Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has been one of the greatly anticpated films of 2026 since it was first announced, and while there were criticisms here and there regarding certain elements of the proposed story, they were rather minimal. That’s changed quite a bit with the premiere of The Odyssey’s first trailer, and though you will see criticisms of several aspects of it, a tidal wave of criticism is targeted on 1 specific thing.
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What is that one thing you ask? Well, it’s all about Agamemnon’s armor, though most of the backlash is specifically about the helmet. The debut trailer features an up-close look at Agamemnon’s armor as well as the front and back of the helmet, which both have distinct features that are drawing criticism for not being historically accurate. That said, it’s the back of the helmet’s design that seems to be the biggest point of contention.
King Agamemnon’s Helmet In The Odyssey Is The No. 1 Topic (But That’s Not A Good Thing)
One of the main issues the film is running into at this stage is the colliding aesthetics of more grounded elements that seem stepped in the source material with other elements (the helmet, for example) that shake things up a bit. It’s led to some backlash and additional discussion about how one should adapt something steeped in fantasy.
This is Nolan after all, so Batman comparisons were inevitable. @BarbaraBrendt wrote, “Nolan saved money; he recycled the Batman for his new movie”, while @fdecollibus wrote, “I am Batma… no sorry, Agamemnon”.
Then there were the more historical critiques, with @lightman1980 writing, “There’s no way a helmet like this could realistically belong to the Mycenaean era, it looks more like something out of a comic or a video game. I fear Nolan will, once again, remain on the surface: striking visuals, thunderous music, and not much beyond that.”
@Sturgeons_Law doesn’t lean on the historical part as much as the design itself, writing, “How are the Odyssey designs so bad? This helmet looks terrible.” In the same vein, @ramakin writes, “I just saw Nolan’s “Odyssey” trailer and Agamemnon’s spinal tail on the helmet is … lol Ok, we all now it’s a myth. But a myth in Mycenean Greece, not Mordor. I’m eager to watch it though. #Odyssey #odysseytrailer #NOLAN #movies”
Granted, other characters and their looks are also drawing criticism, but Agamemnon seems to be the main lightning rod here. That will undoubtedly change when fans get a bigger look at the film and more footage, as there are all sorts of fantastical things and creatures in The Odyssey, and it will be interesting to see if the discussion changes at all once those make their debuts.
The Odyssey hits theaters on July 17, 2026.
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Image Courtesy of HBO Max
