Sex, beds and grisly executions: what Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey changed, invented – and left out
From missing scenes and characters to a brand new ending, the director has taken some artistic liberties with Homer’s epic poem
A Sudden Flicker of Light by David Thomson review – a brilliantly eccentric history of the movies
From the golden age of Hollywood to harder times today, this is a rapturous account of more than a century of cinema
From Evolution to The Odyssey: the week in rave reviews
Chris Packham takes us back to the beginning in awe-inspiring fashion, while Christopher Nolan heads for Homer with a grand adaptation. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews
The Guardian view on The Lord of the Rings: not a weapon in the culture wars
Editorial: The lack of diversity in the latest film is a backwards step. Adaptations of Tolkien’s epic must reflect our times
The Hunt for Gollum is being criticised for its all-white cast. Blaming Tolkien is the wrong answer
The Lord of the Rings author’s debt to Norse mythology is simply irrelevant when it comes to the appearance of hobbits and elves on screen today
‘At times I felt I’d bitten off more than I could chew’: Christopher Nolan on sweeping the Oscars, making The Odyssey – and getting a puppy
How do you follow Oppenheimer? By spending $250m bringing Homer’s epic poem to the big screen in Imax. Today’s most powerful director talks big swings, trauma-bonding and the healing powers of chocolate labrador Charlie
A voyage of discovery: an idiot’s guide to reading The Odyssey
Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of the ancient Greek epic has sparked a new appetite for an old classic. Here are the translations, podcasts and audiobooks that make the Homeric world more approachable
A classicist’s verdict on Nolan’s Odyssey: a soulful hero flatters our times as women and nuance pushed overboard
Matt Damon’s sensitive and repentant Odysseus might come as a surprise to Homer, likewise some significant omissions concerning the poem’s female characters
The Odyssey review – Nolan goes god-tier with breathtaking epic of men, monsters and moral metamorphosis
Doing full justice to the Homeric legend, Christopher Nolan amasses an epic cast to convey the true cost of war with film-making of thrilling ambition
Animal Farm review – Andy Serkis’ Orwell adaptation slaughters the classic farmyard satire with sugar
The passionate allegory on Stalinism is outrageously reduced to happy-ending panto in this defanged animation featuring the voices of Seth Rogen, Laverne Cox and Glenn Close
‘More postmodern than ancient’: why the Odyssey is everywhere, from Oz to Westeros
Christopher Nolan’s take on the Odyssey is set to break box-office records. What made the director so determined to adapt the ancient Greek epic? And why does a poem from 600BC hold a vice-like grip on pop culture?
The Rolling Stones to BTS: the week in rave reviews
The octogenarian rock legends return with a new record continuing their creative renaissance, while the K-pop behemoths bring their latest album to global stadiums. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews
The Guardian view on Homer: The Odyssey is more modern than we might like to think
Editorial: The universal themes addressed by one of humanity’s greatest storytellers more than merit Hollywood box-office treatment
‘Attacked behind the scenes’: Children of Blood & Bone author Tomi Adeyemi distances herself from film adaptation
The Nigerian-American writer says she ‘will not watch’ Gina Prince-Bythewood’s adaptation of her fantasy bestseller
From The Invite to My Chemical Romance: the week in rave reviews
Seth Rogen brings an oddly sweet relationship comedy, and the facepainted kings of theatrical emo turn The Black Parade into a formidable live spectacle. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews