Christopher Nolan\u2019s adaptation of The Odyssey, an epic poem composed nearly 2,800 years ago, has drawn a flood of criticism \u2014 starting even before audiences had seen a single frame.<\/p>\n
The controversy has centred largely on casting, but it also reflects broader debates about historical authenticity, identity and who gets to retell one of humanity\u2019s oldest stories.<\/p>\n
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Here\u2019s a look at some of the more heated conversations that the film has evoked:<\/p>\n
Black Helen of Troy<\/p>\n
When Nolan, the director, announced that the character of Helen of Troy \u2014 described by Homer as \u201cwhite-armed\u201d and \u201cgodlike\u201d \u2014 would be played by Oscar-winning Lupita Nyong\u2019o, it triggered a torrent of criticism.<\/p>\n
Some felt that picking a Black woman for the role was evidence of over-the-top \u201cwokeness\u201d.<\/p>\n
The backlash quickly spilled into politics. Elon Musk, owner of X, accused the director of \u201cpissing on Homer\u2019s grave\u201d, referring to him as an \u201canti-White racist\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants the awards,\u201d Musk wrote, suggesting that Nolan\u2019s decision was tied to awards-season politics and the Oscars\u2019 inclusion standards.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot one person on the planet actually thinks that Lupita Nyong\u2019o is \u2018the most beautiful woman in the world\u2019,\u201d right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh said, referring to Helen\u2019s reputation in later mythology.<\/p>\n
Scholars, however, pointed out that the argument itself rests on a misconception. Homer never explicitly calls Helen \u201cthe most beautiful woman in the world\u201d in either the Iliad or the Odyssey. Instead, he describes her with recurring epithets such as \u201cwhite-armed\u201d, \u201clovely-haired\u201d, \u201cdaughter of Zeus\u201d and \u201cgodlike\u201d.<\/p>\n
The idea that Helen was the world\u2019s most beautiful woman became firmly established in later Greek mythology through the story of the Judgement of Paris, in which Aphrodite promises Paris the most beautiful woman alive as his reward.<\/p>\n
Others who defended Nolan\u2019s choice, such as American author and classical scholar Daniel Mendelsohn, said Matt Damon does not look like a Greek at all, yet that never set off controversy.<\/p>\n
Mendelsohn, whose translation of The Odyssey was published in 2017, also said it is \u201csilly\u201d to complain about authenticity when speaking about mythological figures. \u201cHelen, after all, was hatched from a swan\u2019s egg, so how literal can we really be,\u201d he wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other controversies<\/p>\n The choice of transgender man Elliot Page (previously Ellen Page \u2013 he played the female lead in Juno and Inception) to play a role in the movie also led to controversy.<\/p>\n While he ended up playing a Greek soldier involved in the Trojan Horse deception, rumours had suggested that he was being considered for the mythological hero Achilles. That had Rob Finnerty, anchor of far-right network Newsmax, snapping at the prospect. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone from Brad Pitt to a girl who dresses as a guy, who\u2019s 5\u20191\u201d, 118 pounds,\u201d Finnerty said<\/a> in May, referring to Pitt\u2019s role in Troy, another movie. \u201cThat\u2019s the person who is going to be playing the greatest warrior in history because, to the left, that is normal.\u201d<\/p>\n Some viewers also questioned Nolan\u2019s decision to cast rapper Travis Scott as a bard. The filmmaker has, however, explained that the decision was a \u201cnod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap\u201d.<\/p>\n There was also criticism about the costumes. Some viewers online pointed out that the armour worn by Agamemnon resembled Batman\u2019s costume, and that Odysseus\u2019s boat looked like a \u201cViking ship\u201d. But again, some scholars challenged these criticisms, noting that The Odyssey was a mythological work, not a historical treatise.<\/p>\n And finally, even the dialogues went under scrutiny. When the main character, Tom Holland, dared to say \u201cMy dad is coming home\u201d, some users snapped back at how the tone was too casual and the words too modern for an epic conversation.<\/p>\n Unhappy in Greece<\/p>\n Some in Greece were also unhappy that a foundational work of Greek literature had no Greek actors involved.<\/p>\n