The first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” was released yesterday, and like clockwork, the internet has immediately reverted to its favorite pastime by throwing “historical inaccuracy” claims against the film.
Nolan is pitching this thing as a “mythic action epic.” It’s his take on Homer’s poem, one of the cornerstones of ancient Greek literature, via a cast of A-listers. Still, ever since that first image of Damon hit the internet, people have been sharpening their knives. The trailer only poured more gasoline on the fire. Suddenly, everyone’s an expert in Bronze Age naval architecture and armor.
Many are pointing to the site GreekReporter, who were among the first to dig in, cataloging what the trailer gets “wrong” and what it gets “right,” from helmets to ships. Their biggest beef? The visual language looks less ancient Greece and more Viking cosplay.
One commenter summed it up: “Had no idea Ancient Greeks used Batman helmets and sailed in Viking ships. Seriously, how hard is it to look at a picture of what the real thing looked like?”
Another piled on: “I’m not asking for total accuracy, but it’s jarring that it doesn’t even look vaguely like ancient Greece. This feels like Scandinavia in the Viking age. Why is everyone wearing pants? Why are they on longships instead of triremes? And why is everyone dressed like evil Batmen?”
Here’s where I start to roll my eyes a bit. Do we really want Nolan’s film to look like the image below? With characters wearing ridiculous-looking, era-accurate clanky golden armor? I sure don’t.
And really, “The Odyssey” is a story about monsters, gods, curses, witches, and sirens. It’s fantasy. It always has been. The word “mythic” isn’t accidental. This isn’t a documentary. It’s not even historical fiction in the traditional sense. It’s Nolan interpreting a legend that’s been reinterpreted, mistranslated, embellished, and reinvented for nearly 3000 years. Complaining that the armor isn’t period-accurate while a one-eyed giant is amongst the characters feels a tad too insane.
I’m not losing sleep over the historical debate. If anything, what worries me more is whether Nolan will be in over his head adapting a densely layered story like this one for the big screen. Hopes are high that he will rise to the challenge, and succeed in this endeavor.
