Novelist Joyce Carol Oates has publicly defended Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of The Odyssey after acclaimed classicist Emily Wilson sharply criticised it in the London Review of Books, saying she "would be ashamed to have written any part of this script." Oates, a multiple award-winning author, accused Wilson of "haughty superiority" and likened her tone to that of MAGA supporters attacking dissenting views, arguing it was inconsistent for a translator to be so dismissive when all translations are themselves subjective interpretations of Homer's original text.

Oates went further to defend Nolan's creative licence, arguing there is no reason he or anyone else should not reimagine a classical hero through their own artistic vision, noting that Homer's "noble" Odysseus reads very differently to modern audiences aware of atrocities such as the My Lai massacre. She contrasted Nolan's version, in which Odysseus must confront his conscience, with a 1997 adaptation focused on pride, and recommended Daniel Mendelsohn's translation as a more elegant alternative while addressing criticism that the film's dialogue feels too modern.