Three months after Elon Musk declared that Grok would release a full-length, “historically accurate” movie version of “The Odyssey,” the platform has now published a seven-minute segment, which the company is calling “Episode 1 of our Odyssey series.”
Musk had previously lashed out at Christopher Nolan’s version of “The Odyssey” because Nolan cast nonwhite and transgender actors. Furthermore, Nolan serves as a perfect foil for Musk; while SpaceX and Tesla CEO hypes up data centers in space and posts an endless stream of AI-generated content, Nolan has described himself as “a techno-skeptic” and stated that before AI, he had never seen a technology “so completely rejected by the public.”
While Nolan’s version of “The Odyssey” certainly utilized plenty of visual effects, it is primarily a feat of practical filmmaking, spanning six countries and involving a cast and crew of thousands. After its release in July, the film became an extraordinary box office success, selling out Imax screenings for months and becoming the likely front-runner for the next Academy Awards.
Regarding the Grok version of “The Odyssey” (created in collaboration with Wonder Studios and director Dev Walker), viewers can form their own opinions.
I admit it is not as spectacularly ugly as I expected, and it is certainly more impressive than other videos Musk has posted recently. If I hadn't known better, there were moments when I might have thought these were real actors sailing across a real sea. Although I cannot speak to Grok’s historical accuracy, it appears all the characters possess a Musk-approved skin color, and the narrator uses a British accent familiar to anyone who has played a fantasy video game or watched a generic Hollywood epic from the past 25 years.
What the footage truly lacks is any sense of artistry, inspiration, or human interest. The backstory, delivered via the aforementioned voiceover, seems to go on forever, eventually giving way to a succession of bearded faces shouting stilted lines that make Nolan’s dialogue sound like Shakespeare.
While a few individual shots might provide a reasonable simulacrum of reality, the whole experience feels completely airless, offering viewers no sense of momentum or a reason to care about anyone or anything on screen.
While I had no trouble paying attention during the nearly three-hour runtime of Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” I was listlessly checking how much time was left before the Grok version was even halfway through. It is hard to imagine being interested in another seven minutes of this, much less a full movie’s worth.
Watch Episode 1 of our Odyssey series made with Grok Imagine. Let us know in the comments if you'd like a full breakdown of how it was done! Creative collaboration with @WonderStudiosX and director Dev Walker @glumlot_pic.twitter.com/xpgpkqSCpq
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