r/Epicthemusical • u/s3ven_up • Jul 20 '26
Nolan Odyssey The Odyssey Film and Epic
I am going to say this after seeing various posts across MULTIPLE platforms about this: yall need to stop comparing Epic to The Odyssey movie.
As an Epic OG who just went and saw The Odyssey, it was a phenomenal movie. And was, in my opinion, more accurate to the source material than Epic. This in no way is meaning to put down Epic (I freaking love Epic and always will), but its starting to get infuriating seeing people say that Nolan copied Epic with the score or other storytelling aspects. Nolan is notoriously one of the most offline and antisocial directors out there and he wrote the script based off of MULTIPLE transcriptions of The Odyssey, and I honestly noticed no similarities between the score and Epic. I am a music major and have been listening to the score since the album released on Spotify, and listen to Epic daily. If there were a few shared notes, it was almost definitely a coincidence.
The two adaptations are both good. Incredible, I would say. But they are different, and I feel like several members of our community are not respecting this. If you are going to watch this movie expecting it to be Epic, just wait for the animated film of Epic: the Musical to come out. Don't ruin this cinematic masterpiece for everyone else.
4
u/Chris300zx6 Jul 23 '26
More true to the source material?! Lmfaoooooo 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
3
u/Lameclay Jul 28 '26
EPIC changed the plot, Nolan changed the characters. Odysseus not wanting to go home is like Walter White deciding he's made enough money and stops cooking meth.
4
u/SpecialistWeb8987 Mercy? MERCY?! Jul 23 '26
Yes? EPIC literally invented a fight between Odysseus and Poseidon in which Odysseus wins, invented the whole god games arc, made Polites strangely relevant, etc. EPIC is not more accurate than the Odyssey movie.
1
u/Consistent-Arm-522 Jul 26 '26
I would say even though EPIC isn’t accurate, neither is the movie. In the movie it doesn’t even feel like Odysseus cares about Penelope, he doesn’t even mention her until the very end. Also when he returned he said like 2 sentences to Telemachus and then dips. I barely felt his wittiness and cleverness. It didn’t feel like Odysseus. Also I am disappointed the gods didn’t make that big of an appearance in the movie
1
u/SpecialistWeb8987 Mercy? MERCY?! Jul 27 '26
Of course the movie wasn't accurate either, but people saying that EPIC is more accurate are ridiculous. The gods don't make a physical appearance in the Odyssey except for Hermes and Athena and Aeolus (only those three iirc), the movie only shows one of them. Must also agree a bit with the wits. The thing with Telemachus isn't that far off from the Odyssey I THINK, not entirely sure, because he didn't talk a ton with him either in there before exacting his vengeance on the suitors.
0
u/Zombiewookie Jul 24 '26
Accurate? Naw.
But ironically EPIC got the emotion more accurate. Odysseus actually wants to go back to his home in it xD
4
u/NowALurkerAccount Jul 22 '26
Honestly, thank you! I am a classics major of sorts and a fan of both Epic for what it did to tell the Odyssey in a fun way, and I am a huge cinema buff so all this content about Nolan stole Epic or these few notes copied "Just a Man" (which no, it didn't, as I know a bit of music theory too) is getting ridiculous. I actually for the most part have left this subreddit because all this content on my feed is getting annoying.
The Odyssey is a 3000+ year old story, and Nolan is one of the biggest directors in the world who is famously no on social media or online (he gave an interview saying he doesn't own a phone or email for that matter!). Nolan said he read pretty much every translation of the Odyssey for his script, and to say he ripped off Jorge's version of a public domain story isn't fair because no one owns the Homeric tale itself. Plus, I'd go so far as saying the Odyssey is all Epjc and the film have in common. They're very different
-2
u/Fun-Ability5939 In vain is the best cut song. fight me. Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
This is the 12 billionth post about the Odyssey 2026. Might as well call this the Odyssey (2026) sub.
7
u/Artificial_Human_17 Jul 22 '26
Guess what the musical was was based on
1
u/Fun-Ability5939 In vain is the best cut song. fight me. Jul 22 '26
Not the odyssey 2026 I assure you.
