The overarching theme of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE‘s third season is: “The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions.” On today’s episode—our season finale—my cohost Amy Welborn and I take a more indirect approach to our guiding question. In previous discussions, we have explored topics such as Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical on AI and the changing landscape of American religion, but today we will dig into a broader cultural issue—namely, the release of Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey.
By almost any conventional measure, The Odyssey has garnered an almost pious reception. The movie has eye-popping scores on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and audiences alike. As one commentator sums it up, The Odyssey is “a masterpiece in every way.” Coming on the heels of Nolan’s widely acclaimed 2023 biopic Oppenheimer, The Odyssey is thus poised to cement its director’s status as “the voice of our generation.” But what is that voice saying? After a survey of Nolan’s diverse filmography, Amy and I wrestle with this question and, in the process, probe what films like The Odyssey say about Western culture today.
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