Summary
Christopher Nolan’sThe Odysseymovie dropped the first look of Matt Damon as Odysseus. However, the photo raised some eyebrows, with several claiming it was inaccurate.
The Odysseyis Nolan’s upcoming cinematic adaptation of Homer’s popular Ancient Greek epic poem. It follows Odysseus' 10-year journey after the Trojan War and highlights the various challenges he encountered as imposed by gods, monsters, and temptations. The project was officially announced in December 2024. The production just gave a major teaser by dropping a photo of Damon as Odysseus on social media, and it sparked mixed reactions, with some criticizing it.
The official account of the Odyssey movie on X shared a snap of Damon in his full costume as Odysseus. However, critics immediately noticed Damon’s helmet, and according to them, the material was not accurate. In the photo, Damon is wearing a metal helmet with a crest. However, it was reportedly not how Odysseus' helmet should look like based on the poem. Onesaid, “Wrong helmet. Off to a bad start already.” Another shared the same sentiment,writing, “17 months before a movie release, i think, is a new record for an inaccuracy.” A different X user had no expectations from the film after seeing Damon’s costume. According to them, Nolan’s The Odyssey “will probably be trashjudging by the costume that looks nothing like what they used.”
One netizen shared the description of Odysseus' helmet based on Homer’s poem and it read, “Meriones gave Odysseus a bow, a quiver and a sword and put a cleverly made leather helmet on his head.” So, Odysseus' helmet was not made of metal but leather. Additionally, it has a “strong lining on interwoven straps” and a felt cap within it, probably for comfort. That’s not all, Homer gave an overview of its appearance. “The outside was cleverly adorned all around with rows of white tusks from a shiny-toothed boar, the tusks running in an alternate directions in each row,” the poem read. Apparently, the netizens were right that the one Damon was wearing in the photo was far from it. Since the helmet was very different from how Homer described it in his work, many were unhappy. “They don’t care about the odyssey they’re just churning money,” oneclaimed. Despite that, some also defended the production, saying they didn’t mind and were excited about the movie.
Costumes matter for historical accuracy, especially for historical dramas and adaptations of classic literature. So, the concerns about Damon’s helmet were reasonable. Homer’sThe Odysseyis a major Ancient Greek poem that has been studied worldwide. Thus, it is important to follow the source material as much as possible, especially since it was described in full detail. However, it is also not new for producers to create their own costumes to follow the director’s artistic vision. However, in this case, it’s probably better to stick to the source material’s description of the helmet since many know about it and to help the audience immerse themselves into the Archaic period when the material was written to get a feel of how the people looked and behaved at the time. Being faithful to the source material gives the project a sense of authenticity. Anyway, the photo was just a first look, and the production could still change it when they start filming later this month, especially after receiving such criticisms.
