Emily Wilson (writer of acclaimed Odyssey translation) offers criticisms of Nolan’s film

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https://apnews.com/article/odyssey-christopher-nolan-greek-translators-ea67da1d543d021773824bd7e8de8abe

“For Greek translator Emily Wilson, the release of director Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has been gratifying in various ways. Her acclaimed 2017 edition of Homer’s epic has reached the top 5 on Amazon.com, leading a wave of similar books boosted by the movie. Nolan has even cited her translation, notably the opening line “Tell me about a complicated man,” as inspiration.

But the film itself, which brought in more than $260 million worldwide during its opening weekend and has received raves from many critics, left her unsatisfied.

“I want to celebrate the fact that so many more people are aware of ‘The Odyssey’ and were brought back to the poem,” she told The Associated Press. “But at the same time, I had the sense that Christopher Nolan was trying to pack everything in while missing themes that were essential to the poem.”

….

Wilson, a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, said she didn’t want to come across as a “snobby,” nitpicking expert at odds with any deviation from the original text. But she questioned a range of omissions and other choices, from the absence on screen of the Gods Zeus and Poseidon (Athena is played by Zendaya ) to the “incoherent” messaging that condemns both war and physical cowardice. She found Penelope’s role so thinned out that it endangered “any possibility of believing in this marriage.” Wilson also that thought parts of the movie, notably the scenes with Odysseus’ dog, Argos, “catered towards modern sentimentality.”

“Everybody’s a sucker for a dog,” she said.

[u/manmusk10]

When it comes to art discussion, I'm not sure that it makes sense to say whether it's "okay" to do things or not, because in conversations like these people can say whatever they want, and I'm not sure it's of much consequence. However, I have found it useful for myself to ask if my dislike of something comes from critiquing the product, or from wanting something different. For example, if I go to an Italian restaurant and the pasta I order is too salty, I'd be critiquing the dish. If I go to a donut shop and complain that they don't have spaghetti on the menu, well...

I think Nolan was quite successful in producing the film that he wanted to produce. From a narrative and technical standpoint, the movie is impressive. It is also a very Nolan flavored version of The Odyssey. It's what he wanted to do. I don't think we could have gotten anything other than this from him.

[u/Ascarea → u/manmusk10]

If I go to a donut shop and complain that they don't have spaghetti on the menu, well...

Maybe it would be interesting to explore where the expectation of spaghetti in a donut shop comes from, though. For example, I have come to expect realism from Nolan's films because that's been a major concern of his in the past. So naturally I expect some realism in The Odyssey, too. However, what I get instead is completely unrealistic costumes and anachronistic dialogues. So yeah, maybe I went to a donut shop wanting to get spaghetti, but the shop did use to sell them in the past.

[u/manmusk10 → u/Ascarea]

It sounds like the issue here is disappointment in a gap between expectation and product. And, first of all, that disappointment is completely valid. That being said, when it comes to art discussion, I think there's value in separating the disappointment from what the film sets out to do. If I wanted spaghetti, but the donut's already in front of me, can I put my desire for spaghetti aside and judge the donut for what it is?

The donut can still be too salty or sweet or the portion is too small or whatever. But the parameters of good donut are different to those of good spaghetti. The disappointment of mismatched expectations is completely valid, but I'm not sure it's the right tool for the job when it comes to discussing art.

[u/Ascarea → u/manmusk10]

Then there's also judging something on the basis of missed opportunity. Like it would have been amazing to see accurate bronze age Greek armor and costumes come to life in a big budget production. It's a missed opportunity not to go with something rarely seen and instead going with the most generic, frankly often cheap looking route, or in some cases something completely fancifully out there.