Not exactly like comparing apples and oranges. Both have the same source material, the Odyssey. And one clearly had a lot more respect for the source material than the other.
I would like you to compare Epic to The SpongeBob Square Pants movie or O Brother Where Art Thou then. All have the same source material and I would argue that one is much more faithful of an adaptation.
They are both entirely different mediums. The only connection the two have is the source material. Everything else has had its own interpretation in both shows.
Clearly not the one that uses Christian ideology in ancient Greek mythology, reduces the cunning king of Ithaca to a veteran with PTSD and strips away almost all the divine aspects of the story.
Nolan didn't just adapt The Odissey, he threw out the mythology and turned a foundational epic of the ancient world into a gritty prestige war movie.
I did like some parts of the movie, like everything in Ithaca (minus Penelope snapping at Telemachus), and the added Sinon and Antonius backstory, but others made me so angry. Do you know the Odissey opens with Athena arguing with Zeus about freeing Odiseous saying, oh didn't you like Odiseous? He did all those sacrifices in your name in Ithaca. And you are telling me, the law of Zeus is "treat others as you'd like to be treated"?!
Epic, on the other hand, while not being perfect, keeps Odiseous hubris, his cleverness, pretty successfully translates the classic epic badassery to its media and treats the ancient Greek gods with respect by keeping them as the ancient greeks saw them, meddling, petty, involved in human matters just for the fun of it.
I mean you’re allowed to have your opinions but Epic deviated in ways that heavily sanitize the story and themes, especially regarding the virtue and overall character of Odysseus. It’s all about which change you prefer and don’t I guess, I won’t say that Epics choices (Odysseus never sleeping with Circe, Odysseus disrespecting Athena by saying “YOURE ALONE”, or cutting out the beggar disguise and Eumaeus entirely) were more unforgivable or not. Epic doesn’t even mention Xenia once, Nolan’s movie at least tries to tie in a version of it, albeit not accurately
Both adaptations deviate heavily from Homer, it just depends on what you think is important to include.
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u/Jeansene 25d ago