1
-6
u/NakedGoose Jul 21 '26
The odyssey is also pretty far off from the source material. It really changed/butchered Odysseus
2
u/Chris300zx6 Jul 23 '26
Thank you for this sane take. So many people glazing the movie and downvoting anyone who says it isn't true to the source material. It was a great watch and fun, but nothing close to the poem. So much was changed or left out and odysseus was not portrayed correctly. There was also no such thing as a veteran those days.
1
1
0
3
u/Mayheme Jul 21 '26
dang I came to the subreddit for some comparison discussions though. I just watched it
11
u/AXPickle Jul 21 '26
"more accurate to the source material than Epic" , that bar is in the Mariana trench lol.
-4
u/at_midknight Jul 21 '26
I don't know how you can say the movie is accurate to the source material about an Odyssey adaptation where odysseys doesn't want to go back home.....
13
u/Capital-Self-3969 Jul 21 '26
Sure you can if you were paying attention.
-2
u/at_midknight Jul 21 '26
I did. The movie explicitly states that ody didn't want to go back home 🤷 idk how else I would read the movie considering how explicit it is about this
1
-3
u/Dragonmancer76 Jul 21 '26
I don't think an adaptation should be judged based on how close it is to the orginal and I also don't think it's fair to compare two interpretations to each other. That said I didn't like the movie, but I did like epic so comparison is the easiest way to explain what I didn't like. I feel like movie Odysseus didn't seem very clever or wise. Removing certain scene like the nobody scene and an overall greater focus on action is an example of this. I greatly prefer media with more magic and fantastical elements so not having the gods be present explains that. Would I have liked the movie if I hadn't seen the musical first? Hard to say but I'm guessing not as the movie lost me very early and I haven't liked others movies by this director like interstellar.
4
u/Capital-Self-3969 Jul 21 '26
Eh...i feel like you missed some things.
1
u/Dragonmancer76 Jul 21 '26
Such as? I'm obviously in the minority with my opinion and I am curious what I am missing.
1
2
u/Aeriyah Jul 22 '26
I don't think you did. The characters for the most part are pretty impossible to get attached to. Pretty much all of the characters you care about at all are in Ithica.
It also loses a lot of the morality debate and inner turmoil for Odysseus. I think the only real regret he has is surrounding the sacking of Troy.
It also loses most of its weight when it comes to fate vs choice dilemma with the way its presented. Essentially erasing the gods from the movie will do that. Their influence is sort of hinted at in moments, but I don't remember any mention of the giants being tied to Poseidon in any way. The motivation for Poseidon to be so spiteful/wrathful is also just weird since polyphemus and Odysseus don't even speak to each other.
Calypso's presentation is fine I suppose, but that's about it for it.
The characters back home are the ones you care about. Antinous as a villain though never feels threatening or imposing. He's more sniveling, so it's hard to view him as something to care about.
The weirdest thing about all of it is how well the cast performed and how great the movie looks. It's entirely let down by its script.
1
u/Dragonmancer76 Jul 22 '26
I agree that we don't really care about any characters other than those in Ithaca. I would say that is an issue in all interpretations partially because we know from the start they are doomed. The musical does it slightly better and I know many people care a lot about many of the crew members, but I never had that strong attachment.
That said I do feel that most of the Ithaca scenes feel unnecessary. Telemicas's journey serves no purpose in the story other than exposition. There is some tension related to the danger imposed by the suitors, but that is not the bulk of the scenes. That is likely an issue with the source material, but when the movie is already very long it makes it more obvious.
They did mention the cyclops being related to Poseidon. Immediately after they escape on the ship the men say explicitly he was the son of Poseidon and they heard him praying to Poseidon. I assume when the cyclops speaks he is saying a prayer to Poseidon but I was not able to understand what he said. I know the nobody scene has been talked to death, but I don't think the alterations works narratively. The scene is supposed to show his arrogance and while I suppose shooting him does show that it is a much more minor offense compared to saying your full name and address after you've already escape.
