Nolan’s The Odyssey Brings Out the Epic in the Poem

 

With all the bravado, complaining, and politicking over the movie, I decided to watch for myself.

The Odyssey is a foundational epic of the West, exploring themes of courage, overcoming hardship, dealing with moral failures, recognizing danger near and far, and understanding the consequences of one’s actions, even if you never learn from them.

It’s about the journey, not the destination.

Your identity must resound beyond your surroundings, your challenges, or even your accomplishments.

It’s no surprise that The Odyssey founds the Western Tradition, enough so that daring, visionary director Christopher Nolan insisted on composing his own adaptation of the epic.

And he doesn’t disappoint.

That’s not to say that I don’t have criticisms. Even the poem has detractors (“I get angry when good Homer nods off,” Roman satirist Horace slyly pointed out), but Nolan provides a fresh retelling, albeit with some dubious departures from the seminal text, somewhat like the protagonist of many turns in the epic poem.

First, let’s dispense with the woke criticisms.

I was not one bit disappointed by Ellen “Elliot” Page’s part. If an actor delivers a riveting performance, he—or she, and it matters that we recognize the truth of the actor—deserves respect for a job well done. Page gets it done.

Let’s not forget that female character actress Linda Hunt played a male Vietnamese photographer in The Year of Living Dangerously, and she won a well-deserved Supporting Actress Oscar.

Page, as minor character Sinon, plays a powerful role in the whole work. The politics of her moral and biological confusion off-screen didn’t matter to me.

(If Homer can detour, so can I -- For the record, conservative readers, if you insist on basing all entertainment choices on the moral standing of the artist, you will find life to be quite boring: Janice Joplin featured in Rush Limbaugh’s daily radio programs, even though she was a drug addicted and a single mother. His musical preferences never represented his politics, nor should they have cast a condemning shadow.  Elton John is a great musician, even if I oppose his private life choices (and their public consequences). Leonard Di Caprio and Robert De Niro are fine actors, even if I don’t care about climate change or I find De Niro’s anti-Trump rants petty and pathetic.)

Now let’s talk about the African version of Helen of Troy. The sleek black-skinned actress who played Helen of Troy AND her twin sister (not too many spoilers, although everyone should know the Odyssey from middle school or high school English, so there’s that) commanded every scene: tough, nimble, and capable in her capturing the character she portrays. When you watch Black Helen, there are no “Black Lives Matter” vibes shoved in your face. Helen of Troy is beautiful, no matter her melanin count.

In fact, throughout the movie, Odysseus’ crew is composed of men from all backgrounds. There are Southeast Asian, Indian, and even Hispanic actors playing the parts. Guess what? I didn’t care. They played their parts well, and once again—not once did I feel that Nolan was engaging in diversity lottery-lecture scolding to score woke points with Hollywood.

Think about it, folks: we have seen black men play Hamlet, white men play Othello, and women play the main characters in Twelve Angry Men (they just tweak the title to Twelve Angry Jurors). We don’t need to get hung up over skin color or ethnicity or sex when actors and directors are telling (or retelling) excellent, fantastic stories. In fact, the superficial diversity enhances the eternal dynamics of the legends! Works of art stand the test of time, and they can be reproduced by men of any background!

Now, to the movie itself.

Nolan does not disappoint with his innovative filmmaking. Instead of pallid statues of Pallas, and carved mosaics, ancient obsidian pottery, or flat, clean classical storytelling, Nolan gives us a raw, earthy, epic retelling.

He literally brings the many tales of the epic to life before us.

The scene with the Cyclops Polyphemus is gruesome, chilling, intense all rolled into one. When I read Homer’s passages in middle school, then studied them in high school and college, the suspense, the danger, and the intense drama never burst out to me. With Nolan’s direction and the superb acting of Matt Damon as Odysseus, I endure the pain and terror of the misguided Greek mariners.  How would you feel, what would you think, what would you do if you were trapped in a cave, about to be beaten by a vile behemoth? The disgusting brute of a cyclops frightens and enthralls viewers all at once. The incredible imagination of Nolan in his depiction of this ravenous brute not only revives Homer’s epic, but I would add that he brought life to the epic which centuries of academics and literary critics have failed to restore.

