The Odyssey is the insightful story of the universal soldier who has fought hard and long in war. He has seen far too much killing, absurdity, suffered too many physical and psychic wounds and has had to deal with the death and suffering of comrades. The journey home is never a direct flight from Da Nang to San Francisco. That veteran is not the same person who left home to fight. Now he must cope with feelings and experiences few others have experienced. That journey “home” is often long and tortured. How he travels and copes will seem and is often bizarre. If and when he arrives home, he may find it is definitely not the home he left. IMHO Homer himself was likely to be a combat veteran and was writing for other men who had similiar experiences.
Elon Musk is a good accomplished man. So is Mel Gibson. Both of course have their faults. However neither saw combat or was a soldier. Actually if Musk wants someone to remake and direct the Odyssey, a director like Oliver Stone might do a credible job.