Guardian opinion: Nolan’s The Odyssey and the threat to civilisation

An opinion piece published in The Guardian on 25 July 2026 by Joseph Earp examines Christopher Nolan’s film The Odyssey, arguing that the director posits the erosion of politeness and social trust as a significant threat to civilisation. Earp contends that the film reimagines the Trojan Horse not merely as a plot device, but as a norm-obliterating mechanism that destroys the social fabric by introducing the concept of the lie.

The article notes that prior to the film’s release, the Trojan Horse was largely viewed in popular culture as a symbol of credulity or a comedic element. Earp suggests that Nolan’s interpretation shifts this perspective, presenting the horse as a proto-atomic bomb from which civilisation cannot recover. The review draws a parallel between this narrative and Nolan’s previous film, Oppenheimer, describing both as works about a genius who solves a problem with such speed and significance that they must cast aside implication.

In The Odyssey, the narrative centres on Odysseus, played by Matt Damon, who is depicted as a man obsessed with civility and rules. The film portrays a world where Zeus’ law serves as a currency of interpersonal kindness, treating each human as though they might contain the divine. Earp highlights a scene where Odysseus refuses to sneak up on a deer, arguing that doing so turns a fight into a hunt, thereby violating the social contract of fair play.

The review contrasts this adherence to civility with the deception employed by Odysseus to breach Troy’s walls. The film depicts the Trojan Horse as the world’s first lie, an act of impoliteness that succeeds only because the Trojans were decent enough to take others at their word. Earp notes that the character Circe, played by Samantha Morton, acknowledges that evil has existed longer than the horse, suggesting that civility is a thin layer over a deeper wellspring of rot.

Earp reflects on his own reaction to the film, describing a state of perpetual distrustfulness that has persisted since viewing it. He cites artificial intelligence, political deceit, and curated social media as modern equivalents of the Trojan Horse. The article references David Foster Wallace’s observations on media consumption, noting that much of the content consumed today is not created by people who love the audience, but by those seeking something from them.

The opinion piece concludes that politeness should be viewed not as a trivial instruction to mind one’s manners, but as a bond and a default approach of care. Earp argues that this approach acknowledges the possibility that strangers may hold something valuable, rather than assuming they are threats. The review suggests that Nolan’s framing of politeness as a fundamental social contract resonates deeply in an era characterised by widespread cynicism and distrust.