Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey: How the Much Talked About Film Brings A level Classical Civilisation to Life

If you are a fan of the Classics, like us, you’ve no doubt been eagerly anticipating the release of Christopher Nolan’s film of the Odyssey. An adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic the Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s film is packed with Hollywood A-listers in the retelling of Odysseus’ epic journey home at the end of the Trojan War.

Not unexpectedly, there has been some controversy surrounding the film and some mixed reactions online. Its arrival has been preceded by much discussion, with controversy over its casting, its supposed inaccuracies, and its poorly expressed narrative. 

What Classicists think about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey

With the National Extension College’s (NEC) A level Classical Civilisation online course featuring topics covering Homer, the Odyssey, and Odysseus, we asked our A level Classical Civilisation tutors Ed and Diane for their thoughts about Christopher Nolan’s film of the Odyssey, and why we should be studying A level Classical Civilisation.

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Why Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is One of the Most Anticipated Films of 2026

“It is with great anticipation that I await the release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey”, Diane told us during the week leading up to the release of the film.

“My first exposure to the works of Homer was Tony Robinson’s, ‘Odysseus’, gifted to me when I was about seven years old. Ever since then, I have had the guilty pleasure of seeking out retellings of the stories surrounding Troy and Odysseus’ return home. I have read many versions over the years.

“That is what I love about myths – they are fluid; they can change with each retelling, adding, subtracting, and changing details as they go. Homer’s version is just one version, albeit the most well known. I am keen to see how Nolan will address the story.”

Has Homer’s The Odyssey Been Made into a Film Before?

There have not been many film versions of Odysseus’ story according to Diane:

“The most recent was ‘The Return’, with Ralph Feines as Odysseus. This only detailed the second half of the epic, so the monsters, gods and goddesses were missing.”

Ed adds: “The Return’s dramatisation of the second part of Homer’s poem is sombre, rich in atmosphere, with cinematography of moody shadows. It’s a film of character rather than action.” 

For those who like to watch adaptations of classic literature Ed also cites two other film versions of the story of the Odyssey:

• Ulysses – a 1954 version with a staunch Kirk Douglas in the title role
• The Odyssey – an American TV mini-series which aired in the late 1990s.

How Will Christopher Nolan Portray Polyphemus the Cyclops in The Odyssey?

So are the monsters, gods and goddesses some of the representations Diane is looking forward to seeing in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey?

“Yes. For example, how will the cannibalistic cyclops, Polyphemus be portrayed? Too often, giving characters corporeal form diminishes their impact and the terrifying becomes amusing. It can be hard to create the tension and fear conveyed in the language of the text when creating a character for the stage.

“Look at Book 9 of the Odyssey,” says Diane, “Homer references the size and strength and the uncivilised nature of the cyclopes, but he never actually describes them. I think whoever Homer was, he understood that the power of his audience’s imagination was far greater than anything he could describe.”

How Will Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway Capture Homer’s Odysseus and Penelope?

In Christopher Nolan’s film of the Odyssey, Odysseus is played by Matt Damon and his wife Penelope is played by Anne Hathaway. 

“I am curious to see how Matt Damon brings the complex Odysseus to life,” says Diane. “Will he portray him similar to Homer’s hero – desperate to reunite with his long-suffering wife; or the Odysseus of the 5th Century – a demagogue, gaslighting and manipulative?

“Will Anne Hathaway do Penelope justice? Penelope is one of my favourite female characters from Greek mythology. She is beautiful and faithful, weeping for her long lost husband … or is she a character as complex and tricky as her husband, manipulating the masculine world around her by weaponising men’s concept of an obedient woman?“

Why Penelope, Helen and Clytemnestra are Important Characters in Homer’s The Odyssey

The roles of Helen and Clytemnestra in the Odyssey are small, but important in creating parallels with the stories of the main characters, and Diane says she is excited by the casting of characters like this: “It is easy to forget that Helen, Clytemnestra, and Penelope are all related and share great similarities with each other, yet their stories diverge significantly – within this poem itself and in the wider world of myth as well.”

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Why is Homer’s The Odyssey Still Popular Today?

