The movie will not be too long. The only reason why the movie is too long is the fact that the violent scenes are too long.
*****
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