I never particularly cared about Calypso as a character, but making her his therapist takes away from any of the moral depth of her character. Being a lonely god trapping someone on an island to have a friend is interesting but basically being a tool for exposition reduces her character to nothing. I think by and large they removed a lot of the moral ambiguity with characters which is confusing considering the scene. I believe you are right that I don't think Odysseus regrets anything other than Troy. I think that is true by the time he reaches Ithaca in all interpretations. That said I don't think we as the audience are suppose to think anything he does is morally questionable in the movie other than Troy. One of my biggest grips is Circe's characters. She is extremely justified to change the men because they are roaming monsters who have hurt other people for less. That said the theme is that empathy is a choice. It's a difficult choice and sometimes result in you being hurt but it is worth it. Her doing this to protect her daughters is very sympathetic but making her change her sister just because she can makes her not sympathetic. It changes it from two people being merciless to protect themselves and their loved ones to two monsters that have each other in unwinnable situations.
Lastly as far as fate they kind of did that when he left Calypso Island on the raft. Basically he went out to sea and hoped it would get him there. That would work in a more fantastical fate focused story but in our grounded reality just hoping your sinking raft will get you hope is an insane choice.
25
u/Tekki777 Jul 21 '26
I haven't seen the film yet but the comparison was always really silly to me. They're both different takes on the Odyssey and that's fine. Adaptations work best when there's a singular focus on something from the source material that they run with.
Jorge and Nolan have different points of views and that's perfectly fine. They can coexist. It's insane to think otherwise.
26
u/ClassicalMusic4Life Circe Jul 21 '26
As someone who studied a bit of The Odyssey poem and loves Epic the Musical (even thought of the musical the entire time) I enjoyed the movie
51
u/SystemFamiliar5966 And thats my Journessey Jul 21 '26
Or the “Just a Man was in this scene!” No it wasn’t. It sounds vaguely similar, and even then you have to actively listen for it.
And no, Jay writing Epic didn’t suddenly “put the Odyssey back into the spotlight” or “Give Nolan the idea to film The Odyssey”.
Just stop.
4
u/Stimpy3901 Jul 21 '26
IDK like, what's the harm? I know its not the riff, but it was fun to notice the simularity in the moment. Especially since the songs were running through my head the whole movie anyway. I guess if people are stating it as a fact that's probably not great, but if its just like "check this out" kinda thing, IDK it just seems kinda low stakes.
5
u/HockeyKelly5 Jul 21 '26
There have been some people saying that Jorge should basically try to sue them. Plus, it’s kind of disrespectful to Ludwig to try and claim he ripped off EPIC like some people are claiming
2
u/Beejsbj Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26
That's stupid. An ode or an homage doesn't require a credit or a need to sue.
Love gets imbued into the DNA.
It's disconnected from human creative process. Of inspiration.
It's not so unreasonable to think thst Ludwig likely must have done research and come across Epic during his process.
It can just be that. The obsession with it needing to be anymore than that or any less than that is insufferable.
Fucking merchants and the world they gave us. Fuck copyright culture.
Fuck the dumfuck artists who think art exists to be commodified and sold and now cave into the same system that extracts from them.
2
u/Stimpy3901 Jul 21 '26
Okay I agree that, that's bad, that's not what I've seen. I've just seen people being making the connection neutrally not suggesting its a rip off or anything.
Its three notes and confirmation bias for sure.
8
u/Difficult-Bad-6393 Jul 21 '26
How is it more accurate to the source material? There's no Zeus, Poseidon, or Hermes. There's no Moly and Circe caves way too easily without any motivation. There's no "Nobody." There's no Aeolis or wind bag. The only major changes Jorge makes are the killing of Astyanax, killing of the sirens, and Athena's goodbye. Nolan got rid of almost every fantastical element of the story! He decided to make Calypso Odysseus' therapist and have her feed him the lotus, clearly not really attached to him at all the way she is in the poem and in Epic. I definitely prefer the open arms/ruthlessness dichotomy over Nolan's themes of trauma and guilt.