Circe transforming Odysseus’ remaining crew into pigs; the sacking of Troy—and the repeated flashbacks depicting destruction of the city after ten years of military standoff; even the terrifying account of Odysseus’ skeleton crew avoiding Charybdis, only to witness in horror as Scylla scoops up and devours six of his crew: all of it staggers our imagination, enhancing the great work of Western literature.

Nolan’s most incredible re-adaptation occurs when Odysseus travels to Hades to speak with the blind prophet Tiresias. This scene I will not relate in detail in order to avoid spoiling the rich, dark, gothic clarity of Nolan’s invigorating retelling. It is chilling, amazing, and overpowering all at once, and provides the final scene for Ellen “Sinon” Page, which serves as a unifying element of the story.

The imaginative realness that Nolan and team thrust into this epic stands out in many forms. We behold only the imposing figure of Menelaus in black armor and his curly hair. We marvel at the ingenious Trojan Horse and the immense challenges of Odysseus and his men hiding in that equine trap. Far from degrading or detracting from the source material, Nolan’s Odyssey enhances the work—and makes you want to check it out for yourself.

The initial criticisms I had of the movie, the sense that it took massive departures from the original text, I found to be incorrect on my part. There were integral parts of the epic poem which students never cover in school, but Nolan includes them—and accurately—including the touching sub-plot of Prince Telemachus searching for his father, refusing to give him up or give up on him.

And who can forget Anne Hathaway as the wise, cunning, and beautiful wife Penelope in an Oscar-worthy portrayal? She invests her role with Hollywood emotion as well as Ancient Greek pathos; we admire this strong woman for her fidelity and courage, while also recognizing her inevitable frailty.

I disliked one considerable detour from the poem’s main themes. Odysseus as written has a pride problem and gets humbled. Odysseus on screen is wracked with guilt and struggles to overcome the trauma. That’s a departure I would not have chosen, but my detraction should not discourage you from watching it.

The Odyssey movie brings out the epic in the poem, and you should see it (and you won’t nod off. Promise!)

 

The Rise of Zionism in Latin America Signals the Further Collapse of Communism

 

In a previous article, I shared about the incredible conservative political victories across Latin America. I explained that these political reversals for good are on par with the Fall of the Berlin Wall, but with lasting effect across the entire continent. Conservative pundits have longed for these developments for years, and now they are here. President Trump deserves credit for helping this resurgence of freedom and prosperity to manifest across a region of the world which had fallen into the thralls of communist dictatorships.

With all the celebrations among conservatives, witnessing the incredible reversal of good fortune of our cause, I want to explore another political, cultural, and most importantly spiritual development sweeping South America: the growing realignment of Latin American countries with the Jewish State. This change is manifesting concurrently with conservative political victories, all declaring not only the rise of freedom, conservatism, constitutional rule, and a restoration of Law and order, but a massive defeat against abject communist tyranny.

Twenty years ago, left-wing commentators identified, analyzed, and celebrated the rapid rise of left-wing governments across Latin America, often referred to as “The Pink Tide.” Communist leadership took the helm in these countries, insistent on reestablishing the failed policies of the Soviet Union and of communist China. With these communist uprisings came increased hostilities toward the West, including Israel.

Far too many don't seem to understand this, but communist elements have had unrelenting hostility to the Jewish state from the inception of the country. While Israel initially considered relations with the Soviet Union, the nation strengthened ties with the Czech Republic, even while still under the Soviet Bloc, then ultimately shifted its alliances to the West. Many are not aware of this, but global communism has maintained an untrammeled hatred of Israel, despite the anti-Semitic naysayers who repeat false claims that Communism is some “Jew Scam.” Stalin and his Soviets smeared the creation of the Jewish State as a racist plot of colonizing Westerners. The Chinese Communist mass murderer and megalomaniac Mao Zedong defamed two countries in one hit: “Israel and Taiwan are bases of imperialism in Asia. You [Arabs] are the gate of the great continent, and we are the rear. They created Israel for you, and Taiwan for us. Their goal is the same.”

Israel is a strong standard-bearer for the West and its Judeo-Christian heritage. Islamic terror and Communist tyranny want nothing more than the country’s destruction. In fact, the Chinese Communist Party’s bigotry includes not recognizing Judaism as an official religion, refusing to grant minority status and protection to the Kaifeng Jews, who are ethnically Chinese but Hebrew in faith and tradition.

