Christopher Nolan’s new film The Odyssey has drawn big crowds and loud praise. Yet amid the excitement, a sharply dissenting view has broken through: a Guardian critic describing the blockbuster as “an epic bore” and urging audiences to look to opera, not cinema, for Greek myths that feel alive.
In a column for the Guardian, the writer argues that centuries of operatic adaptations of ancient stories – from Henry Purcell to Harrison Birtwistle – offer more passion, variety and immediacy than Nolan’s three-hour, interval‑free spectacle.
A hit film, and a critic unmoved
The Guardian piece opens with the critic’s surprise at the film’s “barnstorming popularity.” While the article acknowledges that The Odyssey is widely embraced as a “cinematic epic for the ages,” the author makes clear they did not share that experience, describing the film as visually striking but dramatically inert.
The criticism focuses on the length and tone of Nolan’s movie. The Guardian writer notes that audiences are asked to sit through “three hours of solemn spectacle without an interval,” and suggests that the film’s seriousness hardens into monotony rather than depth. The column does not dispute the film’s technical accomplishment, but questions whether scale and visual power alone are enough to bring Homer’s story to life.
Instead of feeling swept up in Odysseus’s journey, the critic reports a sense of distance – as though the myth had been mounted on a pedestal rather than inhabited. This is presented as a personal response, not a universal verdict, but it underpins the article’s central comparison with opera.
Opera as a rival home for Greek myths
From there, the Guardian piece pivots to a different stage entirely. If viewers want Greek myths that feel urgent and emotionally charged, the critic argues, they should “try the thrill of opera.”
To make that case, the article points to a long line of composers who have turned to ancient stories for inspiration. According to the Guardian, figures “from Purcell to Birtwistle” have created “passionate dramas” drawn from Greek myth, suggesting a continuous tradition stretching from the Baroque era into the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The critic highlights two linked ideas:
- Variety of approach: Opera has revisited Greek material in many styles and lengths, from compact tragedies to sprawling modern works.
- Built‑in rhythm: Unlike Nolan’s film, these operas typically offer intervals and musical contrasts that, in the critic’s view, keep audiences engaged over long spans.
The column does not attempt a full survey of Greek‑themed operas, but uses the range from Purcell to Birtwistle as evidence that opera has returned to these stories again and again, often with a focus on psychological intensity and human stakes.
What the Guardian column is – and is not – saying
The Guardian article is framed as a personal reaction and a recommendation, not as a definitive judgment on Nolan’s film or on cinema as a whole. Its key points can be summarised as follows, based on the critic’s own account:
- Nolan’s The Odyssey is widely popular and praised as a major cinematic event.
- The Guardian critic found it “an epic bore,” despite its visual power.
- The critic was especially put off by the film’s length and unbroken solemnity.
- By contrast, the writer sees opera as a more dynamic way to experience Greek myths on stage or screen.
- Composers including Purcell and Birtwistle are cited as examples of artists who have turned ancient stories into “passionate dramas.”
The column does not claim to represent a broader consensus, and it does not present data on audience reactions beyond noting the film’s popularity. Independent corroboration of how widespread this specific dissatisfaction is remains limited and would need further reporting.
Why this reaction matters in the culture debate
The Guardian piece lands at a moment when large‑scale, auteur‑driven films still command attention, even as audiences have many other ways to encounter classic stories. By setting Nolan’s Odyssey against the operatic tradition, the critic is not just reviewing a single movie; they are inviting readers to reconsider where they look for emotionally resonant myth.
On one side is a high‑budget, widely marketed film, praised in many quarters as a definitive modern retelling of Homer. On the other is a quieter but long‑standing operatic repertoire that, in the Guardian writer’s view, has been delivering intense, musically driven versions of the same myths for centuries.
For readers, the immediate takeaway is concrete: those who left Nolan’s film unmoved – or who hesitate at the idea of three hours of “solemn spectacle without an interval” – might find a different kind of immersion in the opera house or on recorded performances.
More broadly, the column underscores a recurring tension in cultural life: whether technical scale and visual ambition are enough to make old stories feel new, or whether smaller, more focused forms sometimes carry the greater emotional charge.
What to watch next
For now, the Guardian article stands as a notable counter‑voice in the conversation around The Odyssey. It confirms that even as the film attracts large audiences and strong supporters, there is space for sharply different reactions – and for renewed attention to older art forms that have long worked with the same material.
As more criticism and audience responses accumulate, a clearer picture may emerge of how Nolan’s film sits alongside the operatic tradition it now shares. In the meantime, the Guardian critic’s challenge is straightforward: if Greek myths on screen feel distant or overblown, consider what happens when the same tales are sung, not just shown.