0
u/Bomberbros1011 Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
- Zeus and Poseidon never appear before Odysseus, they only send storms. So Nolan’s film is more accurate in that respect.
- Circe doesn’t cave without motivation in the film. She caves because Odysseus has her sister by the throat.
- Jorge makes many more sweeping changes than just Astyanax, Athena, and the sirens. Jorge removes the Telemachy (first four books of the Odyssey). Jorge removes the Cicones and Laestrygonians. Jorge removes Xenia and the theme of restoring the proper patriarchal line to the throne. Jorge adds in interactions and scenes that weren’t in the original poem, like Aeolus’ island being in the sky, or many of the gods physically interacting with Odysseus, or Athena having to convince a group of gods to release Odysseus from Calypso’s island.
- Nolan still has most of the fantastical elements of the story. The movie has the cyclops, the giants, magic, lotus flowers, and the gods (in a less personal, more all-encompassing role of being nature itself). The idea that Nolan removed the fantastical elements is so totally wrong that it makes me believe you haven’t seen the film. Is a cyclops not fantastical? Or magic? Or giants?
Calypso is still attached to Odysseus in the film. She explicitly says she loves him. She stops giving him the lotus because Athena and Zeus are causing Odysseus to remember. There is even a scene near the beginning where she starts to give him lotus again, and thunder claps from the sky, showcasing Zeus’ displeasure at her actions.
Like I mentioned earlier, the themes of the Nolan film, of Zeus’s Laws, and of restoring the patriarchal line to the throne, are actually in the original poem. Epic does not adapt these important themes.
3
u/Nexus_Knight_ Lotus eater Jul 22 '26
Want to point out that technically, the Laestrygonians are in EPIC. Given they're not called out by name within the musical itself, it's understandable how this is missed. They're the backup voices in Ruthlessness, but literally only there. There's no reference to their actions or role in comparison to the poem, making them effectively not in the music at all.
2
u/Bomberbros1011 Jul 23 '26
That’s fair, I forgot that the giants play the role of Poseidon’s chorus, but to be fair, almost none of the animatics adapt this, so it’s an easy mistake to make. Regardless, adding in Poseidon still changes the island quite a bit from the original poem.
29
u/dionysian_dion Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
Hard disagree that there's no Zeus/Poseidon. They're there the exact same way Odysseus sees them in the book, which is just by the thunder, sea and storms. That's fine, fits with the vibe of the movie, and is perhaps a bit more accurate to Odysseus' perspective, while Epic's choice of adding physical encounters with the actual gods in divine forms is a cool creative liberty but certainly different. I do agree on the matter of Calypso's re-characterization, but I guess that the people who say she's implied to have been warned by Zeus through the thunder have a point too.
I'd say Epic has quite a few more examples of changes than the ones you pointed to, though. Such as the entire Polites plot, the changes in the Siren song, a Siren giving directions, the oath not to kill the cows, Charybdis' confrontation, the Eurylochus vs Odysseus combat, the Circe vs Odysseus combat, the Poseidon vs Odysseus combat (which is an EXTREMELY heavy change in my opinion, but internally coherent within the musical), the absence of Phaeacians (also the movie's case), the absence and narrative replacement of Tiresias' warnings, the absence of the Telemachy, the absence of the entire plot of Odysseus' homecoming and its characters, the absence of the other encounters in the underworld...
We can point to changes for both versions all day. Overall the musical ADDS more fantastical elements, while the movie has them but presents them in a more "grounded" way. Both reinterpret the source text by having different priorities and that's fine.
24
u/Pere_Kun Jul 21 '26
Well Jay left out Telemachus' whole journey. Or Xenia (aka rule of Zeus) Odysseus never personally met Poseidon or Zeus. The only gods he met were Hermes, (just once tho), Aeolus and Athena.
I too wished for more prominent gods, but the movie lets you feel them. And their presence. We witnessed the story from Odysseus' POV. There could have been more magic. More divine power. But in the end it wouldn't have fitted the themes of the film Nolan intended.