Of course, Communism from its inception has always been hostile to the Jews. Karl Marx, despite his Jewish heritage, literally wrote: "The Jewish Question,” bashing religion as “the opiate of the masses. Communism insists on making itself the only religion, and any power taking a stand against its hegemony must be wiped out. According to Marx's warped eschatology, all ethnic, cultural, and religious conflicts will be phased out, replaced by the struggle of the victorious proletariat and bourgeoisie. The existence of the Jewish state strikes a blow to all of these deranged tenets.

Communism is anti-Freedom, anti-Capitalism, anti-Prosperity, and thus also anti-Semitic and thus anti-Zionist. Venezuela’s communist leader Hugo “El Pueblo” Chavez most vividly evinced this left-wing hatred. Immediately on taking power, he ramped up hostilities against Israel, and Venezuela’s Jews fled the country. When Jews flee a country, you can be sure that prosperity is headed for decline, and collectivist destruction is on the rise.

Over the last seven years, this communist, anti-Zionist Pink Tide has disappeared under the blue (as in conservative) wave of new leaders signaling their support for Israel, determined to repair relations with the Jewish State, and rejecting all concourse with the Palestinian cause.

Elected in 2019, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele was the first lasting Latin American conservative political (and pro-Zionist) victory. As mayor of San Salvador, he had established inroads with Israel. Despite his Palestinian (read “Mandatory Palestinian”) descent through his Christian grandparents, Bukele sided with the West and supported Israel's right to exist. He has not moved the embassy to Jerusalem, but he has developed a stronger rapprochement with the Jewish State, condemning Hamas’ October 7^th terrorist atrocities, signaling his country's commitment to law and order in a spiritual battle against evil and his abandonment of the failed policies of Communism and socialism, all to the feckless chagrin of left-wing critics within and outside his country.

In 2023, Argentina elected Javier “El Loco” Milei, a libertarian populist who determined to clear away the wreckage of Peronist-Kirchnerist socialism. During his campaign, he committed to realigning Argentine politics with Israel, breaking away from the communistic anti-Western BRICS powers. During his tenure, he has sought to build stronger associations among the Latin American countries with Israel, as well.

While following Milei’s incredible reforms and bold plans, I was confused and somewhat disappointed regarding his future hopes for Israel. For all his support for the Jewish State, Milei did not move his nation’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. At the end of last year, thankfully, he formally announced that the move would happen now that he has the support in the Argentine Congress to change the current laws.

Another political earthquake for conservatism shook Ecuador, with center-right leader Daniel Noboa winning the Presidency. Like President Bukele of El Salvador, Noboa trained his focus on public safety, cracking down on crime and ending the tyranny of the communists and drug cartels. He has also dramatically improved Ecuador’s relations with the Jewish State, including newly forged security and energy agreements.

In December 2025, Jose Kast of Chile also righted the ship of state, indicating an end to four years of left-wing experimentalism in the country. Media detractors and embittered political opponents labeled Kast a successor to brutal dictator Augustin Pinochet. No matter. In addition to enacting strong security reforms, ending illegal immigration and improving economic metrics, Kast restored Chilean-Israeli relations, appointing an ambassador after a three-year vacancy.

Peru’s recently elected President Keiko Fujimori just finished a meeting with the Israeli foreign minister. Her unlikely yet celebrated victory indicates a welcome end to repeated, violent dysfunction in Peru's governance as well as an end to communist machinations.

In the boldest move yet of all the newly-elected right-wing Latin American leaders, Colombia’s Catholic president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella announced that in his first act as president, he would shut down the previous left-wing government’s embassy plans in Judea-Samaria (to recognize a “Palestinian state”) and move the Colombian embassy to Jerusalem.

All of these moves in Latin America were unthinkable twenty years ago. Communism had established a fortified beachhead in the region, frustrating American interests and Western hegemony while bolstering terrorism, tyranny, and poverty, both material and spiritual.

Latin America’s renewed ties to Israel ensure less money for terror, no chance for Communist resurgence, and greater peace and prosperity for all the nations. With the growing international recognition of Jerusalem as the rightful capital of Israel, along with the inevitable illegitimacy of a so-called Palestinian state, Western commitments to individual liberties, natural rights, and the rule of law are winning around the world.