The Odyssey: Did Christopher Nolan Get Homer Wrong?

With Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey bringing Homer’s ancient epic back into the spotlight, Cultish sits down with Professor Owen Anderson to explore what lies beneath the gods, monsters, and legendary hero’s journey. From the polytheistic world of Homer to the deeper spiritual ideas that have shaped Western storytelling, the conversation asks whether Nolan is simply adapting a pagan classic—or transforming it into something very different.

What if Odysseus’ greatest enemy isn’t Poseidon, the Cyclops, or the journey home—but his own sin?

And what if this ancient pagan story ultimately points toward something the Greek gods could never provide: redemption?

The conversation explores the striking contrast between the traditional pagan hero’s journey and what Professor Anderson describes as a distinctly Christian arc of sin, confession, sacrifice, and redemption. Along the way, the episode examines Greek mythology, the biblical worldview, the spiritual reality behind pagan gods, and the enduring influence Christianity has had on the way the Western world understands stories like The Odyssey.

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