“The Iliad and the Odyssey have been read by very large numbers of people in every generation for over 2,500 years; and they still are. There has never been a time when they have not been regarded among the highest creations of the artistic imagination of man.” – Sir Denys Page, Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge (1961)

NEC tutor Ed offers two reasons for the enduring popularity of classic texts like the Odyssey and the Iliad:

1. As humans, we have always loved to be told stories. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle rationalised this by saying that what we all love is imitation, which is the essence of all artistic creation.  
2. The Homeric poets found in their narrative ways of making people, circumstances and events that are specific to a time and place to become timeless and universal.

“Can there be anybody who is not moved, for example, by the brief scene in the Odyssey, only a few lines long, where Odysseus, now returned to Ithaca, is recognised by his dog?” says Ed, to illustrate his point. 

“We are stirred by stories of yearning for home, to be with family, love, security, especially after long stays away, spent in adventure, danger, war.

“We also enjoy a comeuppance – relishing the vanquishing of the vain, the defeat of the despised – the besting of the suitors bringing the Odyssey to a rousing and thrilling conclusion.

“And we love fantasy, strange lands, magic and monsters – think Game of Thrones or the 1933 film version of King Kong. The Odyssey gives us that too: a one-eyed giant, men turned into pigs, women whose songs of beauty lure men to their deaths, a visit to Hades with its pale lamenting ghosts. 

“The story of a wandering man in search of home has persisted through time, often appearing still in contemporary literature.”

How to Read Homer’s The Odyssey

If you watch and enjoy Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Ed advises reading the book of Homer’s poem.

“There’s a rich selection of translations,” he says, and recommends:

• The Odyssey (Penguin Classics) – E.V. Rieu’s 1946 translation was the first ‘Penguin Classic’ to be published.
• The Odyssey of Homer – a 1930’s prose version by T.E. Shaw (himself better known as Lawrence of Arabia). 
• The Odyssey – a version in verse by Emily Wilson, named one of The New York Times 100 notable books of 2018.

Study A level Classical Civilisation Online with NEC

“If you’ve watched the Christopher Nolan film of the Odyssey, and read a translation of Homer’s poem – then your next step should be to study it,” says Ed. 

“Take up a course in classical civilisation – where you can learn about the distant society which created Homer’s marvellous work. A society that could not read or write, did not use money, had no law enforcement or legal system, had no restaurants, hotels, shops or theatres – yet its people came alive with the same panoply of thoughts, hopes and desires that we have; three millennia later.” 

If Christopher Nolan’s film, the translations of Homer, and the thoughts of Ed and Diane have convinced you to dig deeper into the Odyssey and the mysteries of the ancient world, NEC offers an A level in Classical Civilisation. Study flexibly online, at any time and anywhere and achieve your goals, your way. 

Need convincing? Perhaps these students on NEC’s online distance learning A level Classical Civilisation course can persuade you why you should consider this captivating subject:

“I absolutely love the course. Reading the Odyssey has been an amazing experience, from the perspective of the story telling, the philosophical elements, and the evolution of the characters.” – Cressida

“One of the first texts you’ll study (in A level Classical Civilisation) is the Odyssey … Odysseus is brave and incredibly witty, but he’s not straightforward. He spends a lot of time with goddesses who are not his wife. He’s a complicated character and we have to think about how much we admire him.” – Claire

“I’d really recommend it to anyone that’s interested in broadening their knowledge of the classics, broadening their knowledge of ancient cultures.” – Jonathan

Discover Homer’s Odyssey: Study A level Classical Civilisation

Explore the literature, mythology, religion and philosophy of ancient Greece through our A level Classical Civilisation online course and open up a world of new opportunities.

You’ll study the literature and culture of the ancient world, and make fascinating connections between the culture, politics and society of ancient Greece and Rome, such as Homer’s Odyssey and Vergil’s Aeneid, as well as the works of Euripides, Sophocles and Aristophanes. 

To start your journey to the ancient world, visit our website www.nec.ac.uk or contact our Course Advice Team, you can enrol at any time.

“Classics gives you another lens to look through; another way of seeing things. That’s really exciting and lets you make all of these new connections. It’s really interesting. I really enjoyed the self-directed and self-paced study, but also like the idea of that sense of there’s a bit more to it and I’m immersing myself in that world. What’s really helpful about distance learning is the flexibility, it removes stress over deadlines.” – Claire, NEC Classical Civilisation A level student 

Claire received a bursary from The Classical Association to study A level Classical Civilisation with NEC. The Classical Association is an educational charity, dedicated to making classical subjects widely accessible.

Visit their website to find out more.

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