Out There in the Dark

Author: Basement Inc.

Hosts Azed Majeed and Tom Alexander discuss philosophy, psychology, politics and culture through film.
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Language: en

Genres: Film History, Film Reviews, TV & Film

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032: The Odyssey Cage Match: NOLAN v. HOMER
Episode 107
Friday, 14 August, 2026

Christopher Nolan’s imprimatur is such that every new release is met with an enthusiasm usually reserved for professional sports. As an auteur, Nolan is akin to a "gifted" kid: highly intelligent, hyper-focused, a bit nerdy, and occasionally insufferable. But whatever your opinion of him, his platform is massive—which is precisely what makes his latest project so intriguing. Based faithfully on Homer’s The Odyssey, Nolan’s interpretation is an impressive, yet ultimately unmemorable film. While he sticks closely to the canonical text, the updates and changes he employs are both fascinating and problematic. The performances are uniformly strong, but Nolan once again struggles to write convincing female characters, seems incapable of humor, and remains so obsessed with structure and form that it hurts the emotional core of the story. Join Azed and Tom as they answer the Siren’s call for this episode—even though everyone else begged them not to.