Grok Releases First Seven Minutes of AI-Generated ‘Odyssey’

The clip was created with Wonder Studios and director Dev Walker. Musk had criticized Christopher Nolan’s adaptation because Nolan cast nonwhite and transgender actors, according to TechCrunch. Nolan has described himself as “a techno-skeptic” and said that before AI he had never seen a technology “so completely rejected by the public.” Nolan’s film, released in July, used visual effects but was primarily a practical production shot across six countries with thousands of cast and crew; it sold out Imax screenings for months and is seen as a likely front-runner at the next Academy Awards.

TechCrunch’s review said the Grok footage was not “as spectacularly ugly” as expected and was more impressive than other videos Musk has posted recently. At moments, the reviewer wrote, the characters could be mistaken for real actors sailing on a real sea. The review said it could not assess historical accuracy but noted that the characters appear to share a Musk-approved skin color and that the narrator uses a British accent familiar from fantasy video games and Hollywood epics.

The review said the footage lacks artistry, inspiration and human interest. Its voiceover backstory “seems to go on forever,” it said, before giving way to “one bearded face after another” delivering stilted lines. Although a few individual shots offer a reasonable simulation of reality, the review said, the whole piece feels “completely airless,” with no momentum and no reason to care about anyone on screen. The reviewer, who watched Nolan’s nearly three-hour film without difficulty, said they were checking how much time remained before the Grok version was halfway through and could not imagine watching another seven minutes, much less a full movie.