WHS teachers on Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’

By Emily Beaupre and Sara Beaupre

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At Wethersfield High School, most students read “The Odyssey,” an ancient Greek epic poem most often attributed to Homer, in their English class.


The math and science departments might be busy, but the English department is excited for this film to hit theaters. English teachers Kristen Mucinskas and Jennifer Dorn, who teach the poem to freshmen, shared their thoughts on the newest adaptation.


From “Interstellar” to “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan has directed many famous movies, and now he tackles something epic. Set to release July 17, 2026, with a star-studded cast including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland, Nolan’s newest movie chronicles Odysseus’ 10-year journey home.


“It’s a safe movie to produce right now because it’s not really political,” Mucinskas said. “There’s nothing out there that’s going to push people out of their comfort zone... So I wonder if in the current political climate people either need escapism or they need something safe that’s ancient that needed to be redone anyway”.


On the flip side, several critics say the film will be an epic fail. An article from The Indiependent comments upon the conflicting desires for such a beloved story on the big screen, saying its "convoluted narrative" and "10-year time span" make for daunting source material. The critic noted that Nolan’s task is "akin to adapting the entire Christian Bible".


While this is good to think about, the film isn’t coming out until the summer. With only a teaser trailer having been released, it is too early to make any concrete arguments about the adaptation’s character.

Dorn has a different opinion revolving around the accuracy of the film.

“It’s a different medium,” Dorn said. “I think that film adaptations that try to be perfectly accurate to books often end up being not very good films”.

The article “Who Cares if Matt Damon’s ‘Odyssey’ Helmet Is Historically Accurate?” from The New York Times says: “Hollywood is plenty capable of churning out insipid, numbing content. But a funereal reverence for source material can produce boring results, too”.

No one really knows how the film will play out, but people are waiting with bated breath for it to enter theaters this July. The film will hopefully provide a good reprieve from all of the current issues that have taken over the media.