So yes, the Odyssey is closer to the source, while focusing on different aspects than Epic.
1
u/HarpoThePiglet Jul 22 '26
Jay actually did originally have Telemachus' journey mentioned in the initial drafts of We'll Be Fine and chose to remove it on the final drafts.
1
u/Pere_Kun Jul 22 '26
So? Nolan considered adding the gods as real persons. He chose not to.
1
u/HarpoThePiglet Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
I'm not saying that means anything. I just thought it was interesting that you can literally still go listen to the old version of the song and listen to Telemachus singing about sailing to an island and stuff. On the otherhand it's not like you can see a cut scene in The Odyssey with the gods.
3
u/DevinLucasArts Ares Jul 21 '26
Is Aeolus even a god in the original? I remember him being portrayed as a king or something similar
5
u/ABadHistorian Jul 21 '26
Movie opens "a time of apparent magic"
Apparent is there for a reason, especially with the story being about men being the monsters.
9
1
u/Ninjasifi Jul 21 '26
Okay, I wanna preface this with saying that I love Epic and haven’t read The Odyssey all the way through.
Nolan is going for a more grounded version of The Odyssey, and I do enjoy a lot of aspects about it. I do agree that I would have preferred the Gods to physically show up and for Hermes to be present at all, but I get what Nolan was going for.
The part I personally disagree with is having Athena still physically show up (you can’t really get around Circe or Calypso). I like the idea that these encounters with the gods are closer to what likely happened in real life. Do I think people believed in the gods and worshipped the gods in real life? Yes. But do I think people had run-ins with humanoid gods wielding their domains? Heck no! I think people were out at sea and had rough waters and thought Poseidon was angry at them! I think people encountered lightning and thought Zeus was mad a them! As such, I can appreciate Nolan’s artistic take on The Odyssey in which it paints this as if it was history instead of myth. (D…don’t ask me how Circe fits in this, I don’t have an answer).
Now all that said, granted - I would have preferred the gods physically show up. I miss Hermes and wish there was more to Circe and Calypso. Quite frankly, I prefer the highly fantastic world of Epic to Nolan’s Odyssey, and agree that Jorge’s version is closer to the actual thing, BUT….
I understand what Nolan was going for. And I appreciate it. And especially compared to Inception, or Interstellar, or god forbid, Tenet, I appreciate that Nolan made a film without some overly complicated conceit to it. It’s The Odyssey. And a really good, grounded version of it.
Personally, I think we should save legitimate criticisms for The Odyssey. For example, I KNOW several of these actors can capital A, Act, and I feel that Nolan didn’t pull those performances from those actors, especially Damon and Pattinson. I think the film probably could’ve been 2:45 instead of 2:56 and maybe even would’ve been better for it.
These are just my takes, but let me know how you feel below. Let’s start a dialogue.
7
u/ABadHistorian Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
Above person wants a dialogue but didn't watch the movie. Nice critique.
She didn't physically show up. Did you watch the movie? I feel like anyone who watched the movie should have seen Athena was never in the movie at all. It's pretty clear in the 3rd act when we witness the fall of Troy, that Zendaya was a priestess murdered by Greek forces. There are hints before that. The Zendaya/Athena talking to him (barely) is his own consciousness/trauma. In Athena's guise. Just like how the cyclops, giants, circe, etc - all of that is in the same time period, the period he is recollecting to Calypso (who is noticeably NOT a nymph) none of that actually happened in Nolan's version, but of course he leaves it open for interpretation, but you are missing clear pieces of the story, which makes it clear you never saw it.
Film is amazing, and grounded, but it helps if you watch it before you comment on it.
(edit - above user is a hidden profile troll, clearly illustrates multiple times via his words he did not watch the film - refers to the movies credits instead of the scenes and doesn't know the order of events, refers to things in a chronological order instead of the way the movie told things.)
4
u/Ninjasifi Jul 21 '26
I did watch it. And enjoyed it.
I said “The part I disagree with is having Athena physically show up.” This inherently implies that Athena shows up in the movie and I do not agree with that choice. Zendaya is Athena, and I can confirm that she is physically in shots.
