The 2.5-Hour AI-Generated Odyssey Film Misses the Mark

Christopher Nolan’s captivating adaptation of The Odyssey has sparked a renewed interest in classic literature among moviegoers. However, a new AI-generated retelling titled Odysseus: The Fall is so poorly executed that it might leave viewers with a distaste for the original story.

Created by AI company Fountain 0 and helmed by cofounder Ash Koosha, who also stars as the titular character and composed the music, this film is touted as “the first completely AI-generated film produced at the level of a Hollywood blockbuster.” Unfortunately, it falls far short of that mark. After enduring the 2.5-hour runtime, I was continually astonished by how much worse it could get. Instead of showcasing the future of AI filmmaking, it raises doubts about whether there’s any future at all.

The film is currently available for rent at $9.99, but it can only be viewed through a web browser. To watch it on my living room TV, I had to mirror my phone’s screen, which is hardly an ideal setup. Pressing play didn’t improve the experience.

The Fall suffers from two major flaws. The first is a lack of consistency. The film’s world is in constant flux, making it incredibly distracting. The size of the cyclops varies from shot to shot, waves move against the wind, and the characters’ mouths often don’t sync with their dialogue—sometimes they even move silently. In one scene, a fleet of boats races across the ocean, but one inexplicably drifts sideways. The AI-generated voiceovers can be hard to understand, and both Odysseus and Zeus are mispronounced at various points.

If it were just a few minor glitches, it might be forgivable, but the sheer number of errors makes it difficult to focus on anything else. Watching the movie with my 13-year-old turned into a game of spotting the oddest mistakes. I noticed a sword transform into a dagger, and she found an alien carcass roasting on a spit. The Fall seems to highlight the importance of script supervisors.

While the AI-induced blunders are distracting, they also provide the most entertainment in an otherwise dull film. Current AI models struggle to create coherent scenes longer than a few seconds, resulting in a disjointed collection of moments from the Odyssey that lack cohesion. If you’re not already familiar with the story, you’d likely be lost, as the film offers little explanation. Penelope’s suitors aren’t even mentioned until nearly the end.

I can’t identify a single aspect of The Fall that benefits from AI. The “acting” is perplexingly poor, with characters pausing awkwardly and bursts of laughter that come out of nowhere. The action lacks any weight, as if physics and gravity are mere suggestions. There are no impressive effects that showcase the technology’s potential; the monsters resemble shabby stop-motion creations from the 1930s, which is even more jarring next to the smooth, hyperreal human characters. It’s not just disorienting; it’s also boring and unattractive.

Koosha claims he adapted this story out of a long-standing passion for Homer’s epic. However, it seems more likely he’s trying to capitalize on the buzz generated by Nolan’s film, turning AI-generated content into a modern version of direct-to-video cash grabs. This approach puts the film at a significant disadvantage, inviting comparisons to a critically acclaimed movie that thrived on human craftsmanship. Nolan’s dedication to film is evident, and it’s this passion that draws stars to work with him and audiences to theaters.

In contrast, The Fall demonstrates a blatant disregard for the medium, reducing the work of countless skilled artists to a haphazard creation by a small team. Its sheer awfulness may ultimately deepen your appreciation for human-made art.