The Odyssey (2026) vs The Return (2024): which did Homer's Odyssey better?

Two major adaptations of The Odyssey have come out in the last couple of years; The Return, dir. Urberto Pasolini (2024) and The Odyssey, dir. Christopher Nolan (2026). But how close does either film come to capturing the spirit of the epic poem attributed to Homer? I’ve been studying The Odyssey on and off for 23 years, so the only reason I haven’t listed sources here is that it would take far too long to track them all down! 00:00 Intro 01:43 Homer's Odyssey 11:13 The Return (2024) 15:27 The Odyssey (2026) 31:22 Tone 36:22 Narrative structure & storytelling 40:06 Fantastical elements 44:58 The gods 50:26 The ending Image credits Photos, posters, and publicity from The Return, The Odyssey, Troy, Much Ado About Nothing, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Xena: Warrior Princess, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Death of Robin Hood via imdb.com Krater with Odysseus escaping the Cyclops: Getty Villa, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Odysseus and the Sirens: ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons Odysseus and Ajax fight over Achilles’ armour: Louvre Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Telemachus leaving Penelope: ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons Fresco showing the Trojan horse outside the city: unknown 1st century CE Roman artist, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Odysseus tied to the mast mosaic from the Bardo Museum, Tunis: photo author’s own Helen fleeing Menelaus: Louvre Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Menelaus draws a sword on Helen: Walters Art Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Ajax captures Cassandra and Menelaus captures Helen: fresco from the House of Menander in Pompeii, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Helen and Paris, fresco from Pompeii: Chappsnet, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons Helen and Menelaus: Amasis Painter, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Fresco from the House of the Tragic Poet, Helen boards ship for Troy: https://ancientimes.blogspot.com, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The birth of Helen red-figure cup: Mark Landon / Wikimedia Commons Odysseus listening to Demodocus: John Flaxman Jr., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Odysseus and the Sirens: Siren Painter (eponymous vase), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Chuk Iwuji as Henry VI, photo by Ellie Kurttz © RSC, via https://www.rsc.org.uk/henry-vi-part-... Other photos author’s own