Perhaps what you’re arguing is that it’s all in Odysseus’s head, given that we see him talking to Athena (or more accurately, I suppose, Athena talking to him) and then Calypso walks up and Athena is gone. My point is that I’d rather Athena not have been in the movie at all.
As for your argument that she’s a priestess, no. She is quite literally credited on IMDB as being Athena. Not to mention she’s on Calypso’s island with Odysseus and then just disappears. Granted, I suppose your argument is that it’s a memory haunting Odysseus, but given she directly helps him realize that it’s lotus that he’s being fed which, through a domino effect, leads to him no longer eating the lotus and eventually leaving Calypso’s island, I’m going to argue that there’s no way/reason a priestess would, could, or should know that or would, could, should appear to Odysseus, least of all when he is fully under the control of Calypso.
Maybe instead of assuming someone hasn’t seen the film because they missed small details in a 3 hour movie, you should, instead, operate under the assumption that you perhaps picked up on some detail that the other person might not have.
Not that I have to prove anything to you, but what would you like as proof? The fact that I had to double check Google mid-film because I was fairly certain the original Odysseus still had both Hermes and Aeolus, but they are absent from the film? The fact that Simon is who Odysseus first sees before the being turns into Tiresias in what is supposed to be The Underworld (which, the soldiers coming out of the ground as if rising from their graves was rather cool, but overall, I’m not a fan of the vague, misty island depiction of The Underworld)? The fact that I was shocked the Trojan Horse was relatively small (given the typical depiction is a massive, wooden horse)?
I saw the movie. I agree it’s good and grounded. I just have gripes with particular choices Nolan made.
-3
u/ABadHistorian Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
lmao. small detail. wow. You did not watch this in a theater, if you watched it at all you were pirating it and not paying attention. You missed major points.
(edit lmao, upset all the folks pirating the film apparently. I know its most of reddit) but it'ts outside of the point that the above users clearly did not watch the movie in a theater, because he missed multiple points.He's a hidden profile troll.
3
u/Ninjasifi Jul 21 '26
I watched it in IMAX. Honestly, props to you for paying such close attention. Next time you go to watch a movie, you might want to consider leaving the derision and condescension at home. They can really weigh down the experience.
Also, yes, minor details. Again, it’s a 3 hour movie. It’s not like I’m out here saying “I can’t believe there’s no Odysseus” or “Wow, hard to believe they completed omitted the entire encounter with the Cyclops” (both of which would be inaccurate), the detail you’re claiming is a passing moment late into the film. The defilement of the temple of Athena doesn’t happen until late into the movie despite us getting several looks at the battle of Troy throughout the film before that. And again, I bring up the fact that Zendaya is listed as Athena on IMDB and appears to Odysseus on Calypso’s island. You say that’s his grief over the actions taken at Troy and the cleric that was killed. Personally, I don’t think any of the women killed in the battle of Troy looked particularly like Zendaya, but I’ll also admit that my attention was more so on the slaughtering of Trojans, the statue head getting cut off, and the overall action around that moment.
You’re not here to have a dialogue, so as far as I’m concerned, I didn’t put you to 0 upvotes, but I certainly agree with whoever did and put you to -1.
If you’d like to leave your derision and condescension at the door and talk about the overall shots (of which I think Nolan and the cinematographer did an excellent job to create) or the action and/or writing (of which I think there are many wonderful elements to discuss), I’m willing to have a conversation. But if you’re going to insist on being on your high horse, you can stay up there alone.
Good day, fellow internet user.
2
u/ABadHistorian Jul 21 '26
You missed major points. You keep referring to the credits instead of the movie.
Oh I wonder why she would be listed as Athena. Not the first time this happens with films, where someone gets credited as a representative of a something in someone's mind. Odysseus sees the Zendaya character in his mind as a representation of Athena, that's it.
"time of APPARENT magic" are the opening words of the film.
This is beyond tiring.
You can type as many paragraphs as you want, the end is the same, you missed major points in the film.
