History Can't Hide from Kahlil Greene
History Can't Hide from Kahlil Greene
I Saw The Odyssey Early—Here's My Full Review
0:00
-33:44

I Saw The Odyssey Early—Here's My Full Review

A defense of the film against a year of bad-faith attacks and a real critique of where (within a GREAT movie) Nolan still falls short.

A quick note before you dive in:

This is my first-ever movie review, and I’m publishing it raw. The embargo lifted at noon and I wanted this in your hands immediately, so there’s no edit pass (that means you might hear some throat-clearing, a few train-of-thought detours, and un-mixed audio.) I’d rather get you read on the film today than a polished one three days later.

I'd love your feedback on the review and the format itself, since I'm still figuring out what this looks like. Drop your questions, your takes, and tell me if you want more of these in general or a spoiler-heavy version of my Odyssey review where I can reference specific details of the movie to back up my opinions.

Me at the Boston early screening of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey movie

With no corporate backing or wealthy sponsors, this work depends entirely on readers like you.

If everyone reading this became a paid subscriber, I could report on culture full-time, but right now less than 5% of my followers are paid subscribers.

If you believe in journalism that tracks the canaries leaving our coal mine when others look away, please consider a paid subscription today!


PART ONE: THE SETUP
0:00: Intro & format
1:11: The screening: 70mm vs. IMAX

PART TWO: THE BACKLASH
3:04: A year of hate - Lupita, Elliot Page
4:02: Anti-woke slop content industry
6:25: Motte-and-bailey: racism to “accuracy”
8:08: Does the accuracy argument hold up?
10:12: Black people in Ancient Greece

PART THREE: THE FILM
12:16: Reaction vs. review vs. embargo
15:16: Why it’s realistic
16:55: Very Christopher Nolan: pro and con
19:35: Bechdel test & 10 minutes of Lupita
22:18: Casting, tension, visuals, performances

PART FOUR: THE VERDICT
31:01: 4.5 stars & what’s next

🚨🚨🚨WAIT🚨🚨🚨

Before you go, help confront the truth of our past!

So many of you have subscribed to this newsletter.

But less than 5% of you are paid, supporters.

That makes it hard to keep this going, especially when platforms like TikTok and Instagram are so unstable. I’ve had videos removed, been mass-reported by trolls, and constantly worry about getting shadowbanned or banned completely.

This newsletter is one of the only spaces where I can share these stories without censorship. But I need help to grow it.

  • 📖 If just 5% of you became paid subscribers, I could continue bringing on professors, historians, and other experts to unpack these issues in even deeper ways.

  • 🧠 If 10% signed up, I could quit everything else and go full-time — publishing multiple articles a day, covering the latest news, and connecting it to the hidden histories they don’t teach in school.

  • 🌎 And if 20% of you subscribed, I could turn this into a platform that lifts up other truth-tellers. Young writers, educators, and creators who are brilliant but have nowhere to share their voices. Especially those from marginalized communities who get ignored by traditional media.

I’m going to be direct: You might think someone else will step up to contribute to this page, but that’s exactly what everyone else is thinking too. This only works if each one of us contributes what we can, which is just the cost of a coffee each month.

History Can't Hide from Kahlil Greene is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

If you’re having trouble upgrading your subscription with the above link, visit historycanthide.substack.com/subscribe

Addition: Some of you preferred a one-time donation over a full subscription. To do that you can “Tip” me on Venmo (TheGenZHistorian) PayPal (@kahlilgreene2) or Cashapp ($kahlilgreene00)

Discussion about this episode

User's avatar

Ready for more?