We have finally been given our first look at The Odyssey
, the swords and sandals epic from Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan
. And while the image of Matt Damon as lead character Odysseus has many excited for the movie, it has been equally irritating for those with a love of history, who have quickly taken to social media to slam Nolan’s creative choices.
Christopher Nolan, who has become known for twisted action thrillers like Inception, Tenet, and the Batman trilogy, as well as the Oscar-winning biopic Oppenheimer, will enter a new era with his adaptation of Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey.” This change of pace is already facing criticism thanks to the helmet being worn by Damon in the first look image which, according to history buffs, is woefully inaccurate to the point of parody.
“The Iliad literally describes Odysseus wearing a kino leather helmet adorned with boar tusks, but Hollywood can never resist the siren song of the generic ancient broom helmet,” says @witte_sergei on X/Twitter. “This helmet is like cocaine to costume designers,” they added, before sharing the “relevant passage” which reads, “about his head he set a helm wrought of hide, and with many tight-stretched thong was it made stiff within, while without the white teeth of a boar of gleaming tusks were set on this side and that.” Oops.
Some Have Even Taken Issue With the Casting of Matt Damon as Odysseus
“This better not be for real,” adds fellow user and irritated history lover @WeeboJones. “The Odyssey is set during the age of heros (aka the Mycenaean period) some time around 1200 BC and so the helmets would have been of the boar tusk style, not the corinthian style. The corinthian helmet didn’t come into use until the Archaic period, around 700 BC.” An even more angry reaction from @handsoforlac reads, “that stupid f*cking odyssey helmet has pissed me off so much i now refuse to see the film PUT SOME RESPECT ON THE F*CKING BRONZE AGE PLEASE.”
“The Odyssey is set in the bronze age, but the helmet is based on a helmet from a later period, and it has a roman crest, which is even more anachronistic. He also has a random metal wristband and leather armor that are common movie cliches but wrong historically. Could be better,” says @LoTQD. While, on the other side of the debate, @george124567 declares, “i don’t care what kind of helmet matt damon is wearing in the odyssey.”
Related
Besides Matt Damon, have you taken a look at the stacked cast for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey?
A new photo is circulating online highlighting Matt Damon as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. . . but there’s something about this movie that I think a lot of people are overlooking – the cast is off the charts! We got Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, Sam Irwin – the list goes on. I know that this epic Greek tale has been done a thousand times by now, but I can’t wait to see well, anything – a teaser, a trailer, the actual movie even, haha! What do you think about Christopher Nolan’s next movie? The cast? Let me know in the comments below!
Outside the costume issues, some have concerns about Damon playing the lead. ” I think Damon’s Boston accent is incompatible with Odyssey’s mystique,” says @idertod, with @itsthatharry adding, “I really can’t wait for the historical accuracy nerds to flip their shit when the trailer for The Odyssey drops and Matt Damon still sounds like he’s from Boston.” However, the roles does fit nicely into Damon’s modus operandi. ” Of course, because if there’s one thing Damon’s known for, it’s playing a guy who can’t find his way home whether it’s space, earth, or ancient Greece,” observes @hrivaths17656.
Clearly, Nolan’s decision to use a Spartan-esque helmet with a red plume is controversial. No doubt this style of helmet, while inaccurate, has been chosen for its visual qualities, with the shape of the helmet and the plume creating a silhouette closely associated with sword and sandals epics. Of course, it is possible that Odysseus will have more than one helmet in the movie. Discourse about accuracy when it comes to adapting both real events and historical texts often occurs in these situations, but does it really matter that a story that includes a Cyclops doesn’t align with reality?
The Odyssey
- Release Date
-
July 17, 2026