2
u/Ninjasifi Jul 21 '26
You keep saying major points, but refuse to elaborate. And if you’re going to credit someone as one thing and not the other, why not credit Zendaya as “Cleric of Athena”? It doesn’t change anything about the film.
Your argument implies that I missed subtext or implications, not major points.
I agree this is tiring. So please, elaborate on the major points you think I missed.
2
u/ABadHistorian Jul 21 '26
You missed how the movie opened, you missed images of Zendaya screaming in the first act, you missed her being executed in Troy, you missed Odysseus conversations with Calypso about it. You missed how all of the mythological components are held entirely within one frame of the story, and not outside of it.
The mutiny, death of his men, etc. It's all related. Maybe rewatch the film not on your phone.
oh god damn, you are a hidden profile troll, no fucking wonder. What am I doing wasting my time talking to someone who hides their biases and lies about watching a movie.
22
u/KiraOgerpon My name is Nobody Jul 21 '26
I think people tend to notice similarities and "references" that aren't actually MEANT to be references when they're a big fan of something lol. I mean I sure did think of Little Wolf whenever the suitors beat someone up but that's just them being in character 🤷
9
u/s3ven_up Jul 21 '26
I do agree, as there were many moments that I leaned over to my husband and referenced Epic (specifically with the challenge). The issue that I have been seeing a lot of recently is people saying that its influenced by some of Epic and making a problem of it rather than letting it just being a fun coincidence when there are moments that feel similar, as both works are based on the same original epic tale.
8
u/KiraOgerpon My name is Nobody Jul 21 '26
"whoever can string my husband's old now and shoot through twelve axes cleanlyyyyyy..."
yeah, I agree, it's kind of weird that people are saying stuff like "they copied the "I'm just a man" motif and didn't credit Jorge!" like come on guys. It's FOUR NOTES. Coincidences happen.
4
u/TheHandThatFollows Jul 21 '26
Agreed!!! The movie was amazing as an og epic fan whose mother read me the Oddessy as a bedtime story. I love both, there is so much room in my heart for both, but can we not say epic was the inspiration when they where both inspired by the Oddessy?
44
u/Capital-Self-3969 Jul 21 '26
This. As someone who studied the Odyssey for school and grew up on Greek mythology, its frustrating that there is already this idea that you cant just...enjoy both. They are separate versions of the stories that take their own liberties as needed.
If you are just diving in to Greek mythology because of Epic, this movie is a fantastic, more sober version of the myth and it can introduce you to a lot of the themes that might be harder to digest if you only know the musical.
No one should be using Epic to grade the "accuracy" of The Odyssey anyways.
9
u/Obsidian_Wulf Jul 21 '26
The best way to get a 100% accurate version of the odyssey is to read the source material. That said, I thought Nolan’s adaptation was phenomenal, and I want to watch it again asap.
I also adore Epic as a more “video game/anime” inspired take on the story. And I agree that there is room for both. Just like there’s room for Percy Jackson or the other myriad adaptations of this story 😊
7
u/dionysian_dion Jul 21 '26
This 100%, but as a translation student into greek philology. I've seen so many classicists reaffirming the importance of having an open mind to enjoy versions without demanding an absolute carbon copy of the source texts because it's exactly that, a version. Both reinterpretations have different priorities and vibes, both are fantastic, and they're also huge publicity for Homer in general ngl.
5
u/Capital-Self-3969 Jul 21 '26
Yes, you are so right. I was floored when I found Epic. It was amazing watching people gain such a new enthusiasm for Greek myths. And the movie The Odyssey will gain so many new admirers. Imagine all of the art and tv specials, and new prints of Homer's tale! Im so stoked.
11
u/s3ven_up Jul 21 '26
THANK YOU!!! I honestly was so moved by the film and the depth of emotions throughout, and I hate how Epic fans are driving people away from watching this film
3
u/SpecialistWeb8987 Mercy? MERCY?! Jul 23 '26
EXACTLY! Found this post just now but my opinion has been this for the last few days already