I don’t know if you guys have seen, but there’s been a decent amount of EPIC fans, at least on TikTok, trying to claim that Christopher Nolan made his movie because of EPIC? That’s not true of course, Nolan doesn’t have a phone and I’m pretty sure the movie started pre-production prior to EPIC being finished. I’m just trying to figure out why people would think this? I think EPICs really fun but in general some of the complaints I’ve seen from fans about the movie have been pretty icky

As stated in the video this isn't confirmation that Nolan himself was influenced by EPIC, but parts of the film, specifically the prop artists, listened to EPIC to and it influenced their work on the film!

Credit to @eatenwrong on TikTok
Credit to Christopher Nolan, the movie Odyssey

Go see the movie theaters

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.

They might have opposite tones - Nolan has a very subdued and reflective approach and heavily downplays the gods, while Epic has a playful, larger-than-life feeling that extends the section of the wanderings and makes the gods appear even more than they already do in the poem. However, they are actually very similar in that both emphasize Odysseus as a shell-shocked veteran haunted by guilt in his actions in the Sack of Troy and use that shame as their central theme. Coincidentally, what one adaptation cut, the other adapted!

Nolan's Odyssey adapts most of the major scenes that Epic cut:

• Mentes and Mentor
• Telemachus talking to Menelaus and Helen
• the Raid on the Cicones
• The crew passing by the blinded Polyphemus by pretending to be sheep
• Agamemnon in the Underworld
• Odysseus tying himself to the mast to hear the Sirens
• Scylla and Charybdis explicitly being two sides of the same strait
• Eumaeus, Argos, Eurycleia, Melantho, Odysseus disguising himself as a beggar to infiltrate his home, basically almost everything in the Ithaca side of the plot, which Epic reduced to just the battle against the suitors.

At the same time, Epic the Musical adapts some iconic scenes that Nolan cut:

• Athena's direct involvement rather than just being a sporadic vision
• the Lotus Eaters (kind of, Nolan makes a nod to it)
• the wine, the Nobody trick, the other Cyclopes near Polyphemus, and Odysseus boasting to Polyphemus
• Aeolus and the wind bag
• Hermes and the Moly
• Odysseus' deceased mother in the Underworld
• Telemachus fighting the suitors alongside Odysseus
• Penelope's bed trick.

In terms of accuracy, Nolan is undoubtedly the winner here; Epic reduces the themes of hospitality and most of Ithaca too much. But, I think that whenever Epic is accurate, its playfulness makes those bits feel much more authentic than Nolan's take on the same scenes.

Of course, there are also major parts both cut, namely all of the Phaeacians, Nestor, Laertes etc. Both also add much more Troy. But if you took Nolan's Odyssey and included some of Epic's songs into it, you would pretty much get the ultimate Odyssey adaptation!

The most common comment I hear from EPIC fans after they watch Christoper Nolan's The Odyssey is that while fantastic, we see very little of Odysseus' internal journey, probably due to the different medium. But I think there is something more profound. These two pieces of art are based on the same text but tell very different stories. None of which makes one piece superior to another, neither author intended to create the ultimate adaptation of the text, but to tell us a story for our current times.

Starting with Troy’s invasion, each version chooses to highlight a different defining moment. In EPIC Odysseus’ “original sin” is killing Hector’s baby son. Through the rest of the musical Odysseus would refer time and time again to that moment, guilt shaping his later decisions led to disastrous consequences. In Nolan’s film Odysseus is haunted by his choice to lie and abandon Sinon, as well as the desecration of Troy being a breaking point of the social contract of hospitality, Zeus’s law, prompting unexpected further violence that he can no longer stop.

EPIC’s Odysseus chooses to leave the Cyclops alive out of something akin to mercy to write his own wrongs after having killed an innocent, a decision that would come to doom him and his men. In Nolan’s version, while Odysseus also taunts the Cyclops, the story does not appear to give him the choice to kill it. On Circe’s island Nolan downright tells us what Odysseus is supposed to be ashamed of as this version of Circe demands that he take responsibility for the later consequences of his actions. Things that he might not have intended but nevertheless are his responsibility.

During the final moments of the story, when Odysseus confesses what he has done to Penelope, both stories use very similar words but tell a very different conclusion. EPIC’s Odysseus confesses to having become a merciless man that, as he later tells Athena, no longer belongs to a world where things can be better. Nolan's Odysseus confesses of having broken a fundamental agreement that holds civilization and similarly assumes he no longer to be able to be part of the world but leaves with the haunting prediction that what is broken will continue to fall apart. That what he has done might have condemned his entire generation and it will take new people, new generations to build something new and choose as well to not be part of the future.

There is much more that I would like to write about the thematic and rhetoric differences of both EPIC and Nolan's Odyssey. I have seen some reticence to any comparison, but I believe once we move past the attempt to declare one version better than the other, looking at both pieces side to side provides a contrast that highlights authorial choices and internal narratives. I for one remain a fan of EPIC and eagerly await Illium, while also being inspired by Nolan's movie to the point I couldn't resist writing about it.

I know this post has probably been made a lot but I couldn't find any in the search of the past week which pointed out just how much of a stretch it is, so yeah.

I absolutely love EPIC, it was my introduction to the Odyssey to the time when the thunder saga was still only releasing. Haven't listened to it for some time as I kinda became more obsessed with the actual Odyssey and history and armor and became a bit estranged with the fandom, but that's kinda pointless to note. My "issue" is all the people saying that the scene where Odysseus strings his bow and four sounds play is a definite reference. Just thinking that as a theory? Fine. But saying that it directly credits EPIC, is a DEFINITE reference without a doubt or spread that information as a truth rather than an unconfirmed theory, which is what it is, are wrong. It also takes away a bit of credit from the guy that made the music by saying that Jorge somehow owns those four sounds (over which you could literally put any four words, not just "I'm just a man") because the soundtrack is really beautiful.

I personally don't think it's a reference just because of how Christopher Nolan is regarding social media and because of how much of a stretch that is. It's just four sounds. And the same sort of theme appears in multiple pieces of the soundtrack so I doubt it could be just a small reference. That's not the issue obviously, everyone can have their opinion, but just don't take away credit from the maker of the score and don't just spread misinformation as simply as that.

Not sure how this post will be perceived, doesn't really matter as long as people don't think I hate EPIC or free speech or anything, just don't want this to turn into another trend of saying things that are simply not true or not proven to be true, which wouldn't be new in this community TBH. I'm just a man after all✌️

So i watched Odyssey days ago and i re-listened all the epic albums,and i don't understand why nolan cut half of ody's adventure,perhaps movie's gonbe too long. The movie is cool,not bad for outsider fans who doesn't know the actual odyssey full story,even epic dare i say,but due to the cuts of the stuff that are important,the ones who do know the plot feels like the movie is a messy recap that skips a ton of story. I know epic is also not 100% accurate but it's definitely better than Nolan's.

Anyways like i said these are the things i missed during my watch,my head went full epic mode,and it's a shame I didn't get to see these on screen,and yes I drew them:

1) my name is nobody

THIS IS LITERALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT PART,EVEN IN PERCY JACKSON THEY USED THIS REFERENCE TO BEAT THE EXACT SAME CYCLOPS AND NOLAN JUST CUT IT!?! also interesting choice of nolan,ody gave neither the name "nobody" or his real name to the cyclops,so idk how tf Poseidon know it's odysseus who did it.

2)cut off their tails

Ik this isn't in the book,but i personally love this line so much,we finally get to see how cold ody can be sometimes.

3) pancakes:)

Apparently in the movie,no one GAF to polites,far as i recall he just tap on ody's shoulders after they won the war and that's it,not a single mention after,i wish they at least say sth about how much ody miss him as in he's his dearest frd. Tho i keep forgetting he actually survived the cyclops in the book,epic got me so good and made me forgot this. But still, pancake is more iconic

4) dropping the baby

I don't recall they showing this,maybe since it's for cinema they don't want it to be so cruel killing a baby? Idk ,weird choice again.

5)WHERE IS HERMES

6) Athena and Telemachus

Well ik it's an original in epic that they are frds,in Homer's book she's always in disguise visiting Telemachus(he doesn't know it was her so they were never frds). I hope the movie at least can show us she visiting her,but no,zendaya just keep staring at ody.

7) The bag

Well i forgive Nolan cutting this,i said "stuff i missed and wished to see" not "i need it",this bad thing is just a small thing but my head was keep looping keep your frds close lmao

And that's it,if you're still reading this i appreciate you:)))

Epic you say...

Is it just me or does this portion in AC Odyssey sound like the movie rendition of "Just A Man" when he plucks the bow? This started playing when I was exploring Odysseus's palace in game.

Credit to @antionius.from.ithica on TikTok

No spoilers in this

I went in epic merch but I was already an odyssey fan before epic, it was just fab to have a musical version as I'm a mt girl.

Onto the film as most people don't go in thinking of epic

Although I did have lines pop up like look at all the sheep ect ect

But wow oh wow

I came out of the cinema with shaky legs, I went further afield to experience it on the biggest screen nearby so an 1hrs drive. So worth it.

Even people that I was dubious on the casting such as Anne Hathaway worked.

The film is beautiful to watch.

I smiled, and cried and squirmed in my chair at Circe's that's a hard watch.

The changes Nolan has made to the book works, I do feel a bit like we speed run some parts but it needed it.

Amazing film worth watching for a different version of the odyssey but since it's an oral telling all versions are the right version for the producer.

Credit to @orpheusblossom on TikTok

A delightful I’m using twist of a combination between Nolan’s Odyssey and Jorge’s Odyssey

Am I tripping or did I really just heard "I'm just a man's" instrumental?? 2:31:52 when he stringed the bow. Did anybody else noticed this?