The Odyssey with Neil Laird

BASED ON A TRUE STORY (BOATS EP. 388) — Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) brings Homer’s epic journey to the screen as we follow Matt Damon’s Odysseus from the Trojan War through monsters, sirens, and a long road home. In this episode, we'll learn from author and former documentary filmmaker Neil Laird about the historical accuracy of the movie and how well it ties into Homer’s Odyssey.

Guest Links

• Prime Time Troy: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388troy
• Prime Time Pompeii: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388pompeii
• Prime Time Travelers: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388travelers
• Neil Laird's Website: https://links.boatspodcast.com/388guest

Chapters

0:00 Letter grade & Homer’s Odyssey

3:30 Troy (2004) vs The Odyssey (2026)

9:30 Monsters, cyclopses and mythical beasts

14:30 Circe’s island and men turned to pigs

19:30 Hades, Achilles and war guilt

23:30 Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis and hard choices

37:30 Calypso, lost years and the long road home

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