Homeric scholar Emily Wilson has published a new critique of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey film, focusing specifically on the director's interpretation of 'Zeus' Law'—the ancient Greek code of hospitality known as xenia. Wilson argues that Nolan's screenplay misunderstands what constitutes a violation of this principle, presenting the Trojan Horse as the ultimate breach because it involves deception. According to Wilson's analysis, Homer's actual text emphasizes other forms of xenia violation, such as the suitors' mistreatment of Odysseus's dog Argos and the beggar Eumaeus, rather than strategic deception.

Wilson extends her criticism beyond textual interpretation to Nolan's filmmaking approach, contending that his version presents the Trojan Horse deception as morally catastrophic in a context where the Trojans are military adversaries rather than hosts, making the ethical framing problematic. She argues more broadly that the film undermines its stated message about human kindness through its visual storytelling, and calls for art that honestly addresses the true costs of compassion rather than relying on deceptive imagery.