Christopher Nolan's latest film, The Odyssey, has been met with some unusual backlash. Critics have pointed to historical inaccuracies and the use of modern English, but these complaints often miss the mark for a fantasy epic. More significantly, the casting of a diverse group of actors, including Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and Elliot Page as Sinon, has drawn accusations of "wokeness" and manufactured political controversy. However, The Odyssey itself is not political; it is an artistic interpretation of an ancient story, aiming for a more universal retelling that is not inherently tied to contemporary political discourse.
In contrast, Nolan's 2012 film, The Dark Knight Rises, remains his most overtly political work and, by extension, his weakest. The film picks up years after Batman's self-imposed exile, with Gotham enjoying a fragile peace built on a lie: Batman has taken responsibility for the crimes of District Attorney Harvey Dent. This peace is shattered by the arrival of Bane, who exposes Dent's dual identity and seeks to dismantle Gotham's corrupt, elitist infrastructure. Bane's scheme, however, is marred by a muddled presentation of his populist agenda.
Bane's army, a chaotic amalgamation of the League of Shadows, freed convicts, and Gotham's underprivileged, lacks clear distinction. This indiscriminate portrayal is particularly problematic as it lumps the disadvantaged with hardened criminals and assassins, an unfortunate optic that resonated with the socio-political climate of 2012, marked by the Occupy Wall Street movement. The Occupy protests, which began in September 2011, railed against corporate greed and wealth inequality, demanding a shift of power from the elite to the general populace. Nolan even had to film around the real-life protests occurring near the New York Stock Exchange, opting to respect the movement's significance rather than trivializing it.
Instead of merely reflecting the era's anxieties, The Dark Knight Rises arguably rebuked the Occupy movement by presenting Bane's mob as a destructive force countered by Batman and the police. This framing positioned the audience to side with established authority against a popular uprising, a point of view that seemed to align with pro-rich, pro-cop sentiments, despite Nolan's denials of intentional political messaging. He did suggest that Bane, a demagogue, co-opted a legitimate cause, but the film lacked a clear representation of the movement's uncorrupted elements, making it appear as though Bane initiated and armed a non-violent protest.
It is plausible that the film's political undertones were not fully intentional. Following Heath Ledger's death, Nolan reportedly struggled with the direction of a third Batman film, leading to significant plot changes. This resistance to making the movie might have resulted in less thorough consideration of its socio-political messages. The end product, therefore, became unintentionally political, with its commentary on class, power, and corruption becoming muddled within a narratively messy film.
In contrast, The Odyssey successfully navigates its themes without falling into political traps. It stands as an epic, apolitical retelling of a foundational myth, exploring universal concepts such as the cost of war, sacrifice, and the psychological toll of conflict. If The Dark Knight Rises had achieved a similar clarity in its messaging, it might have transcended its status as Nolan's most politically entangled